This post was written by Hatchet reporter Aaron Esparza.
Despite the Colonials’ promising resurgence this season, Saturday’s 12-9 loss against Bucknell proved that the men’s water polo team still has room for improvement.
Looking to even the score after GW defeated the Bison three weeks ago with a 15-14 win, Bucknell took full advantage of the Colonials’ lifeless defense, taking a 5-1 lead by the end of the first quarter.
For much of the next quarter, GW finally looked as if they had arrived to play, but for every score they managed, Bucknell responded.
Emerging from the locker room, the Colonials continued the offensive momentum they had developed in the second quarter. Led by the quick volley of scoring from junior Brian Mojica, senior Daniel Tyner and sophomore Bogdan Petkovic, the seemingly insurmountable lead that Bucknell had created was suddenly just one point.
But just as quickly as GW got back into the match, it again got away from their grasp with the game tightly fought at 10-9 midway through the fourth quarter. With just three minutes left on the clock, Bucknell pierced GW’s defense and managed to score back-to-back goals to put away any chance of a last minute comeback.
After the final whistle concluded the match, head coach Scott Reed looked back at the disappointing result with mixed reactions to the loss.
The team “had a lot of confidence and they [knew] Bucknell well and they were revved up, charged up, and ready to play,”he said.
But, he said, there were “a few hiccups.”
“We’re going to work on our defense, because I think that we kind of lost our way a little bit,” Reed said.
With a two-week break before their next competition, the team will have their best opportunity to figure out what they must improve defensively before the final stretch of the season.
Next on the schedule for the team is an away game against Princeton Oct. 25.