Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Battles Army Friday in Patriot League Tournament Semifinal at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium
4/23/2009 8:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
April 23, 2009
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For the first time in the six-year history of the Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Tournament, Bucknell has earned the right to host the four-team event after posting a perfect 6-0 record in league play this spring. The Bison, who clinched the No. 1 seed by defeating 13th-ranked Colgate 19-11 on the road last Saturday, will face fourth-seeded Army in one semifinal matchup at 3 p.m. this Friday, while second-seeded Colgate will face third-seeded Navy in the other semifinal contest at 5:45 p.m. The winners will meet in the championship game on Sunday at 3 p.m. All three tournament games are being televised live on CBS College Sports, with Jason Chandler and Paul Carcaterra on the call. Tickets to the tournament will be on sale at the Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium ticket windows 90 minutes prior to game time on both Friday and Sunday. Semifinal tickets cost $5 for adults and $2 for children under 16, and tickets are good for both games. Championship-game tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for children under 16. For all games, students at the participating schools are admitted free with student ID.
With a Win over Army, Bucknell Would ...
How the Bison Got Here
Bucknell earned the No. 1 seed for the Patriot League Tournament by sweeping all six regular-season league games. The regular-season championship came down to a battle of unbeatens last Saturday at Colgate, and Bucknell came home with a convincing 19-11 victory. This is the third time the Bison have gone unbeaten in Patriot League play. Prior to the advent of the Patriot League Tournament, they went 6-0 in 2001 and 5-0 in 1996.
How the Black Knights Got Here
Army's path to the postseason was interesting to say the least. The Black Knights finished 2-4 in Patriot League play, and their tournament hopes rested on Lafayette defeating Lehigh by precisely one goal on Saturday night in the final league game of the year. That's exactly what happened, as the Leopards topped their crosstown rival 9-8, despite leading by as many as five goals in the game. As a result, Lehigh, Lafayette and Army all finished 2-4, and the Black Knights were awarded the No. 4 seed based on the fifth tiebreaker: goal differential against all Patriot League opponents.
Last Time Out
Needing a win to earn the No. 1 seed, Bucknell put together another fantastic offensive performance in a 19-11 victory at No. 13 Colgate last Saturday at Andy Kerr Stadium. Bucknell led 9-7 at the end of a wild first half, then outscored the Raiders 6-1 in a dominant third quarter. The Bison outscored Colgate 12-2 during a key stretch in the middle of the game and ended up setting a program record for goals against a ranked opponent. Freshman Charlie Streep scored a career-high five goals, while senior Joe Mele had two goals and two assists. Four other Bison scored two goals, and goalie Nick Sciubba was solid with 13 saves.
More From Colgate
The 19 goals marked Bucknell's highest output against the Raiders since a 21-3 win in 1979, the very first meeting between the two teams ... Austin Winter and Mike Danylyshyn both had two goals and one assist ... Chris Palmer recorded his first career multi-goal game ... freshman long pole Jason Neithamer scored his first career goal ... Colgate jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, then Charlie Streep scored twice in 1:15 to tie it ... Streep also scored with 0:01 left in the first half to give the Bison a 9-7 lead ... Colgate won 22 of 33 faceoffs, but Bison faceoff man Jake Clarke still had a good day ... he was credited with 10 ground balls and two assists ... twice in the game Bucknell scored less than 10 seconds after a Colgate goal, with Clarke assisting on both ... the Bison scored in seven seconds in the first quarter and in nine seconds in the third period ... the victory snapped a five-game losing streak to Colgate.
Bison, Black Knights Keep `Em Close
Bucknell and Army have met 12 times this decade, with the Bison winning seven times and the Black Knights five. Amazingly, nine of those 12 games have been decided by one goal, including six in a row during one stretch. Since 2000, the only three games not decided by one goal were three-goal "blowouts" by the Bison in 2002 and 2008 and a two-goal Bison win earlier this year.
Bucknell vs. Army, Part 1
Back on Apr. 4 at Michie Stadium, Joe Mele scored five goals and Nick Sciubba made 12 saves to lead Bucknell to an 8-6 win over Army. Bucknell erased a 4-3 deficit by scoring twice in the last 35 seconds of the first half, the last a Tim Brandau goal with 0.3 seconds remaining. Bucknell then outscored Army 3-0 in the third quarter to go up 8-4, and the Bison would not surrender another goal until the Black Knights put two past Sciubba in the final 2:06 of the contest. Jake Clarke went 13-for-17 at the faceoff X with nine ground balls. Freshmen Charlie Streep and Nick Gantsoudes also scored for Bucknell, while Austin Winter had two assists.
Bucknell Patriot League Tournament History
After three straight semifinal losses, Bucknell finally broke through last season and made it out of the first round. All four of Bucknell's semifinal games have been decided by one goal.
