Bucknell University Athletics
Crucial Women's Soccer Weekend Begins Friday with Home Match vs. Army on Bison Vision
10/21/2010 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 21, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The Patriot League women's soccer pennant race heats up this weekend, as all eight teams play Friday-Sunday series. Bucknell enters the weekend tied for first place with Lehigh, and the Bison have nothing but home games remaining, beginning Friday night against third-place Army. That contest will air live on Bison Vision beginning at 7 p.m.
The Bison will also host Holy Cross on Sunday at 1 p.m., and they can clinch a berth in the four-team Patriot League Tournament with two wins this weekend.
After a September to forget, Bucknell has been much better of late, winning four of its last five games to improve to 5-11 overall and 3-1 in the Patriot League. Bucknell's only league loss was a 2-1 road decision at Lehigh, and the Bison and Mountain Hawks enter the weekend in a tie for first place with nine points. At 2-0-2 in the league, Army has eight points and is just a single point behind the co-leaders. Navy and Colgate have six points each, followed by American with four, Lafayette with two and Holy Cross with one.
While Army comes in a point off the lead, the Black Knights have probably been the best team in the league from day one. Army is 11-3-2 overall and has conceded only four goals in 16 games this season, the fewest in all of Division I women's soccer. Moreover, none of the four goals scored against the Black Knights have come in the run of play. Army has not been scored upon in four Patriot League matches, settling for scoreless draws against American and Lafayette after opening league play with 1-0 wins over Lehigh and Navy. The Black Knights come to Lewisburg riding a 496-minute shutout streak, covering more than five full games.
Fortunately for the Bison, their offense has picked up of late. They have nine goals in their last five games and have outscored their four Patriot League foes by a 7-3 margin.
Sunday's opponent, Holy Cross, has struggled offensively of late. The Crusaders have not scored a goal in six October matches and are 0-5-1 this month. The only point over that span was a 0-0 tie with Lafayette in the Patriot League opener on Oct. 2. Holy Cross is 3-9-2 overall this season, with the wins coming against Rhode Island, Quinnipiac and Rider.
While Army and Holy Cross make road trips to Bucknell and Colgate this weekend, Lehigh and Lafayette go south to play Navy and American.
Coverage
• Click HERE to watch Bucknell-Army on Bison Vision.
• Click HERE to follow Bucknell-Army live stats via GameTracker. 
• Click HERE to follow Bucknell-Holy Cross live stats via GameTracker.
Bucknell vs. Army Series Notes
• Army leads the all-time series 13-11-2.
• These two teams have played seven times in Patriot League Tournament games. The Bison won 2-1 in overtime at home in the semifinals in 2007, and Bucknell scored a 3-1 victory in the PL championship game in 2005. The most recent postseason meeting came in 2008, when the two teams played 110 minutes of scoreless soccer before Army went on to win in penalty kicks.
• Last season at West Point, Kelliann Doherty's goal 12 minutes into the second half held up as the game-winner in a 1-0 Bucknell win. Doherty later had a goal waved off, and the Bison survived four late corner kicks. Bucknell had a 17-6 shot advantage and allowed only three shots on frame.
• In the last meeting at Emmitt Field in 2008, Army won 1-0 in overtime on a goal by Dymon Washington.
Bucknell vs. Holy Cross Series Notes
• Bucknell and Holy Cross have met every season since 1991, and the Bison own a 13-5-2 series lead.
• The Bison have won the last five meetings with Holy Cross, outscoring the Crusaders by a 17-3 margin.
• The teams have met once in the Patriot League Tournament, with Holy Cross winning 1-0 in the semifinals at Colgate in 2000.
• Last season in Worcester, Mass., Bucknell moved into sole possession of first place in the Patriot League standings after a 3-1 win over the Crusaders. Christa Matlack paced the offense with her fourth two-goal game of the season, and Chelsea McGorry also scored for the Bison. Matlack opened the scoring 2:53 into the contest, but Shelby Stand replied for Holy Cross in the 10th minute. McGorry scored the go-ahead goal later in the first half, and Matlack tacked on an insurance marker in the 51st minute. Bucknell held a 15-8 shot advantage, including an 8-3 edge in shots on goal.
• In last meeting in Lewisburg in 2008, Jennifer Dervarics had a hand in all three goals in Bucknell's 3-0 win. She scored the first two, then had an assist on the third when Kelliann Doherty knocked in a rebound of Dervarics' shot.
Bison Notebook
• Bucknell scored a huge 1-0 victory at Navy last Saturday in Annapolis, holding the Patriot League's highest scoring team off the board in the process. Caitlin Holtz scored in the second minute of the game, and Sandita McDermott (five saves) and the Bison defense made sure it held up.
• McDermott was named the Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week on Monday after posting the shutout against Navy. It was her first career league honor.
• Holtz's goal was her fourth of the season, one behind Christa Matlack for the team lead. Holtz entered her senior year with three career goals (and 14 assists), and she has surpassed her career goal total this season alone.
• Matlackleads the team in goals (5) and points (12), and is tied for the team assists lead (2) with Kelliann Doherty, Tara Cort and Casey Crowley.
• When Matlack scored in a 2-1 win over Lafayette two weeks ago, she became only the fifth player in program history to record 30 career goals, five of which have come against Lafayette. She tied Kerry McDonnell for fifth on the Bucknell all-time list.
• Brooke Stokes also scored against Lafayette. It was her first of the season and fifth of her career.
• McDermott now has a .771 save percentage with 81 saves and 24 goals against. Her save total is second-highest in the Patriot League. She also has two shutouts.
• Matlack is tied for fifth in the Patriot League in both goals and points.
About Army
• While the Black Knights are statistically the best defensive team in the nation, they also boast the Patriot League scoring leader in freshman Kim An, who has a league-high eight goals and 18 points.
• Kelley Robbins, who scored the game-winner against arch-rival Navy, Erringer Helbling and Joey Molacek have two goals apiece for Army, which has outscored its opponents 19-4 on the season.
• Caroline Rice leads Army in assists with three.
• The Black Knights have used two goalkeepers this season. Alex Lostetter is 6-2-2 with eight shutouts and a microscpoic 0.19 goals-against average. She has 33 saves and only two goals against. Lostetter's 28 career shutouts are an Army record. Monica Lee is 5-1 with five shutouts, and she has 20 saves and two goals against in her six starts.
• Army comes in ranked No. 7 in the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Poll.
About Holy Cross
• The Crusaders are coming off a 3-0 loss at Yale on Tuesday. They were outshot 16-2 in the game.
• Holy Cross features one of the league's top scorers in Shelby Stand, although Stand was held out of the lineup in the team's most recent outing against Yale. Stand has six goals and four assists for 16 points on the season.
• Maura Fox and Sarah Kelley have two goals apiece for the Crusaders, who have been outscored 26-13 on the season. Gaby Ranson has a goal and two assists.
• Holy Cross has also split its goalkeepers this season. Mary Ferketic has made eight starts and is 2-4-2 with one shutout, 33 saves and 14 goals allowed. Ashlyn Angell is 1-5 in six starts with 22 saves and 12 goals against.
Looking Ahead
• Following the Army-Holy Cross weekend, Bucknell will have just one regular-season game remaining, that coming at home against Colgate on Oct. 30 (Homecoming Saturday at 4 p.m.). The Bison will be looking for some revenge against the Raiders. Last season they traveled to Hamilton, N.Y., needing a victory to clinch the Patriot League regular-season title, but Colgate prevailed in overtime.
