Water Polo Falls to Two Ranked Foes

PRINCETON, N.J.- Bucknell men's water polo (1-6) fought valiantly in two losses against ranked foes on Sunday at the Princeton Invite. The Bison lost 20-16 against No. 16 Harvard (4-3) in an overtime heartbreaker and 19-9 against No. 9 Princeton (4-0).

Harvard Recap

Tyler Hedblad continued his hot start to the season with a team-high five goals. Aleksa Stefanovic added four goals to the war chest.

The first quarter was the most even period in water polo history as the teams both scored six goals and every tally was a back-and-forth affair.

Bucknell went on a 2-0 run to start the second period but the Crimson cruised into halftime on a 3-0 stretch for the 9-8 halftime lead.

Harvard outscored Bucknell 3-2 again in the third quarter to create a little separation.

Bucknell rallied in the fourth quarter, scoring six goals to Harvard's four but the result came with frustration for the Orange & Blue. Stefanovic scored the apparent game-winner with 19 seconds remaining before the final bell and the Bison looked ready to celebrate the upset victory. Harvard raced down the pool and scored the tying goal with a scant three seconds left.

Overtime belonged to the Crimson. Harvard scored four goals and held Bucknell scoreless for the 20-16 triumph.

Princeton Recap

Hedblad led Bucknell with three goals.

The Tigers darted to leads of 2-1 and 3-2 and the Bison tied it up both times before Princeton ended the opening quarter up 4-3.

Princeton gained breathing space heading into halftime by outscoring Bucknell 4-2 in the second period.

Bucknell lost its chance for an upset when Princeton tallied seven goals to the Orange & Blue's two scores in the third period.

The Tigers finished the game with four more goals in the fourth quarter. The Bison's rally never materialized as only two shots found the cage.

Up Next

The Bison open the home slate on Sept. 20 and 21, as the team hosts the annual Bucknell Invitational.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tyler Hedblad

Aleksa Stefanovic