Billy Tyler

Senior Writer

The men’s water polo team emerged from the Bison Invite, in Kinney Natatorium this past weekend with four wins and one loss. The tournament featured eight teams, including the Bison, over the three-day weekend. The Bison posted a 2-1 record in games that counted on their record and two wins in exhibition games against Diablo Valley and Toronto.

The Bison set the tone early in their opening game against Salem International. Thirteen different Bison scored goals en route to a 19-4 victory. There was scoring early and often, but the immense offensive effort was spearheaded by Stefan Aleksic ’16, who scored a team-high four goals in the game. With his team holding an 11-3 halftime advantage, head coach John McBride was able to use his entire roster in the game. Even with this shuffling of players, the Bison received solid production from everyone on the team. All eight of the team’s second half goals came from underclassmen.

In their second game of the tournament, the Bison faced stiffer competition against Mercyhurst. In a tight game which featured four ties during the final 18 minutes of the contest, the Bison were unable to secure the victory and fell to Mercyhurst 9-8. Leading the offensive charge for this Bison in this tough loss was Julian Colina ’14 who scored one goal in each of the game’s four quarters to go along with his two assists. In the net, goalkeeper Keegan Williams ’15 had 10 saves for the Bison.

Following the tough loss, the Bison entered the final day with a determination to leave the tournament with a winning record. In their game against Fordham, the Bison built up a 7-4 halftime advantage. Then, in a game that was dominated by many scoring runs, the Bison scored four straight second-half goals that blew the game open. The explosive Bison offense from the tournament’s first game was back on display, led by its seniors. Eleven of the 14 goals scored by the Bison in their 14-7 victory were scored by seniors, including five by Jack Else ’14, four by Colina, and one apiece by Alex Nowlin ’14 and Mike Kimble ’14. The Bison also received another solid performance from Williams, who had 10 saves against Fordham. This double-digit game gave Williams 52 saves on the season and 101 in his career.

The next games for the Bison will feature the opening of league play with games tomorrow at Navy and George Washington, followed by a match at Johns Hopkins on Sept. 22.