Chances are if you happen upon a water polo match, it won’t be like the one recently played at Bucknell’s Kinney Natatorium.

A week ago at the their own invitational, the Bison (6-8; 1-3 MAWPC) and the Terriers of St. Francis Brooklyn (7-3) played one of the stranger polo matches recently—one ideally not to be repeated. Especially if you are a St. Francis fan

Referees Alex Stankevich and Igor Mernenko whistled 35 exclusions— with 26 for the visiting Terriers. That’s typically more than for both teams in an NCAA polo match. It is almost certain to be the highest total for the year in all of men’s college water polo.

In all, eight players fouled out over 32 minutes of play: six for St. Francis and two for Bucknell

In an email. Scott S.D. Weiss, who announced the match for the CWPA (Collegiate Water Polo Association) Network, pointed out that the 2019 CWPA Women's Division III Collegiate Club Championship at Villanova University had zero exclusions.

Despite being so heavily penalized, the Terriers were still leading until the last minutes of the match when Bucknell’s Jack Lewis hammered home the game-winner—on a power play, of course—to give the Bison a 12-11 comeback win.

The win snapped a five-match Bucknell losing streak, the longest in recent memory for one of the East’s top squads.

[CWPA.TV Presents: Bucknell vs. St. Francis @ Bucknell Invitational]

Thanks to the CWPA, this match remains available for review, while Weiss was kind enough to provide a statement about what he saw. Throughout the match he called out how unusual this match was, saying this was likely the most foul calls from a game he has announced. The veteran sportscaster marveled at St. Francis’ ability to remain competitive despite losing so many players over the course of the match.

The 12-11 win by Bucknell over SFC Brooklyn had been a much-needed victory for the Bison. Bucknell entered the game on a five-game skid, tied for its longest losing streak under John McBride (and the Bison had been 0-2 in the Bucknell Invitational at that point in their own pool); a loss would've marked Bucknell's longest losing streak since 2010.

There were a few 6-on-4 situations in favor of Bucknell in the first quarter. Also, there had been a brutality issued to Josep Jodra Munoz in the third quarter, a situation which appeared to energize/please the home crowd. I've served as Remote Announcer/Producer with Collegiate Water Polo Association since September 2016 (club and varsity).

This game likely featured the most exclusions in a game I've streamed/announced. There had been a game in the 2019 [inaugural] CWPA Women's Division III Collegiate Club Championship at Villanova University which had zero exclusions.

Bison scored first and last

The first quarter, which ended with St. Francis holding a 4-2 lead, set the tone for what was to come. After Bucknell scored first, the Terriers picked up four straight goals. Not that they were getting any help from the officials: three 6-on-4  advantages were called for Bucknell in the period. A two man advantage is not unfamiliar in collegiate water polo, but it is rare—mostly because when it's called the likelihood of the advantaged team scoring are exceptionally good. Over the entirety of a typical game referees might whistle two or even three 6-on-4 total on both teams.

The second period is when Weiss noted how exclusions against St. Francis were the match’s most notable feature. Towards the end of the period, with the Terriers holding a 6-4 lead, he announced: “The story in this one: so many exclusion fouls for the Terriers.” Weiss also opined that Ilija Duretic, SFC’s first-year head coach, must be wondering what’s going on with the officials.

At one point during a stoppage in the period, Alana Burgess, SFC assistant coach who is also the school’s women’s head coach for the school, spoke with Stankevich on the pool deck. She then came over to Duretic, who was addressing the team. and explained something to him. Not that it helped; at intermission, St. Francis has been whistled for 13 exclusions—with Aleksa Sisakovic fouling out—while the host Bison were called for one.

“When you have to lead a list that long, you know that this is not a typical game. 13 exclusions and you’re leading,” Weiss said. “Pretty soon if you have a few more, you’re gonna run out of players.”

It’s the third period where things take a turn for the worst. The visitors saw four more players expelled, including leading scorer Dominik Hevesi, third leading scorer Adonis Vlassis, Paolo Morliere and the aforementioned Jodra Munoz, who was whistled for a brutality. Not only was he walked off the pool deck, his team had to play down for four minutes. Which they did, allowing only a single goal, making it a 10-7 match in favor of the visitors.

It appeared that St. Francis would escape the quarter with no other damage. But an exclusion to goalie Manuel Diaz in the final seconds of the period—unusual but not uncommon—allowed the host Bison another power play goal just before the end of the period, making it 10-8.

“That whistle isn’t going to be silent.” Weiss said during the quarter. “Bison and Terriers looking more like a wrestling match.”

The game ends on a Bison power play

With so many players excluded—and two more calls to be made—it’s no surprise that St. Francis was held to a lone goal in the final period while Bucknell rallied. Goals by Lewis, Doruk Ozar and Hasan Mogultay finally tied the match at 11 with 1:40 to go. The Terriers had a final chance to score the game winner, but it came down to an exclusion on SFC’s Baptiste Oliveri—his third and final exclusion—with five seconds remaining, allowing Lewis to bury the game-winner, his fourth of the match.

“The box score for this game is gonna look ugly… that is going to be one ugly looking sheet!” Weiss said. How right he was.