Bucknell Women's Water Polo Falls to Michigan, Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday

Saturday, February 11

Lewisburg, Pa.

10 a.m.

Bucknell University

Michigan

Bucknell Women's Water Polo Falls to Michigan, Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday

2/11/2023 7:27:00 PM | Women's Water Polo

Motau Scores Career-Best Five Goals in Nightcap

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell University women's water polo team dropped its opening two games of the conference slate against Michigan and Saint Francis on Saturday in its home debut at Kinney Natatorium. The Bison dropped its morning game against Michigan 12-1 before falling in a back-and-forth contest against Saint Francis (Pa.) in the nightcap.

Game One: Michigan 12, Bucknell 1
No. 8 Michigan scored the first three goals of the game in a fast start in taking a commanding 12-1 win over the Bison in the first game of the day.

Bucknell found its lone goal in the first period from Bella Schraa, but the Wolverines closed the game with nine unanswered goals in blanking the Bison the rest of the way and improving to 8-5 this season.

Game Two: Saint Francis (Pa.) 16, Bucknell 11
Bucknell tied its season high in goals in the nightcap, but the Red Flash pulled away in the final quarter, using a 3-0 run to end the game and blanking Bucknell in the fourth quarter after the Bison had pulled within two on multiple occasions.

It was an exciting start to the game, with the two teams combining for seven goals in the first period. Bucknell led twice in the period thanks to goals from Megan LaCroix and Motau, but the Red Flash ended the period by outscoring the Bison 3-1 over the final 5:40 of the period to take a 4-3 advantage after eight minutes.

Bucknell regained the lead once more in the second quarter on a goal by Gwen Kallmeyer to take a 5-4 lead, but the Red Flash managed to score five of the next seven goals to close the half and take a 9-7 lead at the break.

Bucknell pulled within two on multiple occasions in the third, with the latest with 38 seconds to go in the half to make the score 13-11 to the visitors as Isabelle Monaghan converted for her second goal of the game. However, the Red Flash responded with four seconds left in the quarter to restore a three-goal cushion before ending the game with two more goals in the first while shutting out the Bison to take a 16-11 win.

Motau's five goals were a career-high, and were tied with Schraa for the most by a Bison in a single game this season. Monaghan added another multi-goal game while Chloe Smith and Aliyah Cohen also added goals.

Bucknell completes its time at the Bucknell Invitational on Sunday morning against Villanova at 10:30 a.m.