Year Opponent Score Notable 2004 Hobart 10-9 L Bucknell up 9-7 in 4th, Hobart scores last three goals. 2005 Army 9-8 (OT) L Bison score twice in last 3:00 of regulation to tie, but Army wins in OT 2007 Colgate 11-10 L Down 11-6 with 3:00 left, BU scores four straight and has last shot saved with 0:15 left 2008 Army 8-7 W Bison trail 7-6 in third, Perry Menzies scores tying and go-ahead goals 2008 Colgate 13-9 L Raiders spoil Bucknell's first championship app., break open close game with 6-goal 4th
Bison Fare Very Well in All-League Voting
Major Awards: Bucknell claimed four of the five major awards on Wednesday. Billy Haire was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year; Nick Sciubba was named PL Goalie of the Year; Charlie Streep was named PL Rookie of the Year; and Frank Fedorjaka was named PL Coach of the Year.
All-Patriot League: Bucknell placed six players on the All-Patriot League team, all six on the First Team. The six first-team selections are a program record for any conference affiliation. Austin Winter, Perry Menzies, Nick Sciubba and Billy Haire all earned their third all-league citations, while Jake Clarke and Charlie Streep were honored for the first time.
All-League Notes
Austin Winter is the second Bison player from the Patriot League era to earn three consecutive first-team honors, joining Chris Cara (2003-05) ... Billy Haire was also the Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year ... Haire is Bucknell's fifth PL Defensive Player of the Year and the first since Blaise Fletcher in 2004 ... Charlie Streep is Bucknell's sixth PL Rookie of the Year and the third in the last four years ... teammates Winter (2007) and Joe Mele (2006) also earned the honor ... Streep and Winter are the only two Bison ever to earn First Team All-Patriot League honors as freshmen ... Frank Fedorjaka was named Patriot League Coach of the Year for the first time ... his predecessor, Sid Jamieson, won the honor in 1996, 2001 and 2005 ... Bucknell has had an all-league goalie in all but one season (2004) since 2001.
Bucknell Claims 14 Patriot League Player of Week Awards in 2009
Monday's selections of Nick Sciubba as Patriot League Goalie of the Week and Charlie Streep as Patriot League Rookie of the Week give the Bison 14 weekly honorees in 2009. Streep's five rookie citations is a league record.
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
• Nick Sciubba, Apr. 20
Rookie of the Week:
• Charlie Streep, Feb. 26
• Charlie Streep, March 4
• Charlie Streep, March 16
• Charlie Streep, March 30
• Charlie Streep, Apr. 20
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 nine games since then, Bucknell has exploded for 117 scores (13.0 per game). Bucknell has scored 17 or more goals four times, three coming against Patriot League foes.
First 5 Games Last 9 Games Record 1-4 7-2 Goals per Game 6.4 13.0 Shots per Game 33.6 36.6 Shot pct. 19.0% 35.6% EMO pct. 25.0% (5-20) 56.7% (17-30)
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 12-for-17 (.706) over the last six games and 22-for-50 (.440) on the season. Defensively, Bucknell opponents are 1-for-12 in the last five games and just 9-for-48 (.188) this season.
Division I Man-Up Offense Leaders Division I Man-Down Defense Leaders 1. UMBC .512 1. Navy .857 2. Maryland .500 2. St. Joseph's .814 3. Cornell .489 3. Bucknell .813 4. Syracuse .487 4. Villanova .810 5. Colgate .476 5. Harvard .794 6. Duke .467 6. Siena .792 7. Denver .463 7. Massachusetts .775 8. Bucknell .440 8. Manhattan .773 9. Navy .438 9. Hartford .772 10. Towson .422 10. Syracuse .771
Senior Success
Bucknell's 10-man senior class has contributed to 35 wins over the last four years. That ties the school record, set by the Class of 2008 a year ago.
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 three wins over ranked foes: 8-7 over No. 12 Navy, 13-8 over No. 18 Denver and 19-11 over No. 13 Colgate.
Bring on the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
For the first time in program history, Bucknell defeated Air Force, Army and Navy in the same season. The Bison topped Air Force 9-2 at the Patriots Cup showcase in Dallas, Texas on March 21. They defeated then-No. 12 Navy 8-7 at home on Feb. 28, and they traveled to West Point on Apr. 4 and beat Army 8-6.
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 58.7% (141-240) on the season. He ranks in the top 10 nationally in both faceoff percentage and ground balls per game (6.58).
Clarke Among National Leaders in FO%, GBs
Bucknell's Jake Clarke ranks fifth among all Division I players in ground balls and eighth in faceoff percentage. He briefly took the national FO% lead after his 20-for-21 showing against Penn State but has fallen back a bit in the last week of the season:
Division I FO% Leaders Division I Ground Ball Leaders 1. Adam Rand, Stony Brook .650 1. Dom DeNapoli, St. John's 8.92 2. Shane Walterhoefer, UNC .646 2. Shane Walterhoefer, UNC 8.07 3. John Glynn, Cornell .631 3. P.T. Ricci, Loyola 7.00 4. Bryn Holmes, Maryland .615 M. Rosenzweig, Towson 7.00 5. Tommy Lee, Delaware .611 5. Jake Clarke, Bucknell 6.85 6. Matt Francis, Marist .598 6. John Glynn, Cornell 6.80 7. John Schiavone, Loyola .593 7. Kevin Discelpo, Yale 6.73 8. Jake Clarke, Bucknell .587 8. Tommy Lee, Delaware 6.21 9. M. Rosenzweig, Towson .580 9. Matt Francis, Marist 6.18 10. Dan Vinson, Georgetown .577 Justin Lynch, Penn 6.18
Clarke Breaks Bucknell Single-Season Ground Ball Mark
Jake Clarke picked up 10 ground balls in Saturday's win over Colgate, his second double-digit output of the year (he had a school-record 13 against Penn State on Apr. 7). Clarke has now also broken the school record for ground balls in a season with 89. The previous mark was 82 by Alex Rudis in 1999.
