Category: Water Polo

Scott Padula
Staff Writer

This past weekend, the men’s water polo team hosted the Bison Invitational, winning both of its tournament games. The Bison started the tournament by defeating MIT 18-12, then used the momentum to edge out a close win over Harvard 10-8, pushing their record to 6-8 on the season. The Bison also won exhibition games against Toronto and the Naval Academy’s “B” team 15-8 and 12-7, respectively.

The Bison kicked off the Invitational by defeating MIT 18-12, marking the first Orange and Blue victory in the last six games. The Bison came out ready to play against the Engineers, scoring five of the game’s first six goals and never looking back. The Orange and Blue matched their offensive production in the first quarter with five more goals in the second and third quarters. On the whole, the Bison never trailed in the match. Jack Else ’14 and Stefan Aleksic ’16 led the Bison scoring with four goals apiece. Mike Kimble ’14, Julian Colina ’14, Alex Nowlin ’14 and Nick Hale ’16 also chipped in with multi-goal performances. In the high scoring affair, Nowlin led the team with seven total points, adding five assists to the two goals he scored. In goal, Matt Napleton ’13 stopped seven shots in 32 minutes of play.

“Playing at home was great as always. We have the best fans in the league and Bucknell is the hardest place for opponents to come in and play at. We’re looking forward to playing at home in a couple weeks in front of some really rowdy crowds,” Napleton said.

In the team’s second official game of the tournament, the Orange and Blue won a nail-biter against Harvard 10-8. The Bison jumped out to an early lead, thanks in part to the Orange and Blue outscoring the Crimson 4-1 in the second quarter. Despite a four goal second half deficit, Harvard responded in the third, scoring three quick goals and cutting the Bison lead to one. In the fourth, the Crimson were the first to find the back of the net, tying the game at eight with 5:45 to play. The Orange and Blue responded with Hale scoring a go-ahead goal. Only slightly over a minute later, Kimble added to the Bison victory with another goal.

The most notable Bison performance came from Napleton who, in 32 minutes of action, recorded a career-high 21 saves in goal, beating his previous high of 16. Additionally, Napleton became the first Bison since career saves record-holder David Kennedy ’02 to record 20 saves in a game. Nowlin and Hale led the Orange and Blue on the offensive end, registering a team-high four points each, both from two goals and two assists. Kimble also made a strong contribution with three goals.

“While we won all four games, no one on the team was proud of the final result. We have a lot to work on in order to be able to run our defense against better teams. It’s all going to come down to everyone on the team being on the exact same page and listening to what our coaches are telling us,” Nowlin said.

The Orange and Blue will head to Princeton tomorrow for a league game before coming home to host four more league games against Johns Hopkins, Navy, George Washington and Princeton on Oct. 13 and 14.

Scott Padula

Staff Writer

The men’s water polo team kicked off league play this past weekend with a losses to No. 17 Navy, George Washington and Johns Hopkins. The Orange and Blue, under second year coach John McBride, are now 4-8 on the season and 0-3 in conference play.

To start the road trip, the Bison lost 11-6 to No. 17 Navy. The Orange and Blue were unable to stop the overwhelming Navy offense, allowing three goals in each of the first two quarters and being outscored in the first three. Despite the disappointing result, Jack Else ’14 was fantastic for the Bison, drawing a school record-breaking 10 ejections in the loss. Mike Kimble ’14 led the Orange and Blue in scoring, finding the back of the net twice for the team’s only multi-goal performance. In goal, Matt Napleton ’13 stopped seven shots in 32 minutes of play.

In the team’s second game, the Orange and Blue lost a disappointing game to George Washington, 15-12. The Bison looked flat to start the game, getting outscored 9-2 in the first half. The majority of the deficit was the result of the second quarter, in which the Orange and Blue were held scoreless while allowing five goals. Despite outscoring the Colonials 6-1 in the fourth quarter, the Bison were unable to overcome the seven goal deficit in the second half.

Against the Colonials, Else scored a personal best of seven goals and tallied six more ejections. His seven goals were the most scored by a Bison since 2007. Other multi-point performances came from Kimble, Brian Barron ’13 and Stefan Aleksic ’16. Kimble scored three goals and had an assist, while Aleksic had five assists and Barron two. Napleton was strong in goal again, making eight saves in 32 minutes.

To wrap up the trip, the Orange and Blue went to Baltimore to face Johns Hopkins. The Bison jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, outscoring the Blue Jays 5-3. The Bison had another weak second quarter where they were held scoreless while allowing four goals. In the second half, the Orange and Blue outscored Johns Hopkins 8-7 but were unable to overcome the two goal deficit. The Bison failed to tie the game in the final possession of the contest, leading to a 14-13 loss.

