Women’s Water Polo competed at the Bucknell Invitational over the weekend, going 2-1 with wins over La Salle (16-12) and Saint Francis (14-10), but a loss to Siena (11-13).
On Saturday, the Bison opened up against the Saints in a close matchup. The Orange and Blue stormed out to an early lead, netting the first two goals of the game as they went up 3-1 early in the second quarter. Siena would find five goals in the second quarter of play to claim a lead of 6-5 going into the break.
By the start of the fourth quarter, the Bison found themselves down 9-7. Despite a 4-2 run that tied the match at 11-11 with just over two minutes to play, the Saints marched away from the Orange and Blue in the closing moments, handing them their second loss of the year and breaking their three-game winning streak. Olivia Hopper ’28 led the way for the Bison, netting three goals, while Ashley Hopper ’28 assisted on three scores.
In their second game of the day, the Orange and Blue trailed the Explorers early in the match. The Explorers found a quick 2-1 lead before the Bison rallied as four straight shots found the back of the net in under two minutes.
O. Hopper found another goal midway through the second quarter, but the Explorers found themselves back in the game due to three missed penalty attempts. The closest the match would get came in the beginning of the third quarter as La Salle pulled within two to make it 9-7.
However, the Orange and Blue found a 5-1 run to essentially put the game out of reach for the Explorers as they would go on to claim a final score of 16-12. Tamara Torkos ’27 fueled the Bison’s win with 13 saves on the day, including an essential penalty save to halt La Salle’s momentum in the fourth quarter.
On Sunday, the Orange and Blue opened up CWPA play against Saint Francis.
The Red Flash were on top through the first eight minutes, leading 3-1. The Bison would find a 3-1 quarter of their own in the second, tying the match up at 4-4 going into the break. Five goals by five different Bison would headline the third as the Orange and Blue blanked Saint Francis, holding them scoreless.
Despite a six-goal fourth quarter for the Red Flash, the Bison held on to win 14-10 and earn their first conference victory of the season.
Next up for the Orange and Blue is two matchups at home against Harvard and Princeton on Feb. 21.
