April 12, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Behind a balanced scoring attack that featured seven different players scoring goals, the Bucknell women's water polo team snapped a two-game losing streak and equaled the school record for victories in a season with a 13-6 win at George Washington Saturday night. Shana Palencia (Glendale, Calif./Hoover) led the Bison with a season high-tying three goals and one assist.

The win helped Bucknell improve to 23-6 this year as it defeated the Colonials for the second time this season and the 15th consecutive time overall. The Bison are now 4-1 in CWPA Southern Division play with a critical matchup with Maryland Sunday morning at 9 a.m. The Terrapins defeated Princeton Saturday afternoon and are tied with the Tigers at 3-2 in conference play. Bucknell needs a win to earn the top seed at next week's Southern Championships. A Bison loss gives Maryland the top seed based on the goal differential tiebreaker, whether it is a two-way tie or a three-way tie with Princeton involved should it defeat George Washington on Sunday.

Bucknell jumped out to an early lead over the Colonials in a game that started nearly an hour later than scheduled due to delays with officials arriving at the pool. The Bison led 7-1 at halftime and outscored George Washington 6-3 in the second half.

Five Bucknell players had multiple-goal outings as Valentina Rozas (Pico Rivera, Calif./El Rancho), Kandis Canonica (Burlingame, Calif./St. Ignatius Prep), Haley Prickett (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar) and Aubrey Rowe (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) each netted two goals. Prickett also dished out three assists to give her a team-high five points. Bison reserves, led by Prickett, accounted for four goals and five assists as Kristin Vallis (Ridgefield, Conn./Phillips Exeter Academy) and Meghan McNally (Floral Park, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) each found the back of the net once off the bench.

Alison Carter (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor) played a solid first three quarters in cage and made six saves, recorded two steals and dished out a pair of assists. Rachel McGillis (Los Altos, Calif./Los Altos) played the final frame and stopped two shots and tallied a pair of steals.

The Bison totaled 17 steals in the contest, led by four from Rowe, who now has a team-high 65 this year, including at least two in eight consecutive games. As a team, Bucknell now has 400 steals this season, nearly 75 more than its 2007 total.

By picking up their 23rd victory of the season, the Bison equaled the program record for wins in a season. The 2005 and 2006 squads also won 23 contests.

Bucknell will square off with Maryland Saturday morning at 9 a.m. to close out its conference schedule. It will then play No. 11 Michigan at 3 p.m. to round out the regular-season slate.

BUCKNELL                       4 3 2 4 -13
GEORGE WASHINGTON      2 1 1 2 -6

Goals: Palencia (3), Rozas (2), Canonica (2), Prickett (2), Rowe (2), Vallis, McNally.
Assists: Prickett (3), Carter (2), Palencia, McNally, Rozas, Allen, Rowe.
Ejections Drawn: Gins (2), Rozas (2), Prickett (2), Allen (2), Palencia, Vallis, Rowe.
Saves: Carter (6 svs., 3 ga., 24:00 min.), McGillis (1 svs., 3 ga., 8:00 min.).
Steals: Rowe (4), Palencia (2), Prickett (2), McBride (2), Carter (2), McGillis (2), Gins, Swoyer, Rozas.
Sprints: Palencia (2-2), Canonica (1-1), Rowe (1-1).
Record: 23-6, 4-1 CWPA Southern Division