Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Men's Lacrosse Opens Season at Home Saturday
2/27/2004 7:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Feb. 27, 2004
Lewisburg, Pa. - Lacrosse season officially kicks off at Bucknell on Saturday when a pair of reigning conference champions square off at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Bucknell, which has won or shared each of the last four Patriot League titles, battles defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champion Mount St. Mary's at 1 p.m.
The Bison were 9-4 overall and 5-1 in Patriot League play last season but came one agonizing goal short of an NCAA Tournament bid. Bucknell shared the PL regular-season title with Army, which also finished 5-1, but the Black Knights secured the automatic NCAA berth thanks to a come-from-behind 10-9 win over the Herd at West Point.
This season it is unlikely that one regular-season loss will dash a team's title dreams, as the Patriot League has adopted a four-team postseason tournament for the first time. The championship is slated for Apr. 30 and May 2 at the home of the higher seed.
The other new dynamic in the Patriot League this season is the addition of traditional national power Navy. The Midshipmen enter the season ranked 18th and already have their first Patriot League win, 14-1 over Lafayette last weekend.
Much like the Patriot league, the 2004 edition of the Bison will have a bit of a new look as well. Bucknell was hit hard by graduation following last season, losing six key senior midfielders, high-scoring attack Worthy Sanders and All-America goalie Justin Sussman.
Still, Bucknell has plenty of talent returning, enough to draw a No. 3 ranking in a tight vote in the Patriot League preseason poll.
Offensively, the Bison return the Patriot League's leading scorer in junior Chris Cara. The loop's rookie of the year in 2002, Cara backed it up with another stellar year in 2003 and earned first-team all-league accolades. He tallied 49 points on 19 goals and 30 assists last season.
Senior Wes Fetchet, who came back strong from a knee injury that cost him most of his sophomore season, and junior Patrick Christensen will also be counted on for scoring punch. Christensen entered the starting lineup late last season and showed off enough finishing ability to be considered one of the league's top crease attackmen entering the spring.
Juniors Patrick O'Hearn and John Salvesen return with the most experience in Bucknell's reloaded midfield. Junior Ryan Goodman is the top faceoff man, with freshman Kevin McCarthy showing potential there as well.
Heading the defense will be the senior co-captains, Brendan Fitzgibbons and Blaise Fletcher. The latter is one of the Patriot League's top close defensemen, an imposing physical presence at 6'6" and a swarming defender. Fitzgibbons is a lightning-fast short-stick defensive middie who gives Bucknell the potential for a terrific transition game.
Junior T.J. Wallace complements Fitzgibbons, giving the Bison one of their best-ever 1-2 punches at SSDM, according to head coach Sid Jamieson.
Junior Daryl Seymour and sophomore Chris Carillo will help Fletcher patrol the area in front of the crease.
Sophomore Matt Baran enters his first season as the starting goalie, and he will have big shoes to fill as the heir apparent to Sussman, who finished second in the nation in save percentage and was the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year a season ago.
Bucknell's first opponent, Mount St. Mary's, went 10-8 a year ago and won the MAAC title before taking a 19-8 loss to No. 2 Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bison will also be home the following Saturday, March 6, to take on Harvard before visiting Villanova on March 9. The Patriot League opener will be a tough test, March 9 at Navy.
On March 16, the Bison host national power Maryland at 3 p.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, with six of the following eight games coming against league competition.
Bucknell will visit Hobart, picked fourth just behind the Bison in the preseason poll, on Apr. 3, with the rematch with Army set for Apr. 16 at Mathewson Stadium.
The Hobart, Army and Penn State (Apr. 20 in State College) games will be broadcast live on WMLP 1380-AM in Lewisburg and on the web at www.BucknellBison.com.
