Bucknell University Assistant Coach Marty Matthies, Head Coach John McBride

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- In a battle of the first and second team goalies in the Southern Division, First Team selection Matt Napleton (Jr., Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) posted one fewer save and nine fewer goals than Second Team selection Danny Ovelar (Fr., Caracas, Venezuela/Emil Friedman) in helping the Bucknell University Bison ground the Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays 15-8 in the fifth place game of the 2011 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Eastern Championship at Harvard University's Blodgett Pool.

The victory marks the third of the season for the Bison against the Blue Jays (17-16) as Bucknell (15-10) fell to JHU 11-9 in overtime during their first meeting, but reeled off a 12-10 regular season victory and a 10-7 win in the Southern Division third place game to conclude the year with a 45-to-36 scoring lead in the season series.

Bucknell wasted little time in jumping out to a lead as Player of the Game Jack Else (So., Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) tallied natural and man-up goals at 6:12 and 3:13, respectively, to push the herd in front.  Hopkins closed the period with three consecutive scores to end the frame as Ross Schofield (Jr., Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) and Johnny Beal (Fr., Upland, Calif./Damien) each connected on shots at 2:55 and 2:23 to tie the game.  Schofield added his second tally of the afternoon with under a minute to play in the period as he grabbed an errant pass and finished the opportunity with 40 seconds on the clock to make it 3-0 in favor of the Blue Jays.

The margin expanded to 4-2 less than two minutes into the second period as Alex Whittam (Jr., Hillsborough, Calif./Sacred Heart Prep) beat Napleton to finish off a 4-0 spurt by Hopkins to apparently put the momentum in favor of the Blue Jays.

However, Bucknell saw JHU's run and raised them one more goal as Else (5:57, 3:35) and Daniel Schwartz (Sr., Miami Beach, Fla./Ransom Everglades) (4:37) bombed away for natural goals, Julian Colina (So., San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic) connected on a man-up tally at 2:03 and Beau Caillouette (Sr., Newport Beach, Calif./Sage Hill School) added a successful five-meter penalty shot with 38 seconds left in the first half to place the Bison ahead 7-4.

Both teams found the back of the cage prior to the halftime horn as Wes Hopkins (Fr., Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) broke free for a scoring shot with 25 seconds left, while Mike Kimble (So., Lafayette, Calif./Acalanes) responded for Bucknell with nine seconds to go for an 8-5 Bison lead at the break.

The margin expanded to 11-5 prior to the end of the third period as Colina (5:16) hit for a solo marker before Kimble (3:42, 1:39) canned back-to-back goals to put the Blue Jays in a nearly insurmountable hole.

Johns Hopkins and Bucknell exchanged shots over the final eight minutes of action in the fourth period, but the Blue Jays were unable to shave the deficit below five goals the rest of the way in falling by eight when the final horn sounded.

Else led the way for the Bison with four goals, while Kimble, Colina and Schwartz each contributed multiple score games.

Napleton, who played until being lifted in the fourth period for Keegan Williams (Fr., Menlo Park, Calif./Menlo School), made eight saves with five goals allowed in 24 minutes of work, while Williams added one save with three goals permitted in the final eight minutes of action.

For JHU, Schofield keyed the Blue Jays' attack with a hat-trick, while Whittam added a pair of markers in the field. 

In cage, Ovelar allowed 15 goals and stopped nine shots as Bucknell outshot Hopkins 24-to-17.

Bucknell Goals: Jack Else (4); Mike Kimble (3); Julian Colina (2); Daniel Schwartz (2); Brian Barron; Beau Caillouette; Spencer Richley; Sam Fiske

JHU Goals: Ross Schofield (3); Alex Whittam (2); Henry Pfleger; Johnny Beal; Wes Hopkins

Saves: Bucknell - Matt Napleton (8, 24 minutes), Keegan Williams (1, 8 minutes) ; JHU - Danny Ovelar (9)

Exclusions: Bucknell - 5 ; JHU - 7

Advantage Opportunities: Bucknell - 4-for-7 ; JHU - 0-for-5

Sprints: Bucknell - 4-for-4 (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) ; JHU - 0-for-4

Officials: Humberto Navarro, Michael Goldenberg

Johns Hopkins University's Danny Ovelar