Bucknell University Athletics
No. 15 Bucknell Men's Lax Resumes Series with Towson Tuesday Evening
3/24/2008 8:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
March 24, 2008
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LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Bucknell returns to the state of Maryland for the second time in six days, taking on Towson in a matchup of former East Coast Conference rivals on Tuesday night at Johnny Unitas Stadium. These two teams met every year from 1981-95, but not since. The Tigers won 14 of those 15 contests, including the last 10 in a row, all by margins of at least six goals. Bucknell, which is ranked 15th in this week's USILA Coaches' Poll, saw its five-game winning streak snapped last Wednesday at then-No. 8 Navy, 4-3 in overtime. The Bison are now 5-0 at home this season and 0-2 on the road, with both losses coming to top-10 teams in Duke and Navy. Sophomore attackman Austin Winter had two of the team's three goals against the Midshipmen and continues to lead the team in scoring (7-12-19). Meanwhile, Towson is just 1-4 but has played nothing but ranked teams so far. The Tigers have a 10-9 win over Denver and losses to Loyola (13-8), Maryland (12-7), Virginia (18-13) and Hofstra (13-8). Tony Seaman's team is led by fifth-year senior attack Jonathan Engelke (10-5-15).
With a Win over Towson, Bucknell Would ...
• ... improve to 6-2 overall.
• ... snap a 10-game losing streak to Towson.
• ... defeat the Tigers for only the second time ever and first time since 1985.
• ... win at Towson for the first time ever.
• ... win on the road for the first time this season.
Nail-Biters
Of Bucknell's last six games, four have been decided by one goal (two in overtime) and one has been decided by two goals. The Bison dropped a tough 4-3 overtime game at Navy in its last outing, but they won all the rest of those close games. Bucknell defeated Ohio State 8-7 in triple overtime and also has one-goal decisions over Hobart (10-9) and Fairfield (9-8) and a two-goal win over Lafayette (9-7). The Bison are now 10-4 in one-goal games in head coach Frank Fedorjaka's three seasons.
Bison Now No. 15 in Coaches Poll
After the sudden-death loss at Navy last week Bucknell dropped three spots from No. 12 to 15 in the USILA Coaches Poll. Bucknell has been ranked in the national poll every week this season. The No. 12 ranking last week was Bucknell's high-water mark since it peaked at No. 12 during the 2005 season. Also this week, the Bison are ranked No. 17 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and No. 15 by LAXnews.com.
Last Time Out
Navy's Tim Paul ruined a brilliant outing from backup goalie Matt Antonelli by scoring with 1:20 left in overtime, handing the Midshipmen a 4-3 victory over Bucknell in a tense defensive battle last Wednesday at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. Navy took a 2-1 lead early in the second quarter, at which point the Bison made the goalie change. It remained a 2-1 game all the way into the fourth quarter when Austin Winter tied it on a two-man advantage with 10:13 to play. With 5:04 left Shane Durkin finally scored on Antonelli, who had already made nine saves, but Nick Marks drew the Bison even again with 2:27 left. Antonelli made a dazzling save with about four seconds left in regulation to preserve the tie, but Bucknell's failed clear in overtime set up the winning goal.
More From Navy
Austin Winter also scored the first goal of the game, giving him two of the team's three goals ... Bucknell had won four straight overtime games ... it was Bucknell's lowest scoring game since a 6-3 loss to Navy last season ... Matt Antonelli finished with a career-high 11 saves and only two goals against in 43:41 ... defenseman Billy Haire led all players with seven ground balls ... Bucknell won 4 of 11 faceoffs (Rick Carolan went 4-for-8) ... Navy outshot Bucknell 32-27, including 3-0 in overtime ... the Bison were not penalized in the game.
The Bucknell-Towson Series
Towson leads the all-time series 14-1. From 1983-90, the Bison and Tigers were lacrosse rivals in the East Coast Conference. Bucknell's lone series win came in 1985. That year, both teams went 4-1 in the conference and were co-ECC champions.
4/15/81 Lewisburg, Pa. Towson, 9-4 4/14/82 Towson, Md. Towson, 16-12 4/13/83 Lewisburg, Pa. Towson, 20-15 4/11/84 Towson, Md. Towson, 17-7 4/10/85 Lewisburg, Pa. Bucknell, 14-10 4/9/86 Towson, Md. Towson, 18-8 4/8/87 Lewisburg, Pa. Towson, 17-3 4/6/88 Towson, Md. Towson, 14-8 4/5/89 Lewisburg, Pa. Towson, 15-8 4/4/90 Towson, Md. Towson, 24-12 4/6/91 Towson, Md. Towson, 23-3 4/8/92 Lewisburg, Pa. Towson, 19-8 4/3/93 Towson, Md. Towson, 19-8 4/6/94 Lewisburg, Pa. Towson, 22-7 4/5/95 Towson, Md. Towson, 13-4
Baltimore Bison
Bucknell travels to Towson armed with a heavy Baltimore-area presence. Here are some of the Marylanders expected to make a contribution Tuesday night:
• Tim Brandau (Owings Mills/McDonogh) -- starting attackman (14-3-17)
• Perry Menzies (Upperco/Hereford) -- starting midfielder (6-1-7)
• Michael Cooke (Phoenix/St. Paul's) -- short-stick d-middie, wing man on faceoffs
• Patrick Keeney (Baldwin/Loyola Blakefield) -- third short-stick d-middie
• Evan Burns (Baltimore/Boys' Latin) -- starting close defensman
Other reserves from the area include freshman defenseman Alex Lyons (Owings Mills/Boys' Latin), sophomore attack Zander Crawford (Clarksville/Atholton) and junior backup goalie Matt Antonelli (Arnold/Archbishop Spalding).
