Men's Water Polo Heads North for a Weekend of Competition at Harvard Invitational

Lewisburg, PA – Bucknell men's water polo heads north to Cambridge, MA, this weekend for the Harvard Invitational. The Bison will kick off with two matches on Saturday, facing San Jose State in the morning and Long Island in the afternoon, before concluding the weekend on Sunday with games against Harvard and Salem.

Saturday, Oct. 19

Bucknell (8-8, 5-3 MAWPC) vs. San Jose State ( 5-3,1-1 WCC) - 10:30 a.m. - WATCH

Bucknell (8-8,5-3 MAWPC) vs. Long Island ( 6-10, 1-3 NWPC) - 6:00 p.m. - WATCH

Sunday, Oct. 20

Bucknell (8-8, 5-3 MAWPC) vs. Harvard ( 12-2, 5-0 NWPC) - 12 p.m. - WATCH

Bucknell (8-8, 5-3 MAWPC) vs. Salem ( 8-3, 0-0 WWPA) - 3:30 p.m. - WATCH

About the Bison

The Bison hosted four contests at home last weekend, finishing 2-2. Bucknell earned victories over Johns Hopkins (13-8) and Mercyhurst (20-9) but fell in close matches to No. 20 Navy (14-13) and George Washington (13-12).
Aleksa Stefanovic led the way with six goals, helping Bucknell to a 20-for-36 shooting performance. Jovan Udovicic added a hat trick, while Shay Gillearn and Maxime Touzot each netted two goals. Bruce, Hedblad, Matt Ryckman, and Greg Nordheim each contributed one goal, while goalie David Dumitru recorded 15 saves against Mercyhurst.
Bucknell has an 8-8 overall record and 5-3 in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference.
Bucknell last faced San Jose State in 2022 in California, where they came up short in a tightly contested 11-8 loss. The Bison trailed 4-3 in the second quarter before the Spartans extended their lead, which they maintained for the rest of the game. Despite Hasan Mogultay's and Andu Vlasceanu's goals, Bucknell couldn't close the gap, cutting the deficit to two multiple times but never fully catching up. Mogultay and Jack Lewis each scored three goals, while Vlasceanu added two goals and two assists. Goalie Adrien Touzot recorded 12 saves in the defeat.
San Jose State is coming off a 1-2 weekend. The Spartans secured a 16-13 victory over No. 12 UC Santa Barbara but fell to No. 17 UC Davis (11-9) and No. 4 Pacific (14-6).
The Bison and Sharks are set to face off for the first time ever this weekend in an exciting matchup. Long Island is coming off a loss at home in Brooklyn, NY, falling 18-17 to Iona.
Bucknell last met Harvard earlier this season at the Princeton Invitational, where the Crimson secured a 16-12 victory. The Bison trailed 4-3 after the first period and 8-5 at halftime before being outscored 5-2 in the third quarter. Aleksa Stefanovic led Bucknell with four goals, Matt Ryckman contributed three, and Jovan Udovicic added two. Goalie David Dumitru recorded 11 saves in the loss.
Harvard is coming off a successful 2-0 weekend, with an 18-10 victory over No. 19 Brown and a 21-9 win against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Salem and Bucknell last met in 2022, where the Bison secured a 15-8 victory over the Tigers. Bucknell's offense started strong, netting five goals in the first quarter for a 5-2 lead, with Jack Lewis scoring three of them. Lewis continued his impressive performance with one goal in the second quarter and two more in the third, ultimately finishing with a career-high seven goals, the highest for any Bison player that season. Bucknell led 7-3 at halftime and went on a dominant 6-0 run in the third quarter, sealing the win. Ian Shultz also had a career-best performance with three goals, while Doruk Ozar, Aleksa Stefanovic, Will Gildea, and Jack Murad added to the score. Goalie Adrien Touzot made 13 saves.
Salem recently secured a 21-16 victory over Mount St. Mary's last weekend.

Men's Water Polo Heads North for a Weekend of Competition at Harvard Invitational

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Players Mentioned

David Dumitru

Shay Gillearn

Hasan Mogultay

Jack Murad

Greg Nordheim

Doruk Ozar

Matt Ryckman

Ian Shultz

Aleksa Stefanovic

Maxime Touzot

Jovan Udovicic

Andu Vlasceanu