No. 22 Women's Water Polo Defeats Cal State East Bay, Siena, to Open Harvard Invite

Saturday, March 7

Cambridge, Mass.

11:45 a.m.

Bucknell University

No. 25 California State East Bay

Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

No. 22 Women's Water Polo Defeats Cal State East Bay, Siena, to Open Harvard Invite

3/7/2020 2:50:00 PM | Women's Water Polo

Ally Furano Becomes All-Time Goals Leader

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Bucknell used an eight-goal second half surge to defeat California State East Bay before hanging on to defeat Siena in the nightcap on Saturday as the Bison improved to 14-3 overall, and snapped a two-game losing streak. In the win over Cal State East Bay, junior Ally Furano became Bucknell's all-time leader in goals scored after leading all scorers with five on the day. A. Furano passed the mark of 237 goals set by Meagan Gins 08' with her third goal against the Pioneers, and now has 243 goals through 17 games of her junior season.

Game One: No. 22 Bucknell 12, Cal State East Bay 9

Bucknell took an early 3-1 lead in the first period, with Paige Furano having a hand in all three goals. The sophomore drew an exclusion shortly after the opening whistle, and converted the first goal of the game shortly afterwards on a feed from Gigi Rojahn. P. Furano then scored once more on the powerplay, drawing another one of her six ejections on the day, on a pass from Marcela Herrera as Bucknell took a 2-0 lead.

The Pioneers found an answer shortly after Bucknell's second on a goal from Leti Mosqueda, but Kali Hyham found Bucknell's third goal on a pass from P. Furano as Bucknell restored its two-goal advantage after the first quarter, 3-1.

The Bison looked to pull away about midway through the second period as A. Furano scored Bucknell's fourth on the powerplay. However, two straight goals from the Pioneers to close the quarter managed to close the Bucknell lead to one goal, 4-3, entering halftime.

The two teams remained close in the third period, with Bucknell managing to cling onto the lead the entire period, but never taking more than a three-goal lead in the process. Rojahn was involved in the first two goals by the Bison in the third quarter, assisting Nina Benson after winning the opening sprint, before scoring herself on the powerplay shortly afterwards.

A. Furano gave Bucknell its biggest lead of the day late in the third on a penalty shot to take a 7-4 lead, but the Pioneers then scored two straight to pull within one. P. Furano restored Bucknell's two-goal advantage with a goal in the final minutes, converting on the powerplay once again on an ejection by Hyham as the Bison took an 8-6 lead after three.

The Bison finally managed to pull away for good late in the fourth. Back-to-back goals by A. Furano gave Bucknell a 10-6 lead as the Bison managed to keep a multi-goal advantage the rest of the game. The Pioneers pulled within two twice during the quarter, but a goal each by P. Furano and A. Furano in the final minutes proved enough as Bucknell managed a 12-9 win.

The two Furano sisters combined for nine of Bucknell's 12 goals, with P. Furano scoring four, while A. Furano added five. Benson, Rojahn, and Hyham each added goals, while Rojahn also managed two assists.

Georgia Lewis made her return to the cage in the win, making five saves and adding a steal. The Bison drew 13 ejections, a season-best, in the victory. P. Furano and Hyham each drew six, a career-best for the former.

Cal State East Bay       1 - 2 - 3 - 3 -- 9
Bucknell                     3 - 1 - 4 - 4 -- 12

Goals: A. Furano (5), P. Furano (4), Benson, Rojahn, Hyham
Assists: Rojahn (2), P. Furano (2), Hyham
Steals: Benson (4), Hodzic, A. Furano, Smith
Ejections Drawn: P. Furano (6), Hyham (6), A. Furano
Sprints: Rojahn (2-2), Herrera (0-1), Benson (1-1)
Saves:   Lewis 5 saves, 9 goals allowed, 32:00 minutes

Game Two: No. 22 Bucknell 12, Siena 11

Bucknell used a six-goal first quarter to take an early lead before holding off a late surge from the Saints as the Bison picked up their 14th win of the season over Siena on Saturday evening.

The Bison scored the first three goals of the game, with two coming from A. Furano on either side of a goal by P. Furano. Bucknell scored shortly after the opening sprint, as Marcela Herrera won the opening sprint before handing out an assist on Bucknell's opening goal.

After a goal by the Saints, Bucknell scored three more unanswered goal to end the quarter, with Hyham having a hand in all three tallies, scoring two and assisting the other. Hyham's last goal came with seconds left in the quarter on an assist from Rojahn as Bucknell took a commanding 6-1 lead after one quarter.

Bucknell added two goals in the second on shots by Rojahn and Herrera, the latter just before the halftime horn, as Bucknell maintained a five-goal advantage with an 8-3 lead at the half.

The Saints did manage to pull within two, 9-7, on a penalty shot in the fourth quarter after scoring four of the next five goals in the second half. Hyham then scored Bucknell's tenth to stop the run on the powerplay, but the Saints managed to respond in three different instances to keep within two goals of the Bison. Siena pulled within one goal with seconds left on the clock, but ultimately the Bison managed to run out the clock and take their second straight win.

Hyham led the way with four goals, while A. Furano added three after becoming Bucknell's all-time leader in goals scored in the morning. Herrera also added two goals, while Rojahn handed out three assists. Georgia Lewis made five saves for the Bison in the win.

Bucknell will continue the Harvard Invite with a 9:15 a.m. matchup on Sunday against LIU in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Siena 1 - 2 - 3 - 5 -- 11
Bucknell 6 - 2 - 1 - 3 -- 12

Goals: Hyham (4), A. Furano (3), Herrera (2), P. Furano, Benson, Rojahn
Assists: Rojahn (3), Hyham, A. Furano, Herrera
Steals: Hyham (2), A. Furano (2), Smith, Herrera
Sprints: Herrera (2-2), Benson (0-1), Rojahn (0-1)
Ejections Drawn: Hyham (3), P. Furano
Saves: Lewis, 5 saves, 11 Goals Allowed, 32:00 minutes