Barron and Aleksic led the team in scoring with three goals apiece. Else and Kimble also had multi-goal performances with two goals each. In addition, Else recorded seven more ejections, pushing his total to 43 on the season and 148 in his career. Else’s season total is more than three times that of anyone else on the team and his career mark of 148 is now fourth on the Bison’s career ejection total. In the losing effort, Napleton stopped seven shots in 32 minutes of action. Napleton now has 100 saves on the season.

“We came out flat for a couple of the games and our opponents took advantage. The biggest thing we need to fix heading into the Bison Invitational is our attitude and approach to the games. Every time we enter the water, we have to set the tone with physicality and urgency. We’re a talented team and we’re underperforming. It’s time to get angry and do something about it,” co-captain Napleton said.

The Orange and Blue will try to gain momentum this weekend when they host the Bison Invitational on Sept. 29 and 30. The Bison will kick off the invitational against MIT at noon on tomorrow. They will also face the University of Toronto, the Naval Academy’s “B” team and Harvard this weekend.

Scott Padula
Staff writer

On Sept. 15 and 16, the men’s water polo team competed in the North/South Tournament, going 1-2 on the weekend. The Bison defeated host team Harvard 11-3 before losing to No. 20 St. Francis 7-6 and No. 13 Princeton 13-9. The Orange and Blue are now 4-5 on the season.

The Bison coasted to an easy victory against the Crimson, thanks in part to a tremendous defensive effort. In the first half, the Orange and Blue scored six goals while holding Harvard scoreless. The Bison carried their momentum into the second half, outscoring the Crimson 5-3.

Matt Napleton ’13 was great in goal throughout, allowing a mere three goals with 10 saves in 32 minutes of play. Brian Barron ’13, Alex Nowlin ’14, Andrew Somers ’14 and Stefan Aleksic ’16 each found the back of the net two times. Nowlin added three assists to lead the team in points with a total of five.

In the final game of the invitational, the Orange and Blue fell to the highest-ranked east coast team Princeton 13-9. The game was competitive throughout, with the Bison leading in the first quarter 2-1 and taking a 4-4 tie into the intermission. The Tigers were too much for the Orange and Blue in the second half, particularly the third quarter, scoring five times without allowing a single Bison goal.

Mike Kimble ’14 scored a career-high five goals, while Jack Else ’14 provided a season-high five ejections. In goal, Napleton recorded 10 saves in 32 minutes of action. His effort on the weekend earned him the honor of being the CWPA’s Southern Division Defensive Player of the Week.

The Bison will now shift their focus to conference play by traveling to face Navy, George Washington and Johns Hopkins this weekend.

Scott Padula
Staff writer

The men’s water polo team went 1-3 when they traveled to New Jersey to compete in the Princeton Invitational this past weekend. The Bison started the weekend by dropping a close decision to No. 20 St. Francis (N.Y.) 8-7. In their next two games, the Bison lost to No. 3 California and No. 18 Brown, 20-3 and 12-6, respectively. They bounced back in their final game of the invitational, defeating Fordham 20-8. The Orange and Blue are now 3-3 on the season.

To kick off the weekend, the Orange and Blue fell to St. Francis on Sept. 7. The Bison and Terriers played an even game throughout, responding when the other team tried to pull away. Despite falling behind 3-1 in the first quarter, the Orange and Blue were able to take a 4-3 lead into the intermission. In the second half, the Bison could not stop the Terrier attack and allowed five goals, while only scoring three of their own. Julian Colina ’14 and Mike Kimble ’14 led the Bison in scoring with two goals apiece. Stefan Aleksic ’16 was also strong for the Orange and Blue with two assists and a goal of his own.

“We moved the ball and worked well as a unit together. We also executed our offensive game plan very well, especially against St. Francis. Additionally, our five-man defense was very good. It is one of our strengths as a team and something we can rely on when the games come down to the last few possessions. The team looked good against very stiff competition, but we made a few mistakes that the other teams capitalized on,” Kimble said.

For the Orange and Blue, the second day of the Princeton Invitational started against California. The Bears scored early and often against the Bison, finding the back of the net six times in the first quarter. By the end of the second quarter, California held a commanding 7-1 lead. Along with stifling defense throughout, California ramped up their offensive production in the second half, scoring 10 times in the third quarter. The Bears added three more goals in the fourth to reach 20 total goals. Despite the offensive onslaught, co-captain Matt Napleton ’13 looked strong in goal, stopping 10 shots in the first 16 minutes of play.

