Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Canisius
Chris Hennings Equals School Record with Four Goals in Bucknell Men's Soccer's 5-4 Win at Canisius
8/31/2008 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 31, 2008
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Junior Chris Hennings (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) equaled a Bucknell record with four goals, including the game-winning score with less than five minutes to play, as he led the Bison men's soccer team to a wild 5-4 victory at Canisius Sunday afternoon. Hennings is the fifth player in Bucknell history to net four goals in a game, and the first since Glenn Mars accomplished the feat in a 1969 game against Gettysburg.
Every one of Hennings' goals was needed for the Bison to pick up their first win of the year. He put Bucknell (1-1-0) up 4-1 in the 77th minute with his third goal of the match. However, the Golden Griffins registered three goals in a five-minute span to even the score at 4-4 with 7:51 remaining in regulation.
Three minutes after Brendan Brody tied the score, Hennings found the back of the net once again with what turned out to be the winning goal. The ball was loose in the Bison box and eventually went to Hennings at the 18. He blasted the ball past Golden Griffin goalkeeper Adam Miller for the winning score.
Neither team scored during the first 25 minutes of play, but the first half ended with a flurry. Anthony Ferraro (West Long Branch, N.J./Shore Regional) opened the scoring in the 27th minute with his fifth career goal. Alex Russo (Middletown, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) earned the assist, giving him seven in his career. Ten minutes later the Bison took a 2-0 lead when Hennings netted his first score.
Canisius (0-2-0) narrowed the halftime deficit to 2-1 when Sean Vella headed in his first goal of the season in the 41st minute.
Hennings registered his second goal of the game in the 50th minute when he beat a defender and scored off the post. After receiving a pass from Conor O'Brien (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./St. Anthony's), Hennings went the length of the field and beat a defender to give Bucknell a seemingly insurmountable 4-1 lead with just over 13 minutes showing on the clock.
Victor Gonzalez and Eddie Powell registered goals 74 seconds apart to bring the Golden Griffins to within one, and Brody evened the score minutes later. Alan McGreal assisted on the tying goal, giving him a pair of assists on the day.
The Bison outshot Canisius 18-14 with Hennings and Ferraro, who both came off the bench, combining for eight of the 10 shots on goal. The Bison also held a slight 5-4 edge in corner kicks.
Bucknell freshman goalkeeper Tommy Caso (Phoenix, Md./McDonogh) finished with two saves in his second career game. His counterpart, Miller, tallied five stops.
Hennings had one goal and two assists in his career entering the match. In addition to Hennings and Mars, Art Raynor (1948), Lyman Ott (1961) and Bill Dahl (1962) are the only other Bison to ever record four goals in a match.
Bucknell's five goals in the contest equal the second-most the Bison have scored in a game during head coach Brendan Nash's 10-year tenure, and they are the most since a 6-3 victory over Philadelphia University in 2003. The combined nine goals in the match were also the most for a Bucknell squad since that contest with Philadelphia nearly five years ago.
With Sunday's victory, the Bison have posted a win in one of their first two games for the first time since 2005 when they opened the campaign 3-1-0.
Bucknell will return to action next weekend at the Penn State Classic. The Bison will play Ohio State Friday, Sept. 5, at 5 p.m. On Sunday, Bucknell will face host Penn State at 3:30 p.m. That match will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network.
