Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament Schedule/Results
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Rade Joksimovic posted game-high five goals, including the game-winner with less than a minute remaining in overtime, to lead Bucknell to a 10-9 overtime victory over the Santa Clara men's water polo team on Sunday, the final day of the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament.
The Bison (14-10) sent the game into overtime when Jeff Hagen scored on the power play with one second left in the fourth quarter to knot the game at 8-all.
After Joksimovic scored on the man advantage in the first overtime, Mac Carey's goal in the second extra session tied the game at 9-all. But the Broncos (6-11) surrendered a 5-meter goal to Joksimovic with 50 seconds left in the second overtime and turned the ball over on their final possession.
Carey scored a team-high three goals, all in the fourth quarter and overtime, and Reilley May and Ryan Werner posted two a piece for the Broncos who were serving as hosts, along with San Jose State, to the three-day tournament that featured 12 teams from both sides of the country.
May scored on the power play with 36 seconds left in the second quarter, allowing the Broncos to head into the second half tied 3-all. May's second goal with the man advantage, followed by Carey's goal less than two minutes later, giving the Broncos an 8-6 lead midway in the fourth quarter. Joksimovic made it a one-goal game with less than three minutes left in regulation.
The Broncos fell to Harvard, 11-10, in the opening day of the tournament, which featured 12 teams from both sides of the country, and split a pair on Saturday, defeating Wagner, 15-9, and falling to Brown, 11-10, in another contest decided in the final minute.
"It is important to have a tournament like this where you get that experience and exposure to crunch time situations and hopefully, win or lose, you learn from it and use it to carry you forward to finish out conference play, " said head coach Keith Wilbur. "The most important thing is conference. We're playing at a higher level after this tournament than we did before and now we have to take that final step and win these close games."
In recognition of the former Bronco player who passed in the spring of 2017, the water polo program renamed the annual Rodeo Tournament as the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament, a three-day event which features teams from both sides of the country.
"Remembering Julian is a really important part of this weekend for all of us," said head coach Keith Wilbur. "Many of Julian's friends and family traveled here from across the country. I spoke with his parents and they were touched by the outpouring of support shown from both Santa Clara and the water polo community. This tournament is an opportunity for all of us to remember Julian and celebrate his life, the sport that he loved, and the camaraderie that he had with his teammates."
NOTES
• Patrick Kirk led the team in scoring during the four games of the tournament with 10 goals, and Carey was second with seven.
• May had a career-high tying five kickouts drawn.
• Emil Huebner recorded blocking nine shots and posting six steals.
• Shane Hughes had a team-high three steals and tallied one goal. Sam Toriggino, Dane Estrella, and Nate Miller had two steals each.
NEXT UP
The Broncos play two WWPA road games this week, facing UC San Diego at 6 p.m. Thursday and Loyola Marymount at noon Saturday.
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