In the second game, the Orange and Blue faced Brown. Despite a conscious defensive effort, the Bison could not contain Brown in the first half, allowing the Bears to take a 7-4 lead into the intermission. In the third quarter, the Orange and Blue outscored Brown 2-1 but were unable to find the back of the net in the fourth quarter, resulting in a 12-6 loss. Kimble had two goals and Alex Nowlin ’14 had two assists and a goal, respectively. Again, Napleton was impressive in goal, recording 11 saves in 32 minutes of action.

“We need to work on having consistent play throughout the game and being able to stick to our game plan without panicking if we get down a few goals. As captains, Matt and I will make sure the team is physically and mentally ready for highly competitive practices. This will help us deal with staying consistent in games, dealing with adversity and playing hard for four quarters,” said co-captain Brian Barron ’13.

The Bison showed their resilience in their final game of the weekend by defeating Fordham. The Orange and Blue dominated throughout the game, controlling the tempo of play on the offensive end, while shutting down Fordham on the defensive side of the ball. Aleksic tallied a team-high with eight points from four goals and four assists. Joining him were teammates Jack Else ’14 who had four goals, while Kimble and Barron recorded five points each. In goal, Napleton stopped seven shots in 32 minutes.

The Orange and Blue will travel to Cambridge, Mass. this upcoming weekend to compete in the North/South Tournament. The Bison will begin the tournament by facing host-team Harvard, tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m.

Scott Padula
Staff Writer

The men’s water polo team kicked off their 2012 campaign by going 2-0 this past weekend when they traveled to Annapolis, Md. to compete in the Navy Labor Day Open. The Orange and Blue started the tournament on the right foot, defeating Notre Dame (Ohio) 24-9. The Bison kept their momentum alive in their second game of the weekend by beating Iona 14-12. Under second-year coach John McBride, the Orange and Blue are now 9-2 in the month of September.

The Bison had a strong showing to begin the season. The Orange and Blue scored early and often against Notre Dame (Ohio), finding the back of the net 14 times in the first two quarters. More impressively, 23 of the 24 Bison goals in the game were assisted. Jack Else ’14 led the Bison scoring barrage with five goals, setting a new career-high. Joining him with multi-goal performances were teammates Brian Barron ’13, Stefan Aleksic ’16, Julian Colina ’14, Mike Kimble ’14 and Alex Nowlin ’14. In total, 14 different Bison recorded a point in the decisive victory, while the team as a whole, registered 17 steals.

In the team’s second game of the tournament, the Orange and Blue won against Iona. The Bison and Gaels traded goals throughout the first half, resulting in a 5-5 draw going into the intermission. In the second half, the Orange and Blue came out strong, scoring seven times in the third quarter, and never looked back. Barron and Nowlin led the Bison in points, registering five a piece, while Aleksic, Colina and Uros Markovic ’14 also contributed with multi-goal games. Additionally, senior co-captain Matt Napleton ’13 was strong in goal, making seven saves in 32 minutes of action.

The Bison will continue their busy schedule as they head to Princeton this weekend for the Princeton Invitational. The Orange and Blue will face St. Francis (N.Y.), the University of California, Brown and Fordham over the course of three days.

Alex Wagner
Sports editor

After establishing a solid foundation in the 2011 season under then first-year coach John McBride, the men’s water polo squad is looking to continue improving as they implement a new philosophy.

Following a respectable 15-10 record last year, the Bison return their four top scorers Alex Nowlin ’14, Brian Barron ’13, Julian Colina ’14 and Jack Else ’14 as well as starting goalkeeper Matt Napleton ’13 for the season. These five leaders will look to continue their success after helping the Orange and Blue to go 5-3 in the 2011 postseason.

The focus early on in the 2012 season has been intense physical conditioning. There have been two practices a day in preseason, with the morning practices often focusing solely on conditioning. Work in the weight room and hill runs also accompanied the usual work in the pool, adding up to very demanding workouts.

As with many teams, the focus more recently has shifted to developing strategy and philosophy. In addition to the new focus on giving maximum effort at every training session, the team will look for especially strong leadership from older players. Barron and Napleton, the only seniors, were elected captains before preseason began. Seven juniors add more important experience to a young squad with six freshmen.

The highlights for the upcoming season include three exciting weekends in Lewisburg: the Bison Invitational (Sept. 29 and 30), four league games against Johns Hopkins, Navy, George Washington and Princeton on Oct. 13 and 14 and the Southern Championships (Nov. 2-4).  The Kinney Natatorium also features a new video board, which is sure to add to the fans’ experience.

The Orange and Blue open their season Sept. 1 against Notre Dame (Ohio) at the Navy Labor Day Open in Annapolis, Md.