Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Lacrosse Faces Top-Seeded Colgate in PL Tournament Friday
4/24/2009 8:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
April 24, 2009
The Bucknell women's lacrosse team is back in the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2006. At 4-2 in the Patriot League, the Bison finished in a three-way tie for second place in the league standings alongside Lehigh and Navy. After the tiebreakers were determined, Bucknell was seeded fourth and will face top seed and tournament host Colgate in the second semifinal game on Friday at 5 p.m. No. 2 Lehigh and No. 3 Navy will face off at 2 p.m. in the other semi, with the winners meeting in the championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Bison got out to a fantastic start in 2009, winning nine of their first 12 games. They have hit a bump in the road of late, however, and bring a four-game losing streak into the postseason. One of those losses was a 12-7 setback at Colgate on Apr. 11. Both the Bison and Raiders were 4-0 in Patriot League play going into that game. Most recently, Bucknell lost an 8-7 heartbreaker to Navy last Saturday at Graham Field.
With a Win over Colgate, Bucknell Would ...
• ... advance to the Patriot League championship game for the second time (2003).
• ... become the first No. 4 seed to win a tournament game.
• ... snap a four-game losing streak.
• ... defeat Colgate for the the fourth time in 31 meetings, and for the first time since the 2003 Patriot League semifinals.
• ... win 10 games in a season for the third time in program history.
How They Got Here
Bucknell staked an early claim to its fourth Patriot League Tournament apperance with a great start to the season. The key conference win for the Bison may have been their first one. Way back on March 7, the Bison traveled to Lehigh and stopped the Mountain Hawks 12-11 on Bonnie Buechel's sudden-death overtime goal. Lehigh is 9-3 since that game and rallied back to claim the No. 2 seed. Bucknell went on to beat American (6-4), Lafayette (14-11) and Holy Cross (12-11) to get to 4-0 in the league and clinch a tournament berth. The Bison missed a chance to host the tournament by finishing with losses to Colgate (12-7) and Navy (8-7).
Bucknell in the Patriot League Tournament
The Patriot League has been conducting a postseason tournament in women's lacrosse since 1991, and this is Bucknell's fourth appearance.
• In their first postseason showing in 2003, the third-seeded Bison upset Colgate 13-9, then lost to American 15-6 in the championship game.
• In 2004, Bucknell was again the No. 3 seed and suffered a 17-3 loss to American.
• In their most recent tourney appearance in 2006, the Bison were seeded fourth and lost to top-seeded Holy Cross 13-7.
• Seniors Bonnie Buechel and Catherine Barry are the only two players on the Bucknell roster with postseason experience.
Last Time Out
Navy spoiled Senior Day at Graham Field by trimming the Bison 8-7 last Saturday. Bucknell got out to a 5-1 lead before the Mids scored six goals in a row. Navy goalie Elaine Ponchione made a save with three seconds left in the game to preserve the victory. Carol Donohue scored two goals to lead the Bison.
DeLorenz Named PL Goalie and Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Sophomore goalie Alyssa DeLorenz picked up two major awards this week. She was named the league's Goalie of the Year and the Scholar-Athlete of the Year. An accounting major with a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average, DeLorenz has started every game in goal for the second straight season. She has a .491 save percentage and a 10.66 goals-against average. She ranks second in the league in saves per game (10.1) and third in save percentage.
Three Bison Named to All-Patriot League Team
Senior Bonnie Buechel and sophomore Alyssa DeLorenz earned First Team All-Patriot League honors this week, while sophomore Julia Braun was named to the second team. Buechel became a rare four-time all-conference selection, as she earned first-team honors as a freshman, sophomore and senior and second-team honors as a junior. She joined Bucknell's all-time scoring leader, Suzanne Raffaele, and standout goalie Nicole Kallas as the only four-time all-leaguers in program history.
Buechel, Braun Two-Way Threats
Midfielders Bonnie Buechel and Julia Braun have gotten it done all over the field for the Bison in 2009. Both rank among the team's top three scorers, and they rank 1-2 in ground balls, draw controls and caused turnovers. Buechel has 36 goals and six assists for 42 points, and she has 42 ground balls, 40 draw controls and 28 caused turnovers. Braun has 27 goals and four assists for 31 points to go with 42 ground balls, 37 draw controls and 22 caused turnovers. Buechel's two-way prowess was never more evident than in the final minute of the Holy Cross game, when she stole a pass next to her own goal, then scored at the other end to give the Bison a big 12-11 win.
Donohue Again Tops Bison in Scoring
In 2008 Carol Donohue had a breakout season, scoring a school-record 71 points on 35 goals and 36 assists. Surrounded by a young attack unit, she will not repeat those numbers this season, but she is on her way to another team scoring title. Donohue has 32 goals and 14 assists for 46 points, four more than Bonnie Buechel.
Among the All-Time Bison Leaders
• Bonnie Buechel and Carol Donohue rank 4-5 on Bucknell's all-time scoring list. Buechel has 159 points, while Donohue, only a junior, has 155. The school record is 173 by Suzanne Raffaele from 2000-03. • Buechel also ranks fifth all-time in goals (121), eighth in assists (38), first in draw controls (174), fourth in ground balls (132) and second in caused turnovers (76). • Donohue is now second in career assists (65) and ninth in goals (90).