Quick Starts
Bucknell has outscored its six opponents 18-4 in the first quarter of games this season and has been outscored in every other quarter. In each of its last two victories, the Bison have jumped out to big leads, only to have to hold on for dear life down the stretch. Against Fairfield, Bucknell built an 8-3 lead in the third quarter, only to see the Stags score three goals in 49 seconds to get back in it. Bucknell never relinquished the lead but prevailed by a slim 9-8 margin. Against Lafayette, the Bison were up 6-0 in the third quarter and completely dominating play, when all of the sudden the Leopards struck four times in a little over five minutes. Lafayette never got closer than two despite throwing a second-half scare into the Bison.
Ride Like the Wind
Prior to the season, Inside Lacrosse picked Bucknell as the No. 1 riding team in the nation, and through seven games the Bison have lived up to the billing. Opponents have been successful clearing the ball only 68.5% of the time against Bucknell's 10-man ride. Conversely, Bucknell is clearing at an 83.4% clip, including a 20-for-21 showing against Lafayette. Bucknell leads the Patriot League in both categories.
Playing by the Rules
Bucknell is the least-penalized team in the Patriot League. The Bison have been flagged only 15 times in seven games, leading to 13 extra-man opportunities for their opponents.
In the Crease
Junior goalie Nick Sciubba led the nation in both save percentage (.641) and goals-against average (6.24) in 2007, but he has struggled at times this season. In Bucknell's most recent game against Navy last Wednesday, Sciubba was replaced by junior Matt Antonelli early in the second quarter with the Bison trailing 2-1. Antonelli, a native of nearby Arnold, Md., had the best game of his career with 11 saves and only two goals against. Sciubba, who is expected to start against Towson, has a 7.87 GAA and .531 save percentage in 2008.
At the X
Bucknell's Achilles heel in recent years has come in the faceoff department, and the Bison are struggling there again in 2008. As a team, the Bison are winning only 39.1% of their draws. They will be tested again in that department against a Towson team that is converting at a 51.6% clip at the X. Mitchell Rosensweig has won 57 of 99 (.576) for the Tigers. Freshman Christian Tucker (.403) and senior Rick Carolan (.383) will handle the faceoff chores for Bucknell.
Bison Still Young at Attack
Bucknell's attack unit was affectionately dubbed the "Baby Bison" last season, with two freshmen starting every game up front. Well, in 2008 the Bison are starting sophomore-sophomore-junior (Austin Winter-Tim Brandau-Joe Mele) at attack, with freshman Ryan Klipstein playing with the EMO team and as the fourth attackman. The three starters have combined for 33 goals and 18 assists thus far, while Klipstein has been a pleasant surprise with six goals and five assists, with four of the goals coming in the 10-9 win over Hobart.
Patriot League Success
Bucknell is now 37-14 (.725) in the Patriot League since the start of the 2000 season. Bucknell has won or shared PL titles in 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. The Bison won outright championships in 1996 and 2001. In 1996, despite a 12-0 overall record, they were passed over for an NCAA Tournament bid, but in 2001 Bucknell received its very first NCAA invitation.
Bison Tracks
Defensemen Tom Izard and Billy Haire were named Patriot League Defensive Players of the Week in back-to-back weeks earlier this month ... Haire leads the team in ground balls with 26, including a season-high seven at Navy ... despite a limited role as a fourth attackman and EMO specialist, freshman Ryan Klipstein has a point in all but one game ... Austin Winter has the team's longest current scoring streak at 22 games, which is also tied for the 11th-longest in the nation ... John Togneri and Joe Mele each have two game-winning goals ... Bucknell's top single-game point totals of the season: Mele (5-2-7) vs. Mount St. Mary's; Tim Brandau (5-1-6) vs. Mount St. Mary's; Austin Winter (2-4-6) vs. Ohio State; Klipstein (4-1-5) vs. Hobart.
Next Up
Bucknell returns to Patriot League play on Saturday when it travels to Holy Cross for a 1 p.m. start. The Bison are 18-0 all-time against the Crusaders, including a 15-5 home victory a year ago.
