Hoosiers fall in weekend championship to Bucknell

Sometimes, storybook endings aren't always meant to happen.\nFor the No. 18 IU water polo team, that was the case as it dropped its first game of the Collegiate Water Polo Association Eastern Championship on Saturday to Bucknell University in the second overtime, 6-5, as the Hoosiers finished fifth in the tournament.\nThe loss to Bucknell eliminated the Hoosiers' chance to compete in the championship game and their quest for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Instead, IU will have to rely on one of three at-large bids available.\nThe Hoosiers took a 4-1 lead over Bucknell heading into the third period, including two goals from junior Melissa Soria. IU could not hold onto the lead, though, as the Bison scored its second goal with 4:49 remaining to make the score 4-2. Four minutes later, Bucknell tied the game on two goals scored within 15 seconds of each other.\nIU capitalized early in the first overtime period as junior Brooke Zimmerman gave the Hoosiers a 5-4 lead. Bucknell came from behind once again to tie the score at five on the next possession of the game.\nWith less than 10 seconds remaining in the first overtime, the Hoosiers committed a foul, putting them down two players as they entered the second overtime period. It only took 15 seconds for Bucknell to score the eventual game-winning point.\nBecause of their loss in the first round, the Hoosiers were paired to play Harvard University in the second match of the day and advanced to the fifth-place game with a 7-6 win.\nAfter falling behind 3-0 against Harvard, the Hoosiers scored three straight goals of their own to tie the game, with the game-tying goal coming early into the second period. Harvard added another goal to take a one-goal lead going into the half.\nSoria tied the game at four with 6:40 remaining in the third period. Harvard once again took a one-goal lead on a power play, but the Hoosiers scored two straight goals to take a 6-5 lead with four minutes remaining in the third period. As the third period came to a close, Harvard tied the game at six just before the buzzer.\nWith four minutes remaining in regulation, Zimmerman added her second goal of the game, which proved to be the game-winner, sending the Hoosiers to the fifth-place game against Brown University.\nIn the match against Brown, the Hoosiers trailed only once and won in overtime 10-8 as they outscored Brown 3-1 in the extra period to take fifth place in the Eastern Championship.\nSoria recorded her 10th hat trick of the year as she scored four times against Brown, including once in overtime.\nWith the CWPA Eastern Championship finished, the Hoosiers will hope to earn a bid to the 2006 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship. Should IU earn an at-large bid to the tournament, the Hoosiers will play for the championship at the University of California-Davis May 12-14.