Friday, November 22
Lewisburg, Pa.
3 P.M
Bucknell University
vs
La Salle
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
No. 13 Men's Water Polo Faces La Salle in MAWPC Opening Round
11/19/2019 12:31:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The No. 13 Bucknell University men's water polo team, the top seed in the MAWPC Championships for the fourth straight year, will take on eighth-seeded La Salle in its first round matchup for the second consecutive year at the MAWPC Championships on Friday afternoon.
Setting the Scene
What: No. 1 Bucknell (19-8, 10-2 MAWPC) vs. No. 8 La Salle (6-20. 1-11 MAWPC).
Where: Kinney Natatorium, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Friday, Nov. 22, 3 p.m.
Watch: CWPA Multimedia ($)
About the Bison
About La Salle/Series History
Setting the Scene
What: No. 1 Bucknell (19-8, 10-2 MAWPC) vs. No. 8 La Salle (6-20. 1-11 MAWPC).
Where: Kinney Natatorium, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Friday, Nov. 22, 3 p.m.
Watch: CWPA Multimedia ($)
About the Bison
- Bucknell heads into the matchup with a 4-1 record in its last five games, including a win over the Explorers on Nov. 2.
- The Bison have outscored their opponents 69-37 over that timespan.
- Bucknell defeated No. 2 seed Fordham, 9-6 last Saturday, to clinch the No. 1 seed for the fourth straight season with a 10-2 record in conference games.
- The six goals by the Rams were the third-lowest by the team this season, thanks in large part to 13 saves by freshman goalkeeper Adrien Touzot.
- The Bison have held their opponents to 11 goals or fewer in each of their past seven games.
- Bucknell has won its last three opening round matchups in the MAWPC Championship, with its last defeat in the opening round of postseason play coming to St. Francis (NY) in 2014 in the CWPA Eastern Championships
- Bucknell needs one win to clinch its third 20-win season in the past four years under Head Coach John McBride. Bucknell has had four 20-win seasons since the year 2000, with half of those coming during McBride's tenure.
- Bucknell has been the one seed in each of the four seasons that the MAWPC Conference Championship has existed.
- The Bison have won their past three opening round matchups by a combined score of 60-14, including senior Rade Joksimovic's record-setting 14-goal game against Connecticut College in 2016.
- Joksimovic needs just nine points to become the second player in Bucknell history with 700 career points.
- The senior from Novi Sad, Serbia is up to 122 goals and 36 assists this season, leading the team in both categories.
- The Bison have six players who have chipped in 20 or more goals this season in Joksimovic (122), Andu Vlasceanu (61), Logan Schofield (53), Jared Stanley (42), Jack Lewis (24), and Cooper Dolan (20)
- Bucknell last won the MAWPC Championships in 2016, the last time the tournament was held in Lewisburg.
- The Bison met George Washington in the championship game that year, taking an 11-5 victory.
- The Colonials, the No. 3 seed in the tournament, will enter the weekend as the two-time defending champions after defeating the Bison in the championship game last season.
- Bucknell and George Washington are the only two schools that have earned MAWPC Championships to date.
About La Salle/Series History
- The Bison are 6-0 all-time against La Salle, including two wins in which Bucknell scored a combined 37 goals.
- The most recent game between the two on Nov. 2, Bucknell claimed a 21-3 victory, led by a balanced scoring attack.
- Vlasceanu, Joksimovic, Schofield, and Stanley each scored three times, while Kyle Poland and Bence Fazekas each scored twice. Dolan, Mitchell Scott, Jeff Brill, Colby Paine, and Will Gildea rounded out 11 different Bucknell goal scorers in the game.
- The Bison played both games against the Explorers in the friendly confines of Kinney Natatorium, with the other matchup against La Salle this season coming in a 16-10 win on Sept. 22.
- Jack Lewis scored three times in that game, while Andu Vlasceanu dished out a season-best seven assists.
- The Explorers earned their first MAWPC win in program history at Navy on Oct. 12, and played MAWPC No. 2 seed Fordham to a narrow one-goal defeat on Nov. 16.
- Regardless of outcome, the Bison will play on Saturday.
- With a win, the Bison would advance to the semifinal round on Saturday at 4:30 vs. the winner of No. 4 Navy and No. 5 Wagner. A defeat would pair Bucknell with the loser of that game on Saturday at 1:30.
Players Mentioned
UTL
/ Men's Water Polo
CD
/ Men's Water Polo
CD
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
CD
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
GK
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
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