LEWISBURG, Pa. -- A pair of last minute goals fueled a Bears rally that fell just short as Brown suffered a 7-6 setback to Bucknell in Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Southern Division action at Kinney Natatorium on Sunday. The Bears slip to 15-14 overall and complete CWPA South regular-season play with a 3-2 mark.
Junior Liz Rosen scored a team-high three goals, while senior Kate Woods snagged five steals and deposited her lone goal with 52 seconds left in the game to cut Bucknell's lead to 7-6. Freshman Hannah Koper sparked Brown's fourth-quarter rally with a goal at the 2:45 mark and classmate Shannon Crowley tossed in a second-quarter goal. Senior goalie Sarah Shin made nine saves against the Bison.
Both sides came out swinging as the hosts battled to a 3-2 lead after one quarter. Julianne Valdes struck twice for a 2-1 advantage but Rosen's pair of tallies within two minutes of each other held Bucknell's lead to a single goal. Crowley found the back of the net 67 seconds into the second period to push a 3-3 tie only to have the Bison snap the tie on a man-up goal 41 seconds later. Nearly six minutes of scoreless play was then disrupted by a Mackenzie Ferry goal with 13 seconds to go in the second, giving Bucknell a 5-3 lead at the half.
Rosen got the Bears going in the second half with a goal 52 seconds after the opening sprint to bring Brown within a goal, 5-4. Both sides survived exclusions without incident but Bucknell strung together two scores in the final 2:21 to open up a 7-4 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Needing a defensive stop, the Bears compiled just that, blanking the Bison in the final frame. A Koper goal at 2:45 and Woods' tally with 52 seconds left got the Bears within a goal but the rally fell just short as Bucknell held on for the final minute to secure the 7-6 victory.
