Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Soccer Opens Patriot League Home Slate Saturday vs. Holy Cross
10/4/2007 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 4, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell men's soccer team will aim for its second consecutive 2-0 start in Patriot League play Saturday, Oct. 6, when it hosts Holy Cross in its Patriot League home opener. Kickoff for the contest is slated for 3 p.m. at Varsity Soccer Field.
In addition to a second consecutive 2-0 start in league play, the Bison will be trying to extend their winning streak to four games, and their unbeaten streak to six.
Bucknell Men's Soccer Notebook
Bucknell Recently (4-3-3 Overall, 1-0-0 Patriot League)
- Oct. 2: 2007\ Bucknell\ Men\'s\ Soccer\ Statistics
Bucknell Notes
- Bucknell defeated La Salle on Tuesday night, extending its unbeaten streak to five matches. It is the longest the Bison have gone without a loss since posting an eight-match unbeaten streak last year. That was the third-longest unbeaten stretch in the history of the program.
- In addition to going five games without a loss, Bucknell is in the midst of a three-game winning streak. The Bison last posted three victories in a row last September against Holy Cross, St. Peter's and Army. Bucknell also had a four-game winning streak last year. A five-game winning streak in 2000 marks the last time the Bison put together a winning streak of longer than four.
- Bucknell will be aiming for its second consecutive 2-0 start in Patriot League play Saturday against Holy Cross. The Bison have opened Patriot League play 2-0 on just four occasions, while 3-0 (2000 & 2003) is their best start without a loss or a tie.
- Senior co-captain Justin Wolf netted his fourth goal in five games during Tuesday's 2-1 win over La Salle. He leads the team in goals (4) and points (10), and ranks third in the Patriot League in both categories. Both figures are career highs as well. Additionally, Wolf is the first Bison to tally four goals in a five-match span since Nathan LaGrave last September. LaGrave tallied four goals in a four-game span, including a pair against St. Bonaventure.
- Wolf's goal Tuesday against La Salle was his third game-winning goal this season, which ranks second in the Patriot League. That figure matches Alex Russo's team-leading total from last year. The last Bison to tally more than three game-winning scores in a season was Scott Visnic in 2003.
- Mark Schmiegel netted Bucknell's first goal against La Salle, giving him three this season to rank second on the squad. The junior had three career goals entering this season. He ranks second on the team to Wolf with eight points and has registered goals in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. The Toms River, N.J., native has been hot of late, tallying at least one point in four of the last five contests.
- With an assist on Wolf's second-half goal Tuesday, senior Joe Mellott picked up his first assist of the season. He now has 10 in his career, tying him with Wolf for most among current Bison.
- While he was called upon to make just one save during Tuesday's win over La Salle, senior goalkeeper Joey Kuterbach still ranks among the Patriot League leaders with 31 saves this season. The 2006 Patriot League Tournament MVP has posted four shutouts this season and has a career-low 0.79 goals-against average. With his next shutout, he will tie Kevin Meyer for fourth place on Bucknell's career list with 15.
About the Series with Holy Cross
- Bucknell and Holy Cross have met 17 times with the Crusaders owning a slight 8-7-2 lead in the series. However, the Bison have won each of the last two meetings by 2-0 scores and have not lost since 2002. Prior to the last two years' contests, the teams had played five consecutive overtime matches.
About Holy Cross
- While Bucknell enters Saturday's match having not lost since Sept. 15, Holy Cross has not won since defeating Siena 3-0 on Sept. 22. The Crusaders, who own a 4-3-1 overall record, are 0-0-1 in Patriot League play, tying Colgate 0-0 last Saturday.
- Holy Cross has outscored its opponents 10-4 this season, although seven of those scores came in a 4-0 win over Manhattan and in the 3-0 victory against Siena. Four Crusaders have tallied at least two goals, led by three from freshman forward Kyle Miller.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Thomas Booth has posted four shutouts for Holy Cross this season and has an impressive 0.55 goals-against average. Overall, the Crusaders have five shutouts and have allowed just one team (Sacred Heart) to register more than one goal against their defense.
Youth Soccer Appreciation Day
- The Bucknell men's soccer team is celebrating Youth Soccer Appreciation Day on Saturday. In addition to some small giveaways for youth players, former Bison Michael Lookingland, a professional soccer player with the Baltimore Blast and Harrisburg City Islanders, is scheduled to be in attendance signing autographs for youth players.
Up Next
- Bucknell will play just two games in a stretch of more than two weeks following Saturday's match. The Bison will travel to Army on Saturday, Oct. 13, and will follow that with a match at Colgate on Sunday, Oct. 21. Bucknell's next home contest will be against Saint Francis (Pa.) Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. Live video of that game will be broadcast online for a small fee through BucknellBison.com and SportsJuice.com.
