The men’s water polo team had a perfect 4-0 weekend at the Bison Invitational Sept. 16-18. The Orange and Blue defeated Salem International, Washington & Jefferson, Mercyhurst, and Brown.

In the Sept. 16 game against Salem International, the Bison opened their home schedule. The Orange and Blue offense exploded to tally more than 20 goals, easily winning the game by a score of 24-8. Rade Joksimovic ’20 put on a dominating performance by scoring an eye-popping eight goals in that game alone. Ratimir Babic ’17 contributed four goals.

In the second game, the Bison outscored Washington & Jefferson 18-6. In this game, both Jeff Hagen ’18 and Joksimovic led the team with four goals apiece. The Bison’s impressive winning score of 18 was a product of 10 different Bison’s efforts, including two goals apiece from Nate Hunter ’17 and Sean Daley ’17. In the goal, Charlie Niehaus ’18 and Alex Pullin ’20 combined to record eight saves.

In the game against Mercyhurst, the Bison got out to a six-goal lead in the first quarter and never looked back, eventually winning the game 14-7.  Joksimovic, Hagen, and Logan Schofield ’20 all had outstanding performances, scoring multiple goals each. Joksimovic’s team-high of five goals was tallied to his long list of notable contributions to the Bison’s success.

Finally, the game against Brown was the closest of the weekend for the men’s water polo team. The Bison clawed their way to a 9-8 victory with an outstanding six-goal performance by Joksimovic, as well as a strong two-goal game by Tommy Stupp ’18. Despite losing Marko Djordjevic ’19 in the third quarter due to his foul, the Bison were able to come out on top.

“Our team performed very well this weekend, especially with a major win over Brown,” Stupp said. “We are focused on continued success, and a trip to the Final Four at the NCAA Tournament.”

Following his standout performance at the Bison Invitational, Joksimovic was named player of the week. The Bison have another busy week ahead, as they are scheduled to take on Navy, George Washington, and Johns Hopkins Sept. 24-25.