No. 22 Women's Water Polo Drops Pair of Games to Ranked Opponents Sunday Afternoon

Sunday, March 1

Ann Arbor, Mich.

10:40 A.M.

Bucknell University

No. 15 Long Beach State

Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

No. 22 Women's Water Polo Drops Pair of Games to Ranked Opponents Sunday Afternoon

3/1/2020 12:40:00 PM | Women's Water Polo

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Bucknell dropped a pair of contests to ranked opponents on Sunday afternoon to close the Wolverine Invite.

Game One: No. 22 Bucknell 14, No. 15 Long Beach State 17
No. 15 Long Beach State used an 11-goal first half to rush past the Bison, 17-14, on Sunday afternoon at the Wolverine Invite. Bucknell made a run in the third quarter to pull within one, but the 49ers managed to hang on to give Bucknell its first loss since Feb. 9. The loss snaps a six-game winning streak for the Bison overall.

Bucknell found itself trailing twice early on after the 49ers scored the first and third goals of the game. However, Ally Furano equalized both times on assists by Gigi Rojahn and Paige Furano as the Bison tied the game at two with 6:25 left in the first.

Long Beach State then used three straight goals to end the quarter as Bucknell found itself trailing 5-2. The 49ers added a sixth before A. Furano converted a penalty shot to stop the 4-0 run.

Bucknell managed to pull within three twice in the second quarter on goals by A. Furano, who scored the first four of the game for the Bison, and Nina Benson. The 49ers, however, added three unanswered goals to take a 10-5 lead at the halftime break.

Bucknell brought the game within three, 12-9, with 5:24 remaining in the third after Benson found the back of the cage on the powerplay, forcing a timeout by the 49ers. The run continued for the Bison in the third as Bucknell scored three of the next four goals. The run was capped of by a penalty shot by A. Furano that brought Bucknell within a single goal, 13-12, with 51 seconds remaining in the third.

That was the closest Bucknell could get in the game as the 49ers scored four straight to start the fourth period. Kali Hyham and P. Furano pulled two goals back for the Bison late, but Long Beach State managed to hang on for the 17-14 victory.

A. Furano managed five goals and two assists for Bucknell, while Nina Benson scored four times. Rojahn added three assists in the defeat. Hayley Pogue made seven saves for the Bison in the cage.

Bucknell           2 - 3 - 7 - 2 -- 14
Long Beach State      5 - 6 - 3 - 3 -- 17

Goals: A. Furano (5), Benson (4), Hyham (2), P. Furano, Moynihan
Assists: Rojahn (4), A. Furano (2), P. Furano (2), Lacroix
Steals: A. Furano (4), Rojahn (2), Benson, Hyham
Sprints: Benson (2-2), Lacroix (1-1), Rojahn (1-1)
Saves: Pogue 7 saves, 17 GA, 32:00 minutes

Game Two: No. 22 Bucknell 6, No. 7 Michigan 15

No. 7 Michigan used ten goals in the first half to race by Bucknell in a 15-6 win on Sunday afternoon.

Michigan scored the first two goals of the game before Kali Hyham halved the deficit at 2-1 with 1:03 left in the first. However, the Wolverines scored four straight until A. Furano stopped the Michigan run with 4:37 left in the second period. Michigan added four more goals to take a 10-4 lead at the break, including a shot by Skyler Pyle with one second remaining in the first half en route to taking a 15-6 win over the Bison.

Bucknell drops its second straight game, with all three of the defeats by the Bison this season coming to opponents ranked No. 20 or higher.

Hyham scored three goals, while A. Furano, Rojahn, and Benson each scored once. Hayley Pogue made seven saves for the Bison, who return to action next weekend at the Harvard Invite.

Bucknell 1 - 3 - 1 - 1 -- 6
Michigan 4 - 6 - 4 - 1 -- 15

Goals: Hyham (3), Rojahn, Benson, A. Furano
Assists: A. Furano, Rojahn
Steals: P. Furano, Moynihan, Hyham
Sprints: Tomlin (0-1), Herrera (0-1) Lacroix (1-1), Rojahn (1-1)
Saves: Pogue 7 saves, 15 GA, 32:00 minutes