Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Soccer Plays Pair in Lehigh Valley this Weekend
10/23/2008 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 23, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bison women's soccer team faces its only Friday-Sunday road series in Patriot League play this weekend when it makes a short trip east to the Lehigh Valley. Bucknell faces Lehigh on Friday night at 7 p.m. and Lafayette on Sunday at 1 p.m.
With three league games remaining, the Bison enter the weekend in a tie for fourth place with Colgate, however the Orange & Blue own the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Raiders thanks to a 3-1 win at home last Saturday. Army leads the league with 12 points with Navy a close second with 10, and the two service academies meet on Friday night at West Point. American is in third place with seven points, with Bucknell and Colgate just a point back.
Lehigh is 1-3-0 in Patriot League play and 5-8-1 overall, while Lafayette is 2-11-2, 0-4-0. Both the Leopards and Mountain Hawks will be in must-win modes this weekend in order to secure one of the top four places and a berth in the Patriot League Tournament Nov. 7-9.
Bucknell has played five Friday-Sunday sets this season, and the Bison are 5-0 on the Friday leg, but only 1-2-2 in the Sunday games. Their lone Friday-Sunday sweep came at the end of September, when they swept Robert Morris (1-0) and Marist (2-0).
BISON WOMEN'S SOCCER NOTEBOOK
Coverage
- Click HERE to watch the Bucknell-Lehigh game on Lehighsports.com.
Bucknell vs. Lehigh Series Notes
- Bucknell is 9-7-2 all-time against Lehigh, but just 0-4-1 in the last five meetings. The one tie in that span came in the 2005 Patriot League Tournament semifinals, and the Bison went on to win in penalty kicks on Lehigh's home field. They then knocked off Army in the championship game to win the league title.
- Oddly, Bucknell is just 2-5-1 at home against the Mountain Hawks, but 7-2-1 in Bethlehem.
- Last season, Lehigh handed the Bison their only Patriot League regular-season loss, a 3-1 decision in Lewisburg. Jen Fetsick scored twice for the Mountain Hawks, who also benefited from an own goal after the Bison had closed within 2-1. Kelliann Doherty scored Bucknell's goal, with Brooke Stokes and Christa Matlack assisting.
Bucknell vs. Lafayette Series Notes
- The Bison are 11-6-1 all-time against the Leopards, including four straight wins and a 4-0-1 mark in the last five meetings. Bucknell has outscored Lafayette 12-0 over that span.
- Bucknell won only one of the first four series meetings but is 10-3-1 since.
- The Bison are 5-3-1 on Lafayette's home field, including a 2-0 win in their last trip there in 2006.
- Last season in Lewisburg, Bucknell routed Lafayette 6-0 to clinch a playoff berth. Christa Matlack had a big night with two goals and an assist. Caitlin Holtz, Krista Lee Gentile and Kimberly Cannon also scoredfor the Bison, and a Lafayette defender knocked one in for an own goal. The Bison finished with a 26-10 shot advantage in their most lopsided win in series history.
About Lehigh
- The Mountain Hawks are coming off a 2-0 road victory against arch-rival Lafayette on Saturday. That win snapped a four-game losing streak in which Lehigh was outscored 7-0.
- Lehigh, which is 2-3-0 at home this season, has been outscored 17-9 in 14 games.
- Ali McLeod is the only multi-goal scorer with two, while six others have one tally each. Glynn Fitzer has a goal and an assist for three points.
- Lauren Mains has seen the bulk of the action in goal, making 13 starts. She has a 5-7-1 record, a 1.30 goals-against average and an .814 save percentage. Mains has 70 saves, an average of 5.4 per start.
- Lehigh has a 67-48 advantage on its foes in corner kicks in 2008.
- Bucknell and Lehigh have played two common non-conference opponents this season. Both teams won at Marist (Bucknell 2-0, Lehigh 1-0), and both teams lost to Rutgers (Bucknell 4-1 on the road, Lehigh 2-1 at home).
About Lafayette
- The Leopards host Colgate on Friday night before playing Bucknell on Sunday. Lafayette will be trying to snap a five-game losing streak, all of them coming via shutout.
