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Bucknell Men's Water Polo European Tour Update #8
July 7, 2007 Entry by Todd Newcomb, Bucknell Associate AD LATEST PHOTO GALLERY FROM EGER
JULY 5 The final day of preparation prior to the upcoming weekend tournament got underway with a practice session in the outdoor pool. The Eger Club team's coach made a guest appearance for the first hour of practice, and he worked with the athletes on some shooting and passing drills. The Blue and Orange then took on the Eger U-18 Club team in a morning scrimmage, and were immediately put on their heels right out of the gates. Before we knew what happened it was 5-0 at the end of the first quarter. Folks need to be reminded that although the Eger club is made up of boys from the ages of 15-18, these same kids have been extremely competitive, and in some cases have beaten, the top collegiate water polo programs in the United States. Bucknell finally got on the board in the second quarter when Jason Rechel tallied a goal in a 6-on-5 situation. The teams played an even 3-3 quarter, and Eger had an 8-3 lead at the break. The Bison scored nine goals in the second half, but it was not enough to dig out of the early hole the team put itself into and Eger prevailed 16-11. Rechel led the Orange and Blue offensive attack with three goals, while Sean Robinson, Lee Anderson and Andrew Nelson added two goals apiece. Mark Masterson and Randy Ang tallied the final two goals on the Bison stat sheet. Nick Donahue and Luke Belenky each made six saves in net for Bucknell. After lunch the team had some free time to shop in town or just take a nap. The evening session at the pool included our first scrimmage against a Division 2 Hungarian professional team, and it turned out to be quite a physical affair. Both teams came out firing, and after one period the score stood tied at 5-5. The Bison scored twice on man-up situations in the quarter, with both goals coming from Peter O'Keefe. The teams each tallied a pair of goals in the second quarter and the score stood at 7-7 at halftime. Bucknell's second goal of the period came off a great steal by Alex Lovell and a finish by Lee Anderson. Bucknell began to take control of the game in the second half following a 3-0 run that made the score 11-8. At that point in the game the play in the pool turned quite physical as the Division 2 team became frustrated. The Bison outscored them 8-4 in the half and won by a final score of 15-11. The game was not without its casualties. Andrew Nelson caught a mean punch in the face, splitting his lip. He is fine -- just a bit swollen! He was taken to the hospital to have the cut examined, and it was determined that he did not need any stitches. We also found out today that Johnny Stupp needs to remain out of the water for the next few weeks after suffering a hole in his eardrum earlier in our trip. The doctor here at the Eger Club was very accommodating for Johnny, as were the folks at the hospital with Andrew. Alex Lampley continued to tear up the competition, scoring four goals to lead Bucknell, while O'Keefe had three. Jason Rechel and Lee Anderson each scored twice, and Kyle Rosyln, Nelson and Randy Ang rounded out the goals for the Orange and Blue. The Bison went 3-for-5 on man-up opportunities in the contest. Defensively, Nick Donahue and Luke Belenky once again had six saves apiece in net for Bucknell. The Bucknell team had a pair of special guests in the stands for the game. Bill Dearstyne '62, a member of the Bucknell Board of Trustees and former member of the Bison Club Board, and his wife, Tockey, made the trip from their home in Austria and will be here in town through the weekend. The team is grateful for their support, and was happy to see some "friendly" faces among the fans in the stands. JULY 6 After breakfast at the Hotel Aqua, the team was joined by the Dearstynes and then made its way through town to the mayor's office. There we were officially welcomed to the town by Janos Szeleczki, the Vice Mayor of Eger in charge of Sport and Culture. Mr. Szeleczki gave us a brief history of the town, which currently has a population of around 60,000. It is the third-most visited town in all of Hungary, and the wine and tourism industries rank 1-2 in the economy. Nearly 30,000 people work in the wine industry here, and with the huge wine festival on the horizon for the weekend the town's population is about to nearly double to 110,000. After everyone was handed a glass of wine, Mr. Szeleczki offered up a toast to the Bison and the entire traveling party. Prior to the conclusion of our session, gifts were exchanged by the Vice Mayor and Coach Zeigler. The team had some free time around town before returning to the pool for a stretch and shoot around session at noon. Following the practice, the team ate lunch and then set out on a tour of the Eger Fortress. About a third of the original structure still remains atop the hillside in Eger, and it offered a great perspective on some more of the amazing history behind this country. As early afternoon drifted to mid-afternoon, the team's thoughts began to focus on the first tournament game, a 5:15 showdown with our local nemesis, the Eger U-18 Club team. With the Dearstynes poolside and cheering them on, the Orange and Blue responded with their best effort to date in an 11-7 victory. Eger posted a 2-0 lead, but Bucknell responded with a goal from Andrew Nelson on a man-up opportunity to make the score 2-1 after one period. This was a big improvement from the 5-0 deficit Bucknell had following the first quarter in its last game vs. Eger. The Orange and Blue played terrific defense in the second period, turning the tables on Eger with a 5-0 run. Jason Rechel began the flurry with a finish off a great outlet pass from goalie Luke Belenky. Randy Ang made it 3-2 Bucknell and Alex Lampley scored the first of his three goals to make it 4-2. Belenky assisted on another goal with a long pass to Nelson, and then Kyle Roslyn scored off a lob entry pass from Mark Masterson to push Bucknell's lead to four at 6-2. Eger never knew what hit them, and Bucknell continued the pressure with a 4-2 period in the third quarter. The Bison outscored Eger 9-2 over the middle two periods of the contest, and had forged a 10-4 lead at the end of three periods. We all knew that the Eger club would not go away lightly. They put together a three-goal run early in the final period and closed to within three at 10-7, but Lampley slammed the door with Bucknell's final goal in a 6-on-5 situation. The Bison converted on three of their man-up situations in the game. Lampley led the team with three goals, while Nelson, Rosyln and Rechel each added a pair of markers. Randy Ang and Alex Lovell closed out the scoring for the Orange and Blue. The defense included some great play in net by Luke Belenky in the first half. He made three big saves and had two assists. Nick Donahue played the second half and came up with five saves in the win. "This was the best defensive effort we've had to date," said head coach John Zeigler following the game. "That, coupled with some great play from our goalies and a real team effort on the offensive end where we spread the ball around, allowed us to get a win against a very good team today." The Bison will play the final two games of the tournament tomorrow morning. They will take on a team from South Africa at 9:30 a.m., followed by a rematch with the Division 2 Hungarian professional team at approximately 11 a.m.
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