Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell, Colgate Battle Saturday for Patriot League Men's Lax Regular-Season Title
4/16/2009 8:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
April 16, 2009
The Patriot League regular season comes down to one game for all the marbles, as 18th-ranked Bucknell and 13th-ranked Colgate both bring 5-0 league records into Saturday's showdown at Andy Kerr Stadium in the final game prior to the Patriot League Tournament. For these two teams the seeding scenario is simple: the winner will be the No. 1 seed and host the four-team tournament, while the loser will be the No. 2 seed and face No. 3 Navy in the semifinals. The Bison recovered from a disappointing home loss to Penn State by trouncing Lehigh 18-10 on Senior Day this past Saturday. That was Bucknell's sixth win in its last eight games, and the Bison are back over .500 at 7-6 overall. Meanwhile, Colgate is on quite a roll. After a 1-3 start (with the losses all coming to top-10 teams in Duke, North Carolina and UMBC), the Raiders have won eight in a row. Six of those wins have come by two goals or less, including their last four. Most recently, Colgate rallied to win at Lafayette, 12-10, on Saturday.
With a Win over Colgate, Bucknell Would ...
Patriot League Tournament Scenarios
The Patriot League Tournament is a week away, and the final two regular-season league games will take place on Saturday with Bucknell visiting Colgate and Lafayette traveling to Lehigh. Both games have major seeding implications:
Last Time Out
Perry Menzies and Mike Danylyshyn scored four goals each to lead Bucknell to an 18-10 win over Lehigh in a high-scoring game on Saturday at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Bucknell's offensive was in top form, racking up 18 goals on 39 shots. Other offensive stars included Austin Winter with two goals and four assists, and Tim Brandau with three goals. Menzies scored three times in the first nine minutes of the game to get the Bison going. Lehigh cut a 9-4 lead to 9-7 with three goals in the final 45 seconds of the half, but Bucknell outscored the Mountain Hawks 3-0 in the third quarter, then put the game away with a 6-0 run in the fourth.
More From Lehigh
The four goals was a career high for Mike Danylyshyn, while it equaled a career high for Perry Menzies ... senior defenseman Tom Izard and sophomore d-middie/faceoff man Jake Clarke both scored their first career goals ... Izard's came on a direct shot from 72 yards away against the Lehigh 10-man ride ... goalie Nick Sciubba got credit for the assist on the play, his first career point ... Sciubba did not start but came on in the fourth quarter and made three saves without allowing a goal in 9:27 of action ... defenseman Billy Haire also notched his first point of the year with a second-quarter assist ... Haire also had four ground balls and three caused turnovers ... freshman pole Jason Neithamer collected four ground balls, one shy of his season high ... Bucknell went 4-for-6 with an extra man, while Lehigh was 0-for-3 ... Bucknell outshot Lehigh 39-33.
Tough Schedule to Open Season
Bucknell head coach Frank Fedorjaka put together a very demanding schedule this season, particularly right up front. Five of Bucknell's first seven opponents were nationally ranked at the time of the game, and a sixth (Hobart) was unranked at the time but later joined top 20 after beating Bucknell and Georgetown. The Bison have two wins over ranked foes: 8-7 over No. 12 Navy and 13-8 over No. 18 Denver.
Haire Earns Bucknell's 12th Patriot League Player of Week Award of 2009
Senior defenseman Billy Haire garnered Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors on Monday after two big games last week against Penn State and Lehigh. Haire's selection was the 12th of the season for Bucknell.
Offensive Player of the Week:
-- Perry Menzies, March 16
-- Joe Mele, Apr. 6
Defensive Player of the Week:
-- Billy Haire, March 4
-- Jake Clarke, March 23
-- Billy Haire, Apr. 13
Goalie of the Week:
-- Nick Sciubba, March 4
-- Nick Sciubba, March 16
-- Matt Antonelli, March 23 *Note: first time in PL history two GKs from same team honored in consecutive weeks
Rookie of the Week:
-- Charlie Streep, Feb. 26
-- Charlie Streep, March 4
-- Charlie Streep, March 16
-- Charlie Streep, March 30
Senior Success
Bucknell's 10-man senior class has contributed to 34 wins over the last four years. That is the second-highest total in program history, and just one away from the school record. The Class of 2008 won a record 35 games.
