Bucknell University Athletics
Playoff Berth on Line for Bison Women's Soccer in Saturday's Home Finale vs. American
10/31/2008 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 31, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - A lot will be happening on Saturday afternoon at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium as Bucknell and American meet in the final regular-season women's soccer game of 2008. First, Bucknell will honor its three outstanding seniors — Kelly Boswell, Jennifer Dervarics and Nicole Marotta, who comprise the most successful class in Bison women's soccer history. This group has won a record 44 games and captured a Patriot League Tournament Title and two regular-season crowns.
Then at 1 p.m. the Bison and Eagles will get down to business to decide the important matter of who gets into the postseason. Bucknell has won three straight league games and controls its own postseason destiny -- a win or a tie and the season continues next week (see below for playoff scenarios). American has tied three straight league games, including a big one at Army last weekend that kept its hopes alive. The Eagles must win today to make next week's Patriot League Tournament.
BISON WOMEN'S SOCCER NOTEBOOK
Coverage
- Click HERE to follow the Bucknell-American game on GameTracker.
The Playoff Race
- Entering the final weekend of regular-season play, five teams are still alive for the four Patriot League Tournament berths.
- Bucknell can still finish anywhere from first to fifth. The most important thing to know is that the Bison will lock up one of the tourney spots with a win or a tie Saturday against American.
- Bucknell has an outside chance to host the tournament for the third year in a row with a victory against AU and losses by both Army (to Lehigh on Friday) and Navy (to Colgate on Saturday evening).
- The only scenario that leaves Bucknell out of the postseason would be a loss to American coupled with a Colgate win or tie against Navy.
- The playoffs start next Friday at the home of the No. 1 seed.
Emmitt Field
- On Thursday Bucknell's varsity soccer pitch was officially rededicated as Emmitt Field. The four-year-old grass surface was named in honor of lead donors Richard '67 and Judy Emmitt, whose daughter Margaret '06 played on the Bison women's soccer team. The Emmitts have also been major supporters of the biomedical engineering program.
Bucknell vs. American Series Notes
- Bucknell first played American when the Eagles joined the Patriot League in 2001, and since then the Bison have a 4-3-1 lead in the series.
- American won three of the first four meetings -- Bucknell's win in that span came in the 2001 Patriot League Tournament semifinals -- but the Bison are 3-0-1 in the last four head-to-head matchups.
- Last season in Washington, D.C., Krista Lee Gentile scored for the Bison off assists from Jennifer Dervarics and Lauren Stoller in the 15th minute. American pulled even on Kelsey Brasher's goal in the second half, but Bucknell needed only the 1-1 tie to clinch the PL regular-season title. Kathryn Sutton made a career-high 12 saves for the Bison.
About American
- The Eagles have tied three straight games and are unbeaten in their last five contests. Two of those ties have come against Army and Navy, the two teams currently tied for first place in the Patriot League standings. The 5-9-4 Eagles also have a 1-1 tie with Maryland on their ledger. American's only Patriot League loss was a 1-0 home setback at the hands of Colgate.
- Kelsey Brasher, a Third Team All-Region and First Team All-Patriot League pick after scoring 13 goals in 2007, is once again American's leading scorer with five goals and three assists for 13 points, despite missing five games with an injury.
- Krystin Hodge (3) and Brooke Sheppard (2) are the team's other multi-goal scorers.
- American has scored only 13 goals in 18 games this season and has been shut out nine times this season. The Eagles have been nearly as stingy on defense, however. The have blanked seven opponents this season and have surrendered only two goals in league play. During their current five-game unbeaten streak the Eagles have allowed only one goal.
- Reigning Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year Kelsey Wiggins is having another outstanding year. The senior has a 0.95 goals-against average (0.18 in league play) on the season.
Bucknell Recently
- Bucknell made it a Lehigh Valley sweep last weekend, taking Lehigh 2-0 on Friday night and Lafayette 4-1 on Sunday. First-half goals by Christa Matlack and Kelliann Doherty were the difference against the Mountain Hawks.
- Jennifer Dervarics scored twice in the first half and assisted on Doherty's second-half tally in the Lafayette win. Freshman Megan DeGennaro also scored in that game, her first career tally.
- On Wednesday night virtually the entire roster got on the field in a 3-0 loss at Princeton, including freshman goalkeeper Colleen Garrehy, who played all 90 minutes in her first career appearance.
About the Bison
- Bucknell is now 10-6-2 on the season, marking the fourth straight year the Bison have reached the 10-win mark. That is the longest such streak in school history. The school record for wins in a season is 12, set in 1994, 2001 and 2006.
- Bucknell accounted for three of the 11 spots on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II First Team this week, as Chelsea Brinkman, Jennifer Dervarics and Lauren Stoller were all honored. All three now advance to the national ballot.
- Jennifer Dervarics was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, and a day later she was named the ECAC Offensive Player of the Week. Dervarics had a five-point game in the win over Lafayette on Sunday.
- Dervarics has 12 goals and six assists for 30 points in 2007, and she has now hit each of those marks right on the button in 2008.
- Kelliann Doherty scored goals in both games in the Lehigh Valley last week. She now has three goals on the season, all in Patriot League play.
- Christa Matlack had a goal and an assist in the Lehigh win, giving her seven goals and four assists for 18 points in 15 games this season.
- Dervarics and Matlack are running 1-2 in the Patriot League in both goals per game and points per game.
- Dervarics now has points in 11 different games this season.
- Megan DeGennaro's first career tally in the Lafayette game also represented Bucknell's first goal of the year from a freshman.
- Kathryn Sutton made seven saves in the Lehigh game en route to her seventh shutout of the season.
Bison Milestones
- Dervarics has moved into third place on Bucknell's career goals (36), points (91) and assists (19) charts. Liz Woodrow (39-22-100), who played at Bucknell from 1994-97, ranks No. 2 on all three lists.
- On Bucknell's single-season charts, Dervarics' 30 points and 12 goals are both tied for fifth, while her six assists are tied for seventh.
- In addition to breaking the Bucknell single-season shutouts mark earlier this season, Sutton now has 11 in her career. That puts 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 20. 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, Oct. 27), 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).
- ECAC Offensive Player of the Week: Jennifer Dervarics (Oct. 28).
- Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week: Kathryn Sutton (Oct. 13).
