Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Lax Goes for Share of Team Victory Record Saturday at Colgate
4/19/2007 8:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
April 19, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The 12th-ranked Bucknell men's lacrosse team will put a lid on the 2007 regular season on Saturday when it visits Patriot League rival Colgate at 3 p.m. at Tyler's Field in Hamilton, N.Y. Now 11-2 after Tuesday's 7-5 win over Penn State, the Bison can equal the program's single-season victory record with a win over the Raiders.
That will be no easy task, however, as Colgate comes in with an 8-4 record (4-1 Patriot League), and a perfect 6-0 mark at home. The two teams will actually be meeting on successive weekends, as the Bison and Raiders are assured of matching up in the second semifinal game of the Patriot League Tournament on Apr. 27 (at Navy, 7 p.m.). The winner of Saturday's game will be seeded No. 2, while the loser will be No. 3.
Bucknell has won 16 of the previous 22 meetings with Colgate in a series that dates back to 1979. The Raiders won 8-6 last season in Lewisburg to stop Bucknell's seven-game series winning streak. Two years ago in Hamilton, the Bison prevailed 10-8. The two teams have never met in the postseason.
The only Bucknell team to win more than 11 games in a season was the 1996 squad, which finished 12-0. The only other double-digit victory totals were 10-win teams in 1969 and 2001.
The Bison have been getting it done lately with consistent play in all areas. The defense has generated most of the headlines, and deservedly so. Bucknell ranks second nationally behind Princeton in scoring defense, allowing only 5.77 goals per game.
Sophomore goalie Nick Sciubba, in his first season with the Bison after transferring from UMass, leads the nation in both save percentage (.679) and goals-against average (5.55). Sciubba is a four-time Patriot League Goalie of the Week. Bucknell has also claimed the last three Patriot League Defensive Players of the Week in Greg Sowyrda, Steve Case and Billy Haire. Sowyrda had a huge game against Penn State on Tuesday, coming up with a game-high six ground balls along with a big fourth-quarter assist, as the Bison held Penn State to only three even-strength goals all night.
The Bison have allowed more than six goals only twice all season, none coming in the last seven games, spanning more than a month.
Bucknell's offensive players are even joining in on the defensive fun, as the team has picked up its riding efficiency in recent games. In the last two contests, victories over Lehigh and Penn State, the Bison have forced 19 turnovers in 49 opponent clearing attempts, leading to a number of unsettled goals off the takeaway.
Even with top-notch attackmen Joe Mele and Kirk Klett out with season-ending injuries, the Bison offense has come up with a number of timely goals, particulalrly late in close games. Bucknell has a 60-35 scoring advantage after halftime in games this season.
Two freshmen have been at the forefront of the scoring attack. Austin Winter continues to lead the Patriot League in points (44) and assists (28), and he ranks second in the nation in assists. After being shut down for three quarters by Penn State, Winter produced two monumental fourth-quarter goals in the 7-5 win. Classmate Tim Brandau is also having a big year with 23 goals and 10 assists.
Senior Brian Gargan is coming off perhaps the finest game of his career on Tuesday night. He scored three goals in the first quarter, including a highlight-reel around-the-back shot. Gargan later added an assist, drew a penalty and had a big ground ball to earn a fourth-quarter possession in a one-goal game. He now has a career-high 16 goals along with five assists on the season.
The Bison will be challenged by the league's best special teams unit on Saturday. Colgate leads the nation in man-up offense at 59.5 percent, and their man-down unit is a solid 74.2 percent. Led by senior Chris Eck, the Raiders rank fifth nationally in faceoff percentage (.604).
Matt Lalli (18-23-41) is the team's leading scorer, while Brandon Corp (25-10-35), Brendan Hurley (22-6-28) and Kevin Colleluori (20-3-23) have all topped the 20-goal plateau.
Colgate will have a live video feed of the game on its subscription-based Colgate All-Access channel on ColgateRaiders.com.
