Men's Water Polo Wraps Up Weekend with 14-7 Win vs. Fordham

LEWISBURG, Pa. –Playing its fifth game in less than 48 hours, the Bucknell men's water polo team concluded the Bison Invite Sunday with a 14-7 victory over Fordham in Kinney Natatorium. Jake Else tallied a team-high five goals and Julian Colina equaled his career high with four goals for the second straight day as the Bison improved to 5-1 on the season.

Bucknell went 2-1 in games this weekend that counted toward its record and it also defeated Diablo Valley and Toronto in exhibition contests. The Bison are now 11-2 in home games over the last two years and have won 12 of their last 14 contests overall.

It was a game of runs early as Bucknell scored the first two goals and then Fordham answered with two to tie the game. The Bison then scored four straight, followed by two in a row for the Rams. Colina's third goal of the second quarter came with 33 seconds on the clock and staked Bucknell to a 7-4 halftime advantage.

A goal by Fordham's Ben Clinkinbeard midway through the third quarter brought the Rams to within 7-5, but Bucknell tallied the next four goals and seven of the next eight to cruise to the victory.

Else and Colina were the keys to the Bison offense. Else scored the game's first two goals and then Colina took over, tallying three times in the second quarter. Else then found the back of the net three times in the second half, including twice on six-on-five opportunities.

Stefan Aleksic added three goals and two assists to the offensive production, while Alex Nowlin and Mike Kimble each scored once. Eleven of Bucknell's 14 goals were scored by seniors, while six of its nine assists were by freshmen or sophomores.

Fordham attempted 31 shots and Bison goalie Keegan Williams played a solid game with 10 saves, coming one shy of his career high. He now has 52 stops this year and crossed the 100-save plateau for his career.

Sunday's three leading goal scorers – Else, Colina and Aleksic – are also Bucknell's leading scorers overall this year. Colina ranks first on the team with 15 goals, while Else is second with 13 and Aleksic is third with 11.

Ori Raz and Davis DeFontes scored two goals apiece for Fordham (5-3), which defeated Mercyhurst by a 10-6 score earlier in the day.

After two weekend invitationals to start the year, the Bison will open league play next weekend. They will play at Navy and George Washington on Saturday and then conclude the weekend with a contest at Johns Hopkins on Sunday.

FORDHAM 2 2 1 2 -7
BUCKNELL 2 5 3 4 -14

Goals: Else (5), Colina (4), Aleksic (3), Nowlin, Kimble.
Assists: Aleksic (2), Colina (2), Moore (2), Hale, Nowlin, Daley.
Field Blocks: Kimble (2), Daley, Moore.
Ejections Drawn: Else (3), Aleksic, Hale, Nowlin, Moore.
Saves: Williams (10 svs., 7 ga., 32:00 min.).
Steals: Aleksic (2), Colina, Daley, Kimble.
Sprints: Moore (2-2), Hale (0-1), Somers (0-1).
Bucknell Record: 5-1.