Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Lacrosse Teams Prep for Key Patriot League Contests on Saturday
3/31/2006 7:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
March 31, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell men's and women's lacrosse teams both are faced with important Patriot League games on Saturday afternoon as the jockeying for postseason tournament berths begins in earnest. The Bison women's team hosts defending Patriot League champion Colgate at Graham Field at 1 p.m., while the men's team, ranked 19th this week, visits a much-improved Lehigh squad in Bethlehem, Pa., at 3 p.m.
The women's lacrosse team is looking to snap a seven-game losing streak that has come on the heels of a 2-0 start, although the Bison have played very well in their last two outings. Last Saturday, Bucknell took a talented Virginia Tech squad to overtime before falling 6-5, and on Tuesday the Bison led unbeaten Drexel midway through the second half before the Dragons rallied late for an 11-7 victory.
Freshman Jackie Bodnar scored four goals against Drexel and now leads the team with 11 goals through nine games. Another rookie, Bonnie Buechel, is the points leader with 15, coming on 10 goals and five assists. In fact, four of Bucknell's top five scorers are freshmen.
The Bison are 0-2 in Patriot League play but are just a half game behind Lafayette for the fourth and final Patriot League Tournament position.
The Bison face a Colgate squad that is 2-0 in Patriot League play and 6-4 overall. The Raiders are coming off a 15-7 win over Oregon on Thursday, their fourth consecutive victory. Reigning Patriot League Player of the Year Katie McVeigh (26-12-38) tallied five points in the Oregon win and now leads the league in scoring.
The Bucknell men's squad is on the road Saturday, facing a dangerous Lehigh team that already has a victory over Army under its belt this season. Following last weekend's 11-5 victory over Lafayette, the Bison are 4-4 overall and 2-1 in Patriot League play. The men's playoff picture is extremely muddled at this point. Every team has at least one league loss thus far, and five of the seven teams are currently sitting with exactly one loss. Bucknell is tied for second place with Army, behind only 4-1 Navy, but there is still plenty of lacrosse to be played.
Freshman Joe Mele leads the team with 15 goals, while Kirk Klett, who scored five goals against Lafayette last time out, has 12. Bucknell is winning with defense. The Bison are allowing only 6.88 goals per game this season, good for 12th-best nationally. Senior goalie Matt Baran ranks 11th in the nation in goals-against average (6.49).
The Lehigh men are 5-3 overall and 1-1 in the Patriot League. In their last outing the Mountain Hawks dropped a 9-4 decision to No. 7 Navy.
Lehigh is also an outstanding defensive squad. It ranks ninth national in scoring defense (6.50) and has limited two opponents - Marist and Mount St. Mary's - to a single goal this season. Lehigh's cornerstone victory was an 8-7 decision over No. 14 Army on March 4.
The Bucknell-Lehigh game is being televised in the Lehigh Valley on Service Electric-2. It can also be seen online through lehighsports.com for a small charge.
