Men's Water Polo Downed in MAWPC Final

Sunday, November 24

Lewisburg, PA

1:30 PM

George Washington University

Bucknell

11/24/2019 3:41:00 PM | Water Polo

Colonials wrap season at 22-9

LEWISBURG, Pa. - GW men's water polo had its bid for a third straight Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference title ended Sunday afternoon with a 9-4 loss to top-seeded Bucknell in the championship final at Kinney Natatorium.

The No. 3 seed Colonials couldn't dig out of an early hole facing the Bison in their home pool, despite a team-high three goals from Andras Levai. The Buff and Blue finish the season at 22-9 after winning two of three games on the weekend and advancing to the final for a fourth straight season.

Facing GW for the MAWPC crown for the third time in four seasons, Bucknell jumped on top early, scoring the game's first three goals over the opening four minutes.

Levai got GW on the board with a penalty shot late in the first quarter, but the home team continued to make offense difficult for the Buff and Blue. The Bison stretched their lead to 7-2 by halftime and pushed the advantage to six goals when Cullen Jacuzzi netted the first goal after the break.

The Colonials seized some momentum with back-to-back scores from Levai to close the third quarter, but that was as close as they would get. The Bison shut out the Buff and Blue the rest of the way to secure their second MAWPC title and NCAA berth in four years.

With his three tallies, Levai closed the fall with a team-high 88 goals. The junior's 150 points are good for third-most in a single season at GW. He was one of four Colonials honored afterward on the All-Tournament Team, along with Andrew Mavis (First Team), Matt Taylor (First Team) and Atakan Destici (Second Team).

Taylor made 18 saves vs. Bucknell to cap an exceptional weekend in net. The graduate student from New Zealand posted 58 stops over three games and pushed his season total to 389, which is a program record.

Sunday's game closed the books on the careers of six Colonials, including two of the most distinguished student-athletes in program history: Destici, a four-time All-MAWPC pick and two-time All-American, finishes his time in Buff and Blue with 497 points to rank second all-time, while Mavis, a three-time All-Conference selection and two-time All-American, ends his career with 279 goals, good for third in program history.

Destici and Mavis were part of 77 wins over their four seasons in Buff and Blue, including the first two conference titles and first NCAA victory in program history. They leave the program in excellent shape with Levai and a talented group of underclassmen set to return in 2020 under head coach Barry King.

WATCH THIS: Hear from Jordan Blosser and Taylor after the MAWPC final.

Jordan Blosser and Matt Taylor reflect on the MAWPC final, the season and their time in Buff and Blue. #RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/yynxabBVRT
— GW Water Polo (@GW_WaterPolo) November 24, 2019

Bucknell 9, GW 4
B--4-3-1-1--9
GW--1-1-2-0--4

GW Goals: Levai 3, Davis 1.
GW Assists: Destici 1.
GW Steals: Mavis 2, Simonti 2, Destici 1, Davis 1, Blosser 1.
GW Field Blocks: Destici 1, Maas 1.
GW Ejections Drawn: Levai 2, Blosser 2, Destici 2.
GW Saves: Taylor 18.