Thursday, December 5
Stockton, Calif.
4 p.m. (ET)
Bucknell University
9
vs
15
No. 2 USC
Photo by: Shumesa Mohsin
Bucknell Falls in National Quarterfinals to No. 2 USC, 15-9
12/5/2019 6:16:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
STOCKTON, Calif. – A 4-0 second quarter by defending champion and No. 2 USC helped the Trojans pull away from No. 10 Bucknell's first-quarter lead in a 15-9 win over the Bison on Thursday afternoon in an NCAA Tournament quarterfinal game at Chris Kjeldsen Pool.
Bucknell finishes its season 23-9, tying the most wins in a single season during head coach John McBride's tenure.
"We're happy to be here," said Head Coach John McBride after the game. "It was an exciting first quarter, we just kind of ran out of gas. The game plan was simple, and we had some opportunities. I'm more than thrilled with the way things went. Logan (Schofield) is a very active center, he's very strong, and gets in position well. Our theme before we started the game was to get the ball into Logan and see what he could do."
Bucknell started strongly, utilizing the presence of senior Logan Schofield heavily in the center, as he scored two early goals at the 3:58 and the 1:49 mark of the first quarter to give Bucknell a 2-1 lead. Both goals by Schofield came on the power play thanks to two ejections drawn, one of those by the senior, in the opening minutes.
The Bison had a solid game plan defensively to start the game, forcing several turnovers from the Trojans attempting to work the ball in the middle.
"We were zoning from two positions," added McBride. "We knew how dominant USC's center could be, so we had to find the guys we could zone off of, and try to be there quickly."
USC's Jacob Mercep tied the game at two with 42 seconds left in the first quarter before a shot from Andu Vlasceanu with 22 seconds left gave Bucknell a 3-2 lead on the Trojans after one.
USC fought back in the second period, using a 4-0 run in the frame to take a 6-3 lead at the break.
Bucknell would get no closer than three in the second half. USC opened the second half scoring at the 5:24 mark of the third period on a goal by Marcus Longton. However, Cooper Dolan fired a shot from long range with 4:20 left in the third to pull Bucknell within three once again, 7-4.
The goal from Dolan, who was also solid on the defensive end, was the closest Bucknell would get the rest of the game as USC used another 3-0 run to end the third and take a 10-4 lead.
Bucknell scored twice in the early stages of the fourth on Rade Joksimovic's first goal of the day and another goal by Vlasceanu, but the lead proved insurmountable for Bucknell in the 15-9 defeat.
Cullen Jacuzzi scored from five meters in the latter stages of the game, while Niki de la Sierra scored his first career goal for the Bison with one second remaining.
The game marks the final games for Bucknell's record-setting senior class. In addition to helping Bucknell to its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1985 and highest finish in program history, the team combined for 87 victories over a four-year stretch, the most by the program since 1979-82. Four-Time MAWPC Player of the Year Rade Joksimovic, who scored two goals on the day, will end his Bucknell career with 527 career tallies, the second-most in program history. Schofield will end his Bucknell career with 297 career ejections drawn, 15 shy of the program record set by Jack Else. Jacuzzi finishes his career with 44 goals and 38 assists, while Dolan ranks eighth on Bucknell's all-time list with 120 career games played for the Orange and Blue.
"These four guys won their first year, had a disappointing sophomore and junior campaign, and obviously stepped up again and were competitive," said McBride. "I think when they turn their uniforms in at the end of the year, they will have left Bucknell water polo in a much better place. They created a culture where if you want to win, you have to work hard. It's not just a part-time mentality, it's a full-time mentality, and it's priceless the mentality that these guys left for the younger players. The younger players want to emulate them and be like them."
Goals: Joksimovic (2), Vlasceanu (2), Schofield (2), Dolan, Jacuzzi, de la Sierra
Assists: Joksimovic, Vlasceanu
Steals: Joksimovic, Vlasceanu, Schofield, Dolan
Ejections Drawn: Schofield (2), Joksimovic
Saves: Touzot, 6 saves, 32:00:00 Minutes
Bucknell finishes its season 23-9, tying the most wins in a single season during head coach John McBride's tenure.
"We're happy to be here," said Head Coach John McBride after the game. "It was an exciting first quarter, we just kind of ran out of gas. The game plan was simple, and we had some opportunities. I'm more than thrilled with the way things went. Logan (Schofield) is a very active center, he's very strong, and gets in position well. Our theme before we started the game was to get the ball into Logan and see what he could do."
Bucknell started strongly, utilizing the presence of senior Logan Schofield heavily in the center, as he scored two early goals at the 3:58 and the 1:49 mark of the first quarter to give Bucknell a 2-1 lead. Both goals by Schofield came on the power play thanks to two ejections drawn, one of those by the senior, in the opening minutes.
The Bison had a solid game plan defensively to start the game, forcing several turnovers from the Trojans attempting to work the ball in the middle.
"We were zoning from two positions," added McBride. "We knew how dominant USC's center could be, so we had to find the guys we could zone off of, and try to be there quickly."
USC's Jacob Mercep tied the game at two with 42 seconds left in the first quarter before a shot from Andu Vlasceanu with 22 seconds left gave Bucknell a 3-2 lead on the Trojans after one.
USC fought back in the second period, using a 4-0 run in the frame to take a 6-3 lead at the break.
Bucknell would get no closer than three in the second half. USC opened the second half scoring at the 5:24 mark of the third period on a goal by Marcus Longton. However, Cooper Dolan fired a shot from long range with 4:20 left in the third to pull Bucknell within three once again, 7-4.
The goal from Dolan, who was also solid on the defensive end, was the closest Bucknell would get the rest of the game as USC used another 3-0 run to end the third and take a 10-4 lead.
Bucknell scored twice in the early stages of the fourth on Rade Joksimovic's first goal of the day and another goal by Vlasceanu, but the lead proved insurmountable for Bucknell in the 15-9 defeat.
Cullen Jacuzzi scored from five meters in the latter stages of the game, while Niki de la Sierra scored his first career goal for the Bison with one second remaining.
The game marks the final games for Bucknell's record-setting senior class. In addition to helping Bucknell to its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1985 and highest finish in program history, the team combined for 87 victories over a four-year stretch, the most by the program since 1979-82. Four-Time MAWPC Player of the Year Rade Joksimovic, who scored two goals on the day, will end his Bucknell career with 527 career tallies, the second-most in program history. Schofield will end his Bucknell career with 297 career ejections drawn, 15 shy of the program record set by Jack Else. Jacuzzi finishes his career with 44 goals and 38 assists, while Dolan ranks eighth on Bucknell's all-time list with 120 career games played for the Orange and Blue.
"These four guys won their first year, had a disappointing sophomore and junior campaign, and obviously stepped up again and were competitive," said McBride. "I think when they turn their uniforms in at the end of the year, they will have left Bucknell water polo in a much better place. They created a culture where if you want to win, you have to work hard. It's not just a part-time mentality, it's a full-time mentality, and it's priceless the mentality that these guys left for the younger players. The younger players want to emulate them and be like them."
Goals: Joksimovic (2), Vlasceanu (2), Schofield (2), Dolan, Jacuzzi, de la Sierra
Assists: Joksimovic, Vlasceanu
Steals: Joksimovic, Vlasceanu, Schofield, Dolan
Ejections Drawn: Schofield (2), Joksimovic
Saves: Touzot, 6 saves, 32:00:00 Minutes
Players Mentioned
CD
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water Polo
ATK
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