This was an incredible weekend for the Bison. Men’s Water Polo showed that they are a force to be reckoned with throughout their two matchups this past weekend.
First, the Bison faced the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays. Graduate student Andu Vlasceanu tallied up a team-high five goals in this game. He had help from Doruk Ozar ’24, Shay Gillearn ’25 and Aleksa Stefanovic ’26, who scored three goals each. In addition, Liam Stott ’24, a well-known defender, shocked the stands by scoring two in the fourth quarter. David Dumitru ’27, the Bison’s goalie, had a great game with an incredible 12 saves within the first three quarters.
The first quarter was a bit rocky. The score was steady at 2-2, but Ozar and Stefanovic quickly changed this, giving the Orange and Blue a lead of 4-2. Sean Michael Tunnicliff ’27 and Walker Butler ’24 helped widen the score, allowing the Bison to end the half 7-4. Ozar, back again, scored, followed by Gilleran, Stefanovic and Vlasceanu to push the Bison ahead with a seven-point lead going into the fourth and final quarter. Stott came in hot in the final quarter, scoring two and ending the game for the Bison with a final score of 16-7.
The Orange and Blue faced Mount St. Mary’s next. Mount St. Mary’s came out strong; they scored within the first two minutes of the game. Hasan Mogultay ’25 came back within seven seconds and tied the score. Vlasceanu followed with back-to-back goals. Mogultay and Vlasceanu went back and forth between scoring from then on within the first quarter, going into the second quarter with a 6-1 lead.
The half ended at 9-3 with goals from Stefanovic and Jack Murad ’26. Being dominant players in the water, Vlasceanu and Stefanovic scored even more, ending the third quarter with a lead of 12-5. Ozar entered the game and immediately scored. Stott was able to make some offensive moves and score another one for the Bison. Stefanovic, not surprisingly, scored again for the Bison, proving how much of an impactful player he is. Gregory Alexander Nordheim ’27 and Ian Shultz ’26 were both able to find the back of the net, ending the game with a 16-6 win.
What a superb weekend to be a Bucknell Bison. Watch these men face Pepperdine, Pacific, U.C. Berkeley and Air Force in California next weekend!
