Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Soccer Team to Compete in Patriot League Tournament for First Time in Seven Years
11/8/2000 7:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 8, 2000
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell men's soccer team will make its first appearance in the Patriot League Tournament since the 1993 season when it takes on Lehigh in first-round action on Saturday, November 11, at 11:00 a.m. at Lafayette.
The Bison opened the Patriot League ledger with a perfect 3-0 record for the first time in school history, and went on to post a 4-2 conference mark, earning the second-seed in the championship tournament. Lafayette, also at 4-2 but with a head-to-head tie-breaker over the Bison after a 1-0 overtime win, earned the right to host the tournament and the number one seed for the fourth time in the league's 10 year history. Lehigh comes in as the third seed, while Holy Cross closes out the four-team field as the fourth seed.
In only its third appearance in the Patriot League Tournament, the Bucknell men's soccer team has its highest seed since hosting the tournament as the top seed in 1990. In their other tournament showing in 1993, the Orange and Blue were the third seeded team.
Bucknell is led into the tournament behind the offensive prowess of sophomore forward Nick Taylor (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius), senior forward Geza Lendvai-Lintner (Madison, N.J./Madison), freshman Chris Beekman (Neptune, N.J./Neptune) and junior midfielder Andrew Aurand (Middleburg, Pa./Middleburg).
Taylor leads the team in scoring with 12 points on four goals and four assists. He was selected to the All-Tournament Teams in both the Smith Barney Classic at Vermont and the 2000 Gamecock Classic at South Carolina. In addition, Taylor was named the Tournament MVP at the Gamecock Classic after scoring the game-tying goal and assisting on the game-winner in a 2-1 upset overtime victory over South Carolina, ranked eighth in the nation at the time.
In what was a total team effort, Lendvai-Lintner, Beekman and Aurand all finished the regular-season tied for second in scoring with 10 points on four goals and two assists. Three of Lendvai-Lintner's four goals were game-winners, while Beekman tallied one game-winning score. Aurand led the team in scoring in Patriot League play, tallying two of his goals and both of his assists against conference rivals. His 1.0 points per game in league play was tied for third in the conference.
On the defensive end, Bucknell will rely on the leadership of senior tri-captain Bill Epley (Franklinville, N.J./Delsea Regional) and freshman goalkeeper Steve Whitaker (Wayne, Pa./Conestoga).
Epley has been a solid figure in the Bison backfield throughout his four-year career and looks to close out his senior season with his third-straight selection to the All-Patriot League Team. A Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week during the season, Epley also earned All-Tournament honors at both the Smith Barney Classic and the Gamecock Classic. He has scored two goals from his defensive position this season, both of them game-winners. Epley tallied the game-winning score in Bucknell's upset of South Carolina, while also scoring the game-winner in a 2-1 defeat of Philadelphia.
Whitaker stepped into the role between the pipes six games into the season. After recording a shutout in his first competition in the Orange and Blue, Whitaker went on to register five straight wins and three more shutouts before finally dropping his first contest as a Bison. He has been Bucknell's last line of defense for the last 15 games and has posted an 8-5-2 overall record in the net with five shutouts. Throughout the season, Whitaker was as high as third in the nation in goals against average, and he still maintains a 17th-place ranking in the national statistics for saves per game (6.00).
Bucknell (9-9-2) challenges Lehigh (11-5-2) at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 11, at Lafayette. The top-seeded Leopards (7-10) take on Holy Cross (8-9) at 1:30 p.m. that day. The winners of the two contests will meet in the championship game at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 12.