Faceoff Oddities
No one on the Bucknell sideline is claiming that faceoff success is overrated, but it is interesting to note that three 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. Then Bucknell lost 22 of 33 draws against 13th-ranked Colgate and again won by eight goals and set a new season scoring high. The Bison this season are 3-1 when losing the faceoff battle and 5-5 when winning at the X.
Winter No. 3 Nationally in Assists
Bucknell's Austin Winter has 15 assists in his last five games, and he ranks fifth among all Division I players in assists per game:
Division I Assist Leaders 1. Rob Pannell, Cornell 2.91 2. Ned Crotty, Duke 2.77 3. Kenny Nims, Syracuse 2.33 4. Nick LoCoco, Canisius 2.27 5. Austin Winter, Bucknell 2.15 6. Brandon Corp, Colgate 1.92 7. Corey Zindel, Marist 1.91 8. Danny Glading, Virginia 1.86 9. Kyle Hollingsworth, Brown 1.85 10. Brian Caufield, Albany 1.83
Bison Among the Patriot League Leaders
Streep Making Quick Mark
Charlie Streep has made a quick impact at Bucknell, culminating in his his Rookie of the Year award. A five-time PL Rookie of the Week this season, Streep is second on the team in goals (23) and third in points (28). 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 scored five goals in the regular-season finale against Colgate. He also had a four-goal game (Towson) and three three-goal games (Ohio State, Lafayette, Holy Cross) this season.
Menzies Hot
Bucknell's recent offensive resurgence has coincided with senior midfielder Perry Menzies finding his scoring touch. Menzies, now a three-time All-Patriot League selection, was scoreless through four games this season, but in the last 10 he has 20 goals and two assists. He has six multi-goal games over that span and has now surpassed his career high for goals in a season.
Mele Reaches Century Mark
Senior attackman Joe Mele recorded two goals on Saturday at Colgate, the second of which was the 100th of his career. Mele is the fourth Bison to reach that milestone.
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. 100 5. Jim Ball, 1976-79 98
Winter Now No. 3 on Career Assist Chart
Austin Winter, still in 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. 90 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. 142 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. 357 10. Matt Wojnovich, 1991-94 287
Bison Have Depth in Goal
Bison head coach Frank Fedorjaka is fortunate to have two quality senior goalies on his roster, with Patriot League Goalie of the Year Nick Sciubba the starter and classmate Matt Antonelli as his No. 2. Fedorjaka has not been afraid to go to Antonelli on occasion, and the team co-captain has performed very well in a backup role. Earlier in the year, Antonelli came on in relief against Denver and earned the victory, then he made a career-high 13 saves while allowing only two goals against Air Force in his first start of the year. Sciubba has had some terrific games this season as well, including a career-high 16-save performance against No. 4 Notre Dame.
Patriot League Success
Bucknell is now 46-15 (.754) 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.
Head Coach Frank Fedorjaka
It's not easy replacing a legend, but that is exactly what Frank Fedorjaka was asked to do when he was hired to replace Sid Jamieson prior to the 2006 season. Jamieson had been the only head coach since the inception of varsity lacrosse at Bucknell in 1968, but Fedorjaka has maintained the program's lofty goals in his three-plus seasons as head coach. After two stints as an assistant to Jamieson, Fedorjaka's team knocked off No. 1 Maryland in only his fifth game as Bucknell's head coach, and in 2007 he guided the Bison to an 11-win season, one shy of the program record. Last year the team won 10 games, was ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation, and advanced to the Patriot League championship game for the first time. Fedorjaka's Bucknell record now stands at 35-23 (.603), and including a five-year run as head coach at Franklin & Marshall, his career head coaching record is 74-54 (.578).
Bison Champions in the Classroom Too
The Bucknell men's lacrosse team had a combined grade-point average of 3.12 in the fall semester. Impressively, the team's 10-man senior class has a combined cumulative GPA of 3.35. One of those seniors, Doug Buckley, was named one of 30 national candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award earlier in the spring.
Bison Briefs
Bucknell has two goals this season from long poles: Tom Izard and Jason Neithamer ... Izard's came on 72-yard shot into an open net against Lehigh's 10-man ride ... Bucknell is averaging 10.64 goals per game, its highest mark since 1999 (11.23) ... the last time Bucknell scored 17 or more goals four times in one season was 1991 ... the Bison have not scored a shorthanded goal this season ... Bucknell is 0-1 in overtime games this season ... the average game-time temperature for Bucknell's 2009 home games has been 44 degrees.
