Bucknell University Athletics
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Bucknell Lax Drops 9-7 Nailbiter to #18 Penn State
4/23/2002 8:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
April 23, 2002
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - A frustrating season for the Bucknell men's lacrosse team continued Tuesday night at Penn State, as the 18th-ranked Nittany Lions survived a late Bison comeback for a 9-7 win at chilly Jeffrey Field.
It was Bucknell's fourth loss by two goals or less this season, as the Herd fell to 5-7 overall. Penn State avenged a 10-6 loss to Bucknell last season and improved to 7-5.
The Bison trailed 8-4 after three quarters before mounting a late charge. Just under two minutes into the fourth quarter attackman Dennis Geraghty pounced on a loose ball in front of the cage and with his momentum taking him away from the goal flipped an around-the-back shot past Penn State goalie Chris Garrity. Geraghty tallied again off a Rob Lane feed with 6:23 to play to make it 8-6, and just 21 seconds later, after a Michael Petrash faceoff win, Lane raced to the net and scored to bring Bucknell within one at 8-7.
Bucknell had a golden chance to tie the game for the first time since 1-1 when Penn State's Matt Zappia took a slashing penalty with 3:48 to play. Near the end of the one-minute extra-man set, Chris Cara fed an open Geraghty on the weak-side doorstep, but the ball just ticked off the end of Geraghty's stick.
With 1:59 to play, Penn State's top scorer, Will Driscoll, sealed the verdict with a laser from 15 yards out. Driscoll's second goal of the night spoiled a terrific night for Bison goalie Justin Sussman, who finished with 16 saves, many from close range.
Geraghty led Bucknell with three goals, while Lane had two goals and an assist. Freshmen Patrick O'Hearn and Patrick Christensen also scored for the Bison. Cara, another rookie and the team's leading scorer, was held to just a single assist, his lowest point output since the season opener. Still, Cara broke the Bucknell freshman scoring record with his 49th point, breaking the previous record set by Pete VonHoffmann in 1976.
The Bison finish out their regular season this Saturday against Patriot League rival Lehigh at 1 p.m. in Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
BUCKNELL 1 1 2 3 -- 7 PENN STATE 4 0 4 1 -- 9BUCKNELL BREAKDOWN: Goals - Geraghty 3, Lane 2, Christensen , O'Hearn. Assists - Cara, Hogue, Lane.
PENN STATE BREAKDOWN: Goals - Driscoll 2, Droogan 2, L. Perry, E. Perry, Jacober, Mabry, Cutler. Assists - L. Perry, E. Perry, Driscoll, Tarr, Young.
Shots: Bucknell 20 (2-4-6-8). Penn State 32 (11-6-11-4).
Ground Balls: Bucknell 48 (13-12-13-10). Penn State 49 (14-9-16-10).
Goalie Saves: Bucknell 16 (Justin Sussman 6-2-5-3). Penn State 8 (Chris Garrity [59:15] 1-2-3-2, 8 sv, 6 ga, Josh LaGrow [0:15] x-x-x-0, 0 sv, 1 ga).
Clears: Bucknell 24 of 27. Penn State 19 of 24.
Faceoffs: Bucknell 10 of 20. Penn State 10 of 20.
Penalties: Bucknell 3 for 3:00. Penn State 9 for 7:00.
Extra Man Opportunities: Bucknell 1 of 9. Penn State 0 of 3.
Team Records: Bucknell 5-7. Penn State 7-5.
