Men's Water Polo | March 7, 2021

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Men's water polo finished runners up in the MAWPC Championship on Sunday, defeating George Washington in the semifinal before falling to Bucknell in the championship game. La Salle finished its season in truly thrilling fashion, upsetting the Colonials and putting itself on the cusp of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. The Explorers then took an early lead against nationally ranked Bucknell before the Bison ran away with the game.
 
La Salle 6, George Washington 4
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Explorers jumped out to a quick lead via goals from seniors Cole Strohson and Ash Lyne and junior Tyler Williams. The Blue & Gold blanked the Colonials in the opening frame.
• George Washington brought one back in the second period, but senior Karl Miller countered to put La Salle up 4-1 at the half.
• Senior Daniel Domotor pushed the lead to four at the start of the third quarter. A strike from the Colonials canceled out the Hungarian's tally and the Explorers went into the final frame up 5-2. 
• Domotor found the back of the net again in the fourth. Two late goals from George Washington wasn't enough and the Blue & Gold advanced to the final.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• La Salle's number seven had a monster game, contributing to all but one goal. Domotor finished with two goals, three assists, two steals, two exclusions earned and two blocks.
• The other big game came from freshman Veljko Kotarica in net. The Serbian tallied 11 saves on 15 shots and swiped five steals.
• Strohson, also on the scoresheet, added two steals and two exclusions earned to his stat line.
• Sophomore Callin Chimilar led all field players with three steals, while also dishing for an assist.

 
Bucknell 11, La Salle 3
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The home team struck first in the championship match, answered by Strohson two minutes later. La Salle took the lead through Miller at the 3:30 mark before Bucknell scored twice to nudge in front as the opening quarter drew to a close.
• Bucknell found the back of the net to commence the second period, making it 4-2. Strohson scored to shrink the deficit to one goal, but the Bison widened their lead with two more scores heading into the half.
• The hosts, up 6-3 at the intermission, continued to increase the advantage when play resumed. The Explorers could not find a route back into the game as Bucknell scored twice more.
• Three additional scores for the Bison cemented their 11-3 win. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Kotarica did his best to keep the Bison at bay in the afternoon game. The rookie recorded nine saves on 17 shots.
• Strohson and Miller were the goalscorers with La Salle's number four notching a brace. He also added a steal and a block.
• Chimilar was again a defensive nuisance with two steals and three exclusions earned.