Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Field Hockey Prepares to Face American in First Round Matchup
11/2/2006 7:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Nov. 2, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa - The Bucknell field hockey team (7-9, 1-4 PL) will make its 10th overall appearance in the Patriot League tournament as the No. 4 seed this Saturday, Nov. 4, at William I. Jacobs Recreational Complex in Washington, D.C. The Bison will battle No. 1-seed American (12-6, 5-0 PL) in the first semifinal match at 11 a.m. The Bison clinched a spot in the Patriot League tournament by virtue of Colgate's victory over Lehigh. No. 2 Holy Cross will play No.3 Lafayette in the second semifinal at 1:30 p.m.
"We're very excited that our season results have afforded us the opportunity to compete for a league title," said head coach Heather Lewis. "We have played some brilliant hockey at times this year and our intentions are to work very hard this week in preparation for a challenging match with American. It is our goal to step out on Saturday with the intentions of playing our best match of the year."
The Eagles hold a 10-3 advantage over Bucknell in the all-time series. Their last win over American was in 2001 when the Bison notched a 3-2 victory in Lewisburg, Pa. The Eagles posted a 2-0 win over the Orange and Blue with Tiffany Carter and Jesika Pufnock each scoring goals in their first matchup this season.
The Bucknell offense will be lead by First Team All-Patriot League honorees sophomore Amanda Faust (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) and senior Katie Urosevich (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg). Faust leads the squad in points with 24 and is tied for the team lead in goals with seven. The sophomore defender also leads the Bison and the Patriot League in assists with 10. Faust tops the league and is tied for 17th nationally in assists per game (0.63). She is currently ranked fifth in the league in both points and points per game (1.50). Faust is also one of the team's top defenders has one defensive save on the season, which brings her career total to seven. Urosevich is tied for the team lead with Faust in goals (7) and has posted three assists. She is second on the squad in points with 17 points. The senior ranks eighth in the league in points per game (1.06), as well.
Senior Callista Costopoulos (Shermans Dale, Pa./West Perry) and sophomore Trina Boyer (Macungie, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) ranks third on the team in both goals and points with five and 11, respectively. Junior Chyncia Smith (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) and sophomore Emily Hutchison (Leola, Pa./Conestoga Valley) have both collected four goals for the Orange and Blue. Hutchison has tallied three of her four goals off penalty strokes, which is tied for second in the nation. She is 3-3 on penalty stokes this season.
On the defense, the team is led by junior Kelly Hoffman (Boyertown, Pa./ Oley Valley) and sophomore Steph Graf (Jamison, Pa./Central Bucks East), who picked up Second Team All-Patriot League honors earlier this week, freshman Sarah Ebright and senior goalkeeper Emily Groendyke (Glen Gardner, Pa./Voorhees). Hoffman is a key defensive player at the midfielder position for the Orange and Blue. She has two goals and assists for six points on the season. Graf has posted a league-best five defensive saves, while also accumulating four assists. She has been a superb match-up defender, shutting down the opponents top offensive player on a number of occasions. Ebright has made a big impact for the Bucknell defense as a freshman notching two defensive saves and helping the Bison to three shutouts.
Groendyke has 89 saves on the season with only 29 goals against her. The netminder owns a save percentage of .754, which tops the Patriot League. The senior is third in the league in goals against average (2.04) and has two shutouts.
For American, the offensive unit is led by First Team All-Patriot League players Irene Schickhardt, Denise and Camila Infante. Schickhardt leads the Eagles in goals (11) and points (30). She ranks third in the league in points and second in points per game with 1.88, which also ranks her 27th in the nation. Denise Infante ranks first in assists (9) and second in points (27) on the team. She is tied for second on the squad for goals with nine. She also ranks second in the league in and 27th in the nation in assists and assist per game (0.53). Camila Infante is third on the Eagles in points with 22 and is tied for the second on the team with nine goals. She ranks sixth in points and eighth in points per game (1.22) Hershberger is also tied for second in goals and has 19 points. Her 19 points ranks her seventh in the league.
"We have a tremendous amount of respect for the success American has achieved over the years and we look forward to measuring ourselves against one of the nation's top programs," commented Lewis. "In order to be the best you must ultimately beat the best and that will continue to be our goal in this program."
