Men's Water Polo Heads to New York to Conclude Final Week of Conference Play

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell men's water polo embarks on its final week of conference play with a road trip to New York. The Bison will face undefeated Fordham, the No. 3 team in the latest national rankings, in the Bronx on Saturday before heading to Staten Island to take on Wagner on Sunday.

Saturday, November 9
Bucknell (11-13, 7-5 MAWPC) vs. No. 3 Fordham (24-0, 10-0 MAWPC) - 11 a.m.

Sunday, November 10
Bucknell (11-13, 7-5 MAWPC) vs. Wagner (12-15, 4-5 MAWPC) - 5 p.m.

About the Bison

Bucknell is riding momentum from a thrilling 12-11 overtime victory over Mount St. Mary's last Friday. This win places the Bison in a tie with Navy for the No. 3 spot in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference rankings as they enter the final week of conference play.
Bucknell overcame a four-goal deficit to defeat Mount St. Mary's 12-11 in sudden-death overtime, marking a crucial MAWPC win and a record-breaking achievement for head coach John McBride as the winningest coach in program history.
Key performances from Aleksa Stefanovic (four goals), Sean Tunnicliff (three goals), and Shay Gillearn (two goals) helped the Bison rally, with Tunnicliff's game-winning shot in sudden death sealing the victory, backed by David Dumitru's strong defensive saves.
Bucknell holds an 11-13 overall record and stands at 7-5 in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference.
Fordham and Bucknell played each other previously this season at the Bucknell Invitational. Bucknell struggled early against the three-time defending MAWPC champions, Fordham, who surged to a 7-1 lead in the first quarter and held an 11-3 advantage by halftime, with Tyler Hedblad, Sean Tunnicliff, and Aleksa Stefanovic scoring for the Bison.
Despite the deficit, Bucknell showed resilience with a strong third-quarter offensive burst, netting four goals from Jake Wedding, Hedblad, Tunnicliff, and Shay Gillearn, ultimately finishing the game 20-9.
Fordham is coming off a 3-0 weekend, defeating No.20 George Washington (19-5), No.20 Navy (18-10), and Johns Hopkins (28-12).
The Bison and Seahawks previously met at the Bucknell Invitational in September where the Bison prevailed 13-12. Gillearn set the tone for Bucknell with a quick goal, leading an offense where Stefanovic scored five goals, Hedblad three, and both Gillearn and Jovan Udovicic added two each.
Bucknell gained control in the second quarter, outscoring Wagner 5-2 to hold an 8-5 halftime lead, and secured the 13-12 win with key fourth-quarter goals from Matt Ryckman, Udovicic, and Stefanovic.
Wagner is coming off a 1-2 weekend taking a victory over Johns Hopkins (15-9) before dropping contests to George Washington (8-7) and Navy (17-11).

Men's Water Polo Heads to New York to Conclude Final Week of Conference Play

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Players Mentioned

David Dumitru

Shay Gillearn

Tyler Hedblad

Matt Ryckman

Aleksa Stefanovic

Sean Tunnicliff

Jovan Udovicic

Jake Wedding