Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Navy
Men's Water Polo Caps 3-1 Weekend with Exciting 15-11 Win Over Navy
10/11/2015 6:03:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Jeff Hagen scored four goals, Stefan Aleksic added three and Sean Daley registered five assists to lead the No. 13 Bucknell men's water polo team to an exciting 15-11 win over Navy Sunday afternoon at Kinney Natatorium. The victory helped the Bison cap a 3-1 weekend record against four league opponents.
Bucknell (11-4, 4-2 CWPA) defeated Navy (7-7, 1-2 CWPA) for a third straight meeting as it improved to 8-1 at Kinney Natatorium this season and 73-32 all-time in the facility.
It was a physical game with the teams combining for 27 six-on-five opportunities. Both teams had two players disqualified due to picking up three ejections. The Bison were a solid 9-for-16 in man-up situations, while the Mids were 5-for-11.
While the contest was close throughout, Bucknell never trailed. The final four-goal margin was the largest of the game for the Bison, who have won nine of their last 11 contests.
Nate Hunter and Hagen combined to score three straight goals for Bucknell in the second quarter to stake the Bison to a 7-4 edge. David Huber stopped the run with a goal for Navy with 1:06 to play in the first half. The Mids then scored the first two goals in the second half to even the score at 7-7.
The score was tied 8-8 midway through the third period when Bucknell took control for good. Aleksic and Hunter teamed up to score three straight goals in a span of 66 seconds to put the Bison up 11-8 with 2:46 to play in the third quarter. The final two goals of the run were six-on-five scores.
Hagen added one more six-on-five goal in the closing seconds of the third quarter to make it 12-9 entering the fourth period.
Navy could draw no closer than within two goals the rest of the way, although the physical nature of the game shined through with six ejections, one yellow card and a red card issued in the final quarter.
Charlie Niehaus made just five saves after posting 11 saves in a 9-4 win over Johns Hopkins earlier in the day, but each was impressive as he preserved the Bison lead. He now has 109 saves on the season and completed the weekend with 27 in the four games.
Daley equaled his career high with his seven points. His five assists were the most by a Bucknell player since he had five against Navy in October 2013.
Bucknell will return to action on Saturday when it travels to Navy for a rematch of Sunday's contest. The game will take place at noon in Annapolis and a live video broadcast will air on the Patriot League Network.
NAVY 1 4 4 2 -11
BUCKNELL 4 3 5 3 -15
Goals: Hagen (4), Aleksic (3), Hunter (2), Bolanca (2), Daley (2), Babic, Stupp.
Assists: Daley (5), Aleksic (3), Bolanca (2), Babic.
Ejections Drawn: Hunter (5), Hagen (4), Aleksic (2), Bolanca (2), Babic (2), Moore, Daley, Stupp.
Steals: Aleksic (5), Moore (3), Hagen (3), Daley (2), Babic (2), Djordjevic, Niehaus.
Saves: Niehaus (5 svs., 11 ga., 32:00 min.).
Sprints: Daley (1-2), Stupp (1-2).
Bucknell Record: 11-4, 4-2 CWPA.
