Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Lax Up To No. 12 in National Rankings; Sciubba, Case Honored by PL
4/9/2007 8:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
April 9, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The 9-2 Bucknell men's lacrosse team climbed back to No. 12 in the USILA Coaches' Poll on Monday in the wake of a thrilling 6-5 victory at No. 17 Army on Saturday. The Bison, who are in second place in the Patriot League standings with a 3-1 league mark, also moved up to No. 13 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
Bucknell has been ranked as high as 11th in the coaches' poll this season, that coming in mid-March after a 5-0 start. It was the team's highest ranking since 2001, when it was ranked No. 9 en route to the Patriot League championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Also on Monday, senior midfielder Steve Case (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) and sophomore goalie Nick Sciubba (Sea Cliff, N.Y./Salisbury School) were honored by the Patriot League.
Case, who returned for the Army game after missing the previous three contests with an injury, was cited as the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week. In addition to playing solid defense, Case played a major role in a successful afternoon for the Bison faceoff team. He collected a game-high six ground balls, all of them coming on wing play on faceoffs. One of his loose-ball pickups led directly to a goal, when he sprinted toward the crease and assisted on Tim Brandau's tally just 11 seconds into the second quarter.
Case now has one goal and four assists along with a team-high 29 ground balls in eight games this season. He ranks third in the Patriot League in ground balls per game.
Sciubba was named Patriot League Goalie of the Week for the third time this season. He logged 10 saves and five ground balls while allowing only five goals against Army. Four of those saves came in the fourth quarter, and he had two big stops and a ground ball in the closing minutes after the Bison had taken a 6-5 lead.
The Massachusetts transfer continues to lead the nation in save percentage at .673, and he lowered his goals-against average to a stingy 5.67. Bucknell ranks fifth nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 5.9 goals per game.
The Bison have reached the nine-win plateau for only the fifth time in program history, and they can reach double-digits for the first time since 2001 with a victory over Lehigh on Saturday night. That contest is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
