Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
College of Charleston
No. 24 College of Charleston Rallies Past Bucknell Men's Soccer, 3-2
9/20/2009 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 20, 2009
| Highlights
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell and 24th-ranked College of Charleston engaged in an entertaining, evenly matched affair on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Emmitt Field, but in the end it was Zach Prince scoring with just 2:55 remaining to snap a 2-2 tie and lift the visiting Cougars to a come-from-behind 3-2 victory. Freshman Brendan Burgdorf (Westfield, N.J./The Pingry School) had a goal and an assist for the Bison, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.
College of Charleston entered the national rankings this week after a 5-0 start, but the Cougars fell 3-2 at Lehigh on Friday night. Bucknell (4-2) was trying to make it a Patriot League sweep, and things looked good with a 2-1 second-half lead, but the Cougars were able to mount a rally.
An early defensive breakdown put the Bison in a quick 1-0 hole, as Matt Morris was left all alone in the middle of the box, and he headed in a long pass from William Moore just 6:54 into the contest.
Bucknell tied it up in the 33rd minute, when Burgdorf won a 50-50 ball in the box and walked in on goal from the right side before passing back to classmate CK Kumah (Accra, Ghana/The Hotchkiss School) at the top of the 18. Kumah took a shot that somehow went underneath a sliding defender and into the net for his first collegiate goal.
It remained 1-1 until the early stages of the second half, when Burgdorf put the Bison in front. Conor O'Brien (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./St. Anthony's) played a ball to Burgdorf down the left flank, and the Bucknell rookie belted a left-footed shot just inside the far post for his second goal of the season.
Bucknell nearly made it 3-1 when the College of Charleston defense gave the ball away to Burgdorf, but keeper Clark Hankins was well-positioned to make the save.
Playing with the lead for the first time, Bucknell did well to limit College of Charleston's chances, but the Cougars struck unexpectedly in the 62nd minute. Justin Fojo intercepted a pass as the Bison tried to break out of its own end, and Fojo took one touch and sent a shot into the back of the net from about 30 yards out to tie it up a 2-apiece.
Bucknell took five of the game's next six shots after the Fojo goal, but Hankins came up with three saves and O'Brien just missed wide.
In the 88th minute, a College of Charleston midfielder played a ball ahead to Prince at the top of the box. Prince dribbled right, then pivoted back to his left and curled a left-footed shot into the left side of the net to give the Cougars the 3-2 lead. Bucknell could not muster another shot the rest of the way.
The Bison finished with a 19-18 shot advantage and led 4-3 in corner kicks. Hankins made seven saves for the Cougars, while Tommy Caso (Phoenix, Md./McDonogh) had four for the Bison.
O'Brien's assist on the team's second goal was his third of the season to go along with five goals. It extended his points streak to 11 straight games dating back to last season, extending his school record.
Bucknell, which was ranked No. 4 in the Middle Atlantic Region last week, will be back in action on Wednesday afternoon, hosting Saint Francis (Pa.) at 3 p.m. at Emmitt Field.