- Lafayette's two victories came in succession in late-September. Both were 2-0 home wins over St. Peter's and NJIT.
- The Leopards have been blanked 11 times and have been outscored 27-7 in 15 games this season.
- Mackenzie Moore leads the team in scoring with six points on two goals and two assists. Janelle Pierson also has two goals, while Lauren Hinkel has a team-high three assists.
- Brittany Futterknecht has started 10 games in goal, while Hannah Fink has made five starts. Futterknecht has a 1.96 GAA, while Fink's is 1.28.
- Bucknell and Lafayette have played just one common non-league opponent. Lafayette dropped a 2-0 decision at home to Marist, while the Bison won 2-0 on the Red Foxes home pitch.
Last Time Out
- Bucknell won a critical Patriot League game on Saturday night, topping Colgate 3-1 at Holmes Stadium. The victory pulled the Bison even with the Raiders in the Patriot League standings.
- Chelsea McGorry and Jennifer Dervarics both collected a goal and an assist.
- Christa Matlack gave the Bison a 1-0 lead off an assist from Dervarics in the 28th minute. McGorry made it 2-0 when her serve into the box from in front of the Bucknell bench bounced past everyone and into the net.
- Colgate cut it to 2-1 on a Danielle Wessler goal at the 65:22 mark, but only 18 seconds later Dervarics headed in a perfect cross from McGorry to restore the two-goal cushion.
- Bucknell finished with a 17-15 shot advantage.
- Kathryn Sutton made five saves for the Bison, while Rebecca Michlin had seven for the Raiders.
About the Bison
- Bucknell is now 8-5-2 on the season, and it needs two more victories to reach double figures in the wins column for the fourth year in a row.
- Chelsea McGorry earned Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday after her three-point performance against Colgate. It was her second career multi-point game, and the first since her freshman year.
- Dervarics, the Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, hit double figures in goals for the second year in a row. She now has 10 this season, two shy of her career high set in 2007.
- Dervarics' 24 points are six shy of her career best, also set last season. She continues to lead the Patriot League in goals and points.
- Dervarics ranks 36th in the nation in goals per game and 37th in points per game.
- Matlack's goal against Colgate was her sixth of the season and gives her 15 points on the year. She is closing in on her rookie totals of eight goals and 21 points last season.
- Matlack ranks second in the Patriot League in goals per game and points per game, trailing only her teammate Dervarics.
- Caitlin Holtz still leads the league with eight assists. That also ranks 29th in Division I.
- The Bison are a close second to Navy in the Patriot League in goals per game. The Mids are averaging 2.00 gpg, the Bison 1.87.
Bison Milestones
- Dervarics moved into third place on Bucknell's career goals and points charts in the Colgate game. She now has 34 career goals, which is tied for third with former teammate Krista Lee Gentile. Dervarics' 85 points put her in sole possession of third on that list.
- In addition to breaking the Bucknell single-season shutouts mark earlier this season, Sutton now has 10 in her career. That moves her into sole possession of third place on the career chart.
- Sutton also remains in sole possession of second place on Bucknell's career wins list with 18. The only Bison keepers with more wins are Dry, Laurie Purse and Becky Snover, all with 30.
Weekly Awards and Honors
- Patriot League BRINE Offensive Player of the Week: Jennifer Dervarics (Sept. 2), Christa Matlack (Sept. 22), Chelsea McGorry (Oct. 20).
- Patriot League BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week: Kathryn Sutton (Aug. 25, Sept. 29).
- Patriot League BRINE Defensive Player of the Week: Caitlin Holtz (Aug. 25), Nicole Marotta (Sept. 15).
- Patriot League Honorable Mention: Jennifer Dervarics (Aug. 25), Lauren Stoller (Sept. 29).
- ECAC Defensive Player of the Week: Kathryn Sutton (Sept. 30).
- Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week: Kathryn Sutton (Oct. 13).
Looking Ahead
- After this weekend, the Bison visit Princeton for a mid-week, non-conference game on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Bucknell walloped Princeton 4-1 at home last season, with Jennifer Dervarics and Kelsey Johnson scoring two goals apiece.
- The regular-season finale will be Nov. 1 against American at home. That will be Senior Day at Holmes Stadium.
