Sunday, September 13
Princeton, NJ
5:00 AM
Saint Mary's College of California
9
vs
14
Bucknell
Photo by: @jenny_kelloggphotography
MWP | Gaels Close Princeton Invitational with 14-9 Loss to Bucknell
9/13/2026 8:20:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
PRINCETON, N.J. — Saint Mary's closed out the Princeton Invitational on Sunday morning, falling to Bucknell 14-9 in the second meeting of the season between the two teams. The Gaels now sit at 5-6 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Leo Hachem wasted no time getting the Gaels on the board, finding the back of the net just 23 seconds into the opening quarter. Noah Bigara joined him and doubled Saint Mary's lead less than a minute later, but Bucknell responded with four unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead into the second quarter. The Gaels broke through again at the 4:44 mark of the second quarter, with Harry Irwin firing one home to halt the Bucknell run. Andrew Donlin added another later in the period, but the Bison added four of their own to carry an 8-4 advantage into halftime.
Bigara opened the scoring following the halftime break before Mason Black followed to pull the Gaels within two. The Bison responded with back-to-back goals to close out the third and take a 10-6 lead into the final quarter. Bigara, Hachem, and Ferran de Witt each found the back of the net over the final eight minutes, but the Gaels were unable to overcome the deficit as Bucknell secured the 14-9 victory.
GAME NOTES
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will return to the Bay Area, as they prepare to take on Cal on Thursday, September 24 at 5 p.m. at the Spieker Aquatics Complex.
#GaelsRise
HOW IT HAPPENED
Leo Hachem wasted no time getting the Gaels on the board, finding the back of the net just 23 seconds into the opening quarter. Noah Bigara joined him and doubled Saint Mary's lead less than a minute later, but Bucknell responded with four unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead into the second quarter. The Gaels broke through again at the 4:44 mark of the second quarter, with Harry Irwin firing one home to halt the Bucknell run. Andrew Donlin added another later in the period, but the Bison added four of their own to carry an 8-4 advantage into halftime.
Bigara opened the scoring following the halftime break before Mason Black followed to pull the Gaels within two. The Bison responded with back-to-back goals to close out the third and take a 10-6 lead into the final quarter. Bigara, Hachem, and Ferran de Witt each found the back of the net over the final eight minutes, but the Gaels were unable to overcome the deficit as Bucknell secured the 14-9 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Noah Bigara led the Gaels with a hat trick against the Bison, his first three goal match as a Gael.
- Leo Hachem added two goals against the Bison, bringing his team-leading total to 25 goals across 11 games on the season. Hachem finished out the Princeton Invitational with a team-best nine goals on the weekend.
- Mason Black scored his 14th goal of the season and now ranks second on the team in goals behind Hachem.
- Six different Gaels scored against Bucknell including Bigara, Hachem, Irwin, Donlin, Black, and de Witt.
- Saint Mary's concluded its first-ever Princeton Invitational with a 2-2 record and a 5-6 overall record.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will return to the Bay Area, as they prepare to take on Cal on Thursday, September 24 at 5 p.m. at the Spieker Aquatics Complex.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
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