George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
RV Bucknell
Water Polo Begins Conference Play with Bucknell on Saturday, Johns Hopkins on Sunday
9/22/2023 11:38:00 AM | Water Polo
WASHINGTON - The George Washington water polo team (4-4, 0-0 MAWPC) begins conference play this weekend with a pair of tests against MAWPC opponents. GW hosts Bucknell (3-7, 0-1 MAWPC) at the Smith Center for the 2023 home opener on Saturday (2:00 p.m.), before hitting the road on Sunday (11 a.m.) to face Johns Hopkins (1-7, 0-2 MAWPC). Links to streams for both games can be found on the schedule page.
CALIFORNIA RECAP
GW went 2-1 in its three games in the Los Angeles area last weekend. The Revolutionaries fell to No. 15 Loyola Marymount on Friday evening before picking up wins against La Verne and Concorida Irvine on Saturday.
Viktor Jovanovic passed the 100-career goal mark after scoring four goals in each game over the weekend and adding to his team-high 27 goals. Mateus Stellet bursted out with seven goals against Concordia Irvine - the most in any game by a Revolutionary this season. Goalkeeper Luca Castorina finished with an impressive .609 save percentage over the three games and scored his first career goal with a full pool shot versus Loyola Marymount.
INTO THE MAWPC
GW is entering the main stretch of MAWPC games, playing seven of its 12 conference games between now and Oct. 7. Last season, GW finished second in the regular-season standings after going 14-2 against conference opponents.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
Bucknell enters Saturday's matchup at 3-7, including 0-1 in the MAWPC after falling to No. 17 Fordham, 14-11, last weekend. The Bison have played seven of its first ten games against ranked opponents, which includes a 13-8 win in its most recent game against No. 20 Air Force.
GW went 2-1 last season against the Bison. The Buff and Blue won both of the regular-season matchups, 11-8 and 12-11, before falling to the Bison in the semifinals of the conference tournament, 7-5.
Johns Hopkins is 1-7 to start the year, with its lone win coming against Mercyhurst. The Blue Jays are 0-2 in MAWPC games after losing to Wagner, 15-13, and No. 17 Fordham, 21-8, last weekend.
GW took care of the Blue Jays in all three matchups last season, which included wins of 13-8 and 16-11 in the regular season, and a 15-5 win in the MAWPC quarterfinals.
The Blue Jays will host Bucknell on Saturday evening prior to facing GW on Sunday.
LOOKING AHEAD
GW will play three more MAWPC games next week. The Revolutionaries will begin with a trip to Navy on Thursday (7 p.m.), followed by home games against Johns Hopkins on Friday (7 p.m. - Long Bridge Park) and Fordham on Saturday (10 a.m. - Smith Center).