X Marks the Spot
Bucknell's Achilles heel in recent years has come in the faceoff department, but the Bison have made significant strides in that area in 2009. Sophomore Jake Clarke, a former walk-on, won the starting faceoff job in preseason, and he has been terrific so far. Including a record-setting 20-for-21, 13-ground-ball performance against Penn State, Clarke is now at 62.5% (130-208) on the season. He leads the Patriot League and ranks in the top 10 nationally in both faceoff percentage and ground balls per game (6.58).
Clarke No. 3 Nationally in FO%
Bucknell's Jake Clarke ranks third among all Division I players in faceoff percentage. He briefly took the national lead after his 20-for-21 showing against Penn State but fell back to third over the weekend:
Division I FO% Leaders Division I Ground Ball Leaders 1. Shane Walterhoefer, UNC .644 1. Dom DeNapoli, St. John's 9.30 2. Adam Rand, Stony Brook .641 2. Shane Walterhoefer, UNC 7.92 3. Jake Clarke, Bucknell .625 3. P.T. Ricci, Loyola 7.09 4. John Glynn, Cornell .618 4. Mitchell Rosenzweig, Towson 7.00 5. Tommy Lee, Delaware .618 5. Kevin Discelpo, Yale 6.80 6. Jake Clarke, Bucknell 6.58
Faceoff Oddities
No one on the Bucknell sideline is claiming that faceoff success is overrated, but it is interesting to note that two games ago the Bison faceoff unit won 20 of 21 draws against Penn State, yet lost the game 9-8. Once game later, Bucknell lost 20 of 30 draws against Lehigh, yet won the game by eight goals and equaled its season scoring high. The Bison this season are 2-1 when losing the faceoff battle and 5-5 when winning at the X.
Bison Have No Luck on Faceoffs vs. Colgate
A major reason for Colgate's current five-game winning streak over Bucknell has been a thorough domination on faceoffs. The Bison have won just 33 of 113 (.292) draws against the Raiders over that span. The good news for Bucknell: Colgate's standout FOGO Chris Eck, who attempted 112 of those 113 faceoffs, has graduated. Still, this has been an area of strength for the Raiders, who have won 55.8% in 2009.
Patriot League Preseason Award Winners Clash
Saturday's game features a clash between the Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Bison senior Billy Haire was voted the top defender at the start of the year, while Colgate's Brandon Corp was picked as the top offensive player. Both players have lived up to the billing. Corp has a league-high 53 points (30G, 23A), while Haire has 42 ground balls and is a two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week.
Bison Special Teams Truly Special
Bucknell now ranks in the top 10 nationally in both extra-man offense and defense. Offensively, the EMO unit is a terrific 10-for-14 (.714) over the last five games and 20-for-47 (.426) on the season. Defensively, Bucknell opponents are 0-for-11 in the last four games and just 8-for-47 (.170) this season.
Division I Man-Up Offense Leaders Division I Man-Down Defense Leaders 1. UMBC .568 1. Navy .853 2. Cornell .512 2. Bucknell .830 3. Duke .488 3. Siena .814 4. Syracuse .486 4. Syracuse .810 5. Denver .471 5. St.Joseph's .809 5. Maryland .471 6. Villanova .805 7. Colgate .463 7. Harvard .792 8. Navy .448 8. Hartford .786 9. Towson .436 9. Towson .781 10. Bucknell .426 10. Manhattan .780
Winter No. 3 Nationally in Assists
Bucknell's Austin Winter has 14 assists in his last four games, and he now ranks third among all Division I players in assists per game:
Division I Assist Leaders 1. Ned Crotty, Duke 3.00 1. Rob Pannell, Cornell 3.00 3. Austin Winter, Bucknell 2.25 4. Kenny Nims, Syracuse 2.18 5. Nick LoCoco, Canisius 2.11 6. Kyle Hollingsworth, Brown 2.09 7. Corey Zindel, Marist 2.00 8. Brandon Corp, Colgate 1.92 9. Charley Dickensen, Denver 1.82 10. Ricky Cornetta, Lehigh 1.77 10. Danny Glading, Virginia 1.77
Bison Among the Patriot League Leaders
Streep Making Quick Mark ...
