Bison Men’s Water Polo made their way to Baltimore, Md. where they competed against conference rivals Johns Hopkins and George Washington this past weekend. In both games, the Orange and Blue managed come-from-behind victories. They improved to a record of 5-7 overall and 2-1 in MAWPC.
Up first the Bison faced Johns Hopkins. Both teams were even for most of the first half. The Blue Jays were able to grab a small lead in the first quarter as they went on a 5-4 run. The Bison responded quickly in the second quarter. Aleska Stefanovic ’26 scored his first goal about six minutes into the second quarter. Hasan Mogultay ’25 added a goal to the Bison’s 4-1 run that gave them a nice 9-7 lead against the Blue Jays. However, the Bison headed into the half tied at 9-9.
Neither team led by more than two goals the entire game until the second half. The Bison put up three straight goals, the final from Mogultay, putting them up 12-9. The teams traded goals back and forth all quarter until it ended 14-13 after a goal from Stefanovic with 0:16 on the clock.
The Blue Jays managed to pull ahead 16-15 late in the final quarter. Jack Bruce ’25 shot a goal to tie it up with 1:46 left in the game. Following the goal, Johns Hopkins had possession but hit the crossbar on their one attempt to pull ahead. This ultimately allowed for senior Andu Vlasceanu’s game winning shot with a minute left in regulation, leaving enough time for the lead to change again. But the Bison managed to control two defensive possessions and come up with a steal and block to claim the victory.
The Bison ended the game winning 16-15. Stefanovic and Mogultay each had four goals. Two goals came from Walker Butler ’24 and Shay Gillearn ’25.
Later that day the Bison competed against George Washington. The Bison led the first half 6-5 but the Revolutionaries managed to steal the lead away in the third period (10-7). The Bison managed to cut the deficit at the third quarter buzzer to 11-10 after a goal from Matt Ryckman ’25.
Mogultay’s crucial penalty shot helped tie the game at 11-11. Stefanovic followed up with a skipped in a shot to put the Bison up 12-11 with under six minutes left in the game. Another goal from Gillearn helped cushion the lead. Defensively, David Dumitru ’27 had key saves to prevent the Revolutionaries from scoring and secure a Bison victory.
The Bison face Navy in their next competition this Sunday in Annapolis.
