Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Field Hockey Aims for Upsets at Penn State, American, Rutgers This Week
10/18/2010 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 18, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell field hockey will face one of its biggest tests of the season when it hits the road for three games, two of which are opposite nationally ranked opponents, in six days. The Bison open the week at No. 11 Penn State at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. They will then head to Washington, D.C., on Saturday for a major Patriot League matchup at 12 p.m. with No. 9 American. The week finally concludes at Rutgers, when Bucknell takes on the Scarlet Knights at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Piscataway, N.J.
ABOUT THE BISON
- Bucknell won its only game of the week last Saturday, outlasting Lehigh 2-1 at Graham Field. Marci Richard (Oley, Pa./Oley Valley) and Kelly Bruvik (Skillman, N.J./Stuart Country Day) both scored for the Bison in the contest, while Vickie Resh (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg Area) earned an assist.
- With the win, Bucknell clinched a spot in the Patriot League Tournament. The Bison will be making their third consecutive trip to the postseason.
- Resh's assist was the first of her career. It also helped the freshman to her first Patriot League award of the year as she was named the league's Rookie of the Week today.
- With her goal against the Mountain Hawks, Bruvik has tallied a goal in four of her last five games. She also has at least one point in nine of her last 10 contests. The only opponent that held Bruvik scoreless was Lafayette on Oct. 9. Bruvik's goal last Saturday also gave the senior her fifth career game winner.
- Richard snapped a lengthy scoreless streak against Lehigh. Prior to the meeting with the Mountain Hawks, the junior's last point came on Sept. 12 when she recorded an assist against Towson, while her last goal came against Albany on Sept. 4.
- Morgan Kauffman (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor) has six goals on the season, trailing only Bruvik's seven. Her six goals tie a career high which she initially set as a sophomore.
- Bruvik has been doing her best to continue the climb up the Bucknell record books. She now has 23 career goals, tying her with Hall of Famer Almira Baldwin for 10th in program history. Bruvik also has 52 career points, ranking14th.
- Bucknell is 0-26 all-time against Penn State. The two teams played to a 2-1 decision last year after the Nittany Lions scored twice in the first four minutes and Bruvik broke up the shutout late in the first half. The contest was one of the closest in history. The only other time the Bison came to within a single goal was in 1983 when they fell 3-2.
- Bucknell is 3-16 in the series against American. The Eagles shut out the Bison in last year's meeting, 3-0. Christine Fingerhuth, Savanah Graybill and Melissa Casale each scored for American.
- The last time Bucknell defeated American was in 2001. The Bison walked away with a 3-2 decision in the final game of the year.
- Bucknell has lost each of its two meetings with Rutgers. It has been quite a while since the two teams last met, however. They first played in 1984 and repeated in 1985. Both games ended by a score of 2-0.
ABOUT THE NITTANY LIONS
- Penn State is 9-4 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten heading into their meeting with Bucknell on Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions have seen mixed success against fellow teams ranked nationally by the NFHCA with wins over No. 7 Michigan State (4-1) and No. 16 Old Dominion (4-0) as well as losses against No. 3 Virginia (3-0), No. 5 Connecticut (2-1) and No. 6 Ohio State (3-0). The loss to the Buckeyes on Sunday snapped a three-game winning streak.
- As of Oct. 12, Penn State was ranked 11th in the Kookabura/NFHCA National Division I Coaches Poll, up from No. 16 in the previous week's ranking.
- Kelsey Amy is leading Penn State in goals (13) and points (28) for the second consecutive season. The next in line for goals scored is Hannah Allison with five. Jessica Longstreth leads in assists with 11. In the cage for the Nittany Lions is Ayla Halus with a 1.33 goals against average and a save percentage of .828. She also has four shutouts in her nine wins.
- Penn State went 7-13 overall and 1-5 in the conference last season. Neither of their All-Big Ten selections from 2009 returns, and Ali Meves is the squad's lone All-Big Tournament honoree back for another year.
ABOUT THE EAGLES
- American, which is 13-2 overall and 3-0 in the Patriot League, begins the week with a 12-game winning streak. Before hosting the Bison, the Eagles will travel to No. 2 Maryland on Wednesday. Earlier this year, American upset No. 4 Princeton, 3-2.
- American has outscored its Patriot League opponents 17-1 this season having shutout Lehigh, 9-0, and Holy Cross, 2-0. Colgate finally put a notch on the scoreboard last weekend but still lost 6-1.
- As of Oct. 12, American was ranked ninth in the Kookabura/NFHCA National Division I Coaches Poll. It is the second consecutive poll in which the Eagles were ranked among the country's top 10.
- Fingerhuth has a commanding lead in the goals scored column. The senior has 14 goals and 30 points, leading a group of eight Eagles with double-digit point totals this year. Gina Hofmann has 22 points on six goals and 10 assists, while Kristin Gehart has the team's high total in assists with 14. Hannah Weitzman has earned a majority of the team's time in goal. Through 15 games, she has a 0.82 goals against average and a .750 save percentage.
- American finished the 2009 season 12-9 overall and 4-1 in the Patriot League, sharing the league's regular-season title with Bucknell. The Eagles then went on to win the Patriot League Tournament and eventually qualified for the NCAA Tournament where they lost 6-1 to Maryland in the first round. Seven Eagles earned All-Patriot League honors, but only Fingerhuth, Tatum Dyer, Anne Van Erp Gebhart return in 2010.
ABOUT THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
- Rutgers, which will play Columbia on Friday, enters the week with a 6-10 record overall and a 2-3 mark in the BIG EAST. Most recently the team lost 3-1 to Stanford on Sunday.
- The Scarlet Knights have already played two other Patriot League teams. They split decisions in those meetings, falling 3-1 to American and winning 2-1 in overtime against Lafayette.
- Rutgers has played some close games this year, as eight contests have been decided by one goal. The Scarlet Knights have won half of those contests.
- Nicole Gentile leads Rutgers in goals (9) and points (18) this season. Several Scarlet Knights share the team high in assists, however, as Gia Nappi, Carli Rouh, Christie Morad and MacKenzie Noda each have three. Sarah Stuby and Vickie Lavell have been splitting the goalkeeping duties. Stuby is 3-4 with a 3.22 goals against average, a .656 save percentage and two shutouts. Lavel has similar numbers that include a 3-5 record, a 3.70 goals against average and a .488 save percentage. She also has the team's third shutout.
- Rutgers finished the 2009 campaign with a record of 2-16 overall and 0-6 in the conference. Neither of the team's leading scorers return, but Jenna Bull, the squad's lone All-BIG EAST selection, is back for her senior year.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following their road trip, Bucknell will return to Graham Field at Holmes Stadium for its final regular-season game. The Bison will host Colgate at 12 p.m. on Oct. 30. Senior Day festivities recognizing Kauffman, Bruvik, Christine Weiss (Bethlehem, Pa./Southern Lehigh) and Corinne Raczek (Ocean Township, N.J./Ocean Township) will precede the contest.