Charlie Streep has made a quick impact at Bucknell and has made a strong push for Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors. A four-time PL Rookie of the Week already this season, Streep is third on the team in goals (18) and points (23). He was the hero of the Feb. 28 8-7 win over Navy when he scored the winning goal at the final buzzer after a great one-on-one move. Streep has had a four-goal game (Towson) and three three-goal games (Ohio State, Lafayette, Holy Cross) this season.
... And Other Rookies Are Too
Charlie Streep is not the only freshman playing a significant role so far this season. Billy Eisenreich and Nick Gantsoudes have both seen time on the second midfield unit, and both scored big goals in the Navy win. Eisenreich has four goals so far, while Gantsoudes has three goals and three assists. John Scally and Jason Neithamer have been two of the top long-stick defensive midfielders and have 25 and 21 ground balls, respectively.
Offensive Resurgence
Through five games this season the Bison had managed 32 goals (6.4 per game), including just eight in back-to-back losses to Hobart and Notre Dame. But in the eight games since then, Bucknell has exploded for 98 scores (12.3 per game). The 18 goals against Lafayette on March 14 was the team's most in a game in five years, and the Bison produced another 18-goal game against Lehigh this past Saturday.
Menzies Hot
Bucknell's recent offensive resurgence has coincided with senior midfielder Perry Menzies finding his scoring touch. Menzies, a two-time All-Patriot League selection, was scoreless through four games this season, but in the last nine he has 19 goals and two assists. He has six multi-goal games over that span and has now matched his career high for goals in a season.
Mele Two Shy of Century Mark
Senior attackman Joe Mele enters the Colgate game sitting on 98 career goals, and he needs just two more to become the fourth player in Bucknell history to score 100 goals.
Bucknell Career Goal Leaders 1. Justin Zackey, 1991-94 138 2. Tom Cusick, 1984-87 117 3. Chris Cara, 2002-05 111 4. Joe Mele, 2006-pres. 98 4. Jim Ball, 1976-79 98
Winter Now No. 3 on Career Assist Chart
Austin Winter, only midway through his junior year, already ranks third on Bucknell's career assist chart:
Bucknell Career Assist Leaders 1. Pete von Hoffmann, 1976-79 138 Chris Cara, 2002-05 138 3. Austin Winter, 2007-pres. 89 4. Jon Romm, 1987-90 82 5. Todd Streelman, 1990-93 74
Winter also recently moved into the top 10 on Bucknell's all-time points list:
Bucknell Career Point Leaders 1. Chris Cara, 2002-05 249 2. Pete von Hoffmann, 1976-79 220 3. Justin Zackey, 1991-94 196 4. Jon Romm, 1987-90 179 5. Tom Cusick, 1984-87 143 5. Tom Walther, 1985-88 143 5. Pete Keblish, 1987-90 143 8. Austin Winter, 2007-pres. 139 9. Jim Ball, 1976-79 136 10. Todd Streelman, 1990-93 125
Sciubba Among Top 10 Save Leaders
Nick Sciubba ranks among Bucknell's all-time save leaders:
Bucknell Career Save Leaders 1. Ken Mangano, 1987-90 703 2. Tom Sanders, 1976-79 664 3. Justin Sussman, 2000-03 572 4. Bryan McAdam, 1982-86 531 5. Colin Barker, 1991-94 501 6. Matt Baran, 2003-06 465 7. Scott Johnson, 1973-76 431 8. Stu Berger, 1978-81 378 9. Nick Sciubba, 2007-pres. 344 10. Matt Wojnovich, 1991-94 287
Patriot League Success
Bucknell is now 45-15 (.750) in the Patriot League since the start of the 2000 season. Bucknell 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.
Next Up
After the Colgate game the Bison will have six days to prepare for their Patriot League Tournament semifinal game against an opponent to be determined. Semifinal games are Friday, Apr. 24 at 3 p.m. and 5:45 p.m., with the championship game Sunday, Apr. 26 at 3 p.m. All three Patriot League Tournament games will be televised live on CBS College Sports.
