Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Soccer Heads to Lehigh Valley for Key PL Weekend
10/7/2010 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 7, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The Bucknell women's soccer team is feeling much better about itself after two straight victories, including a resounding 3-0 home win over American in the Patriot League opener last Saturday, and now the Bison try to keep the hot streak going with a pair of league games in the Lehigh Valley this weekend. Bucknell will be attempting to sweep a weekend series against the two Eastern Pennsylvania rivals for the third straight year when it travels to Lafayette on Friday at 7 p.m. and then on to Lehigh for a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday. Lafayette's internet broadcast will be simulcast live on Bison Vision Friday night.
After the opening weekend of league play, Bucknell sits in a three-way tie atop the standings with Army and Navy. Six critical points are on the line this weekend, and the two service academies meet Friday night at West Point.
A rash of injuries contributed to Bucknell's 1-10 start, but the Bison finished up non-league play with a 2-1 win over Iona. With some key players starting to return to health, Ben Landis' squad threw all of its attention on Patriot League play and getting back to the postseason tournament for the sixth straight year. That mission began well Saturday at Emmitt Field, when Caitlin Holtz, Kelsey Johnson and Kelliann Doherty all scored in the 3-0 win over American. While the offense produced a season-high three goals, the defense continued its recent resurgence. Buoyed by the return of All-Patriot League back Amanda Citron, the Bison have allowed only two goals in their last three games, one on a direct kick and the other on a penalty kick.
Lafayette comes in with a 6-5-1 overall record, and the Leopards opened up Patriot League play with a scoreless tie against Holy Cross. Along with 1-0 wins over Delaware State and St. Peter's, the Leopards are unbeaten in their last three games. Lafayette was 3-12-2 last season, and its six wins this year are its most since 2002.
Lehigh has been one of the Patriot League's top teams so far with a 5-2-2 record, but the Mountain Hawks lost their league opener to Army 1-0 in overtime last Friday. On Sunday, Lehigh stepped out of conference play and drilled NJIT 6-0. The Mountain Hawks are the Patriot League's highest scoring team, averaging 2.44 goals per game.
Coverage
• Click HERE to watch the Bucknell-Lafayette match live on Bison Vision. 
• Click HERE to follow Bucknell-Lafayette live stats via GameTracker. 
• Click HERE to follow Bucknell-Lehigh live stats via lehighsports.com.
Bucknell vs. Lafayette Series Notes
• The Bison are 13-6-1 all-time against the Leopards, including six straight wins and a 6-0-1 mark in the last seven meetings. Bucknell has outscored Lafayette 18-1 over that span.
• Bucknell won only one of the first four series meetings but is 12-3-1 since.
• Last season at Emmitt Field, eventual Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Christa Matlack scored both Bucknell goals in a 2-0 win over Lafayette. Kelliann Doherty and Chelsea McGorry assisted on the goals, and Bucknell finished with a 22-7 shot advantage.
• In the last meeting in Easton in 2008, Bucknell defeated the Leopards 4-1 behind two goals and an assist from Jennifer Dervarics. Doherty and Megan DeGennaro also scored for the Bison, while Stephanie Bereday tallied Lafayette's goal. The Bison had just beaten Lehigh on the road two days earlier, and the win over Lafayette put them on the brink clinching a postseason berth.
Bucknell vs. Lehigh Series Notes
• Bucknell is 11-7-2 all-time against Lehigh. The Bison have won two straight on the heels of a five-game winless streak (0-4-1) against the Mountain Hawks. The one tie in that span came in the 2005 Patriot League Tournament semifinals, and the Bison went on to win in penalty kicks on Lehigh's home field. They then knocked off Army in the championship game to win the league title.
• Oddly, Bucknell is just 3-5-1 at home against the Mountain Hawks, but 8-2-1 in Bethlehem.
• A year ago in Lewisburg, Chelsea McGorry scored just 1:56 into the match to help the Bison to a 3-1 victory. Kelliann Doherty and Molly Linhart piled on goals to make it 3-0, before Liz Carlos broke up the shutout at the 80-minute mark. Doherty, who has scored in all three of her career games against Lehigh, and McGorry both had a goal and an assist, while Christa Matlack also picked up an assist. Kathryn Sutton made nine saves in goal for Bucknell, which was outshot 20-18 in the game.
• In Bucknell's 2-0 win in the last meeting in Bethlehem in 2008, Matlack and Doherty both scored in the first 20 minutes to send the Bison on their way. Lehigh outshot Bucknell 12-8, but Sutton was stellar in goal with seven saves.
• In 2007, Lehigh handed the Bison their only Patriot League regular-season loss, a 3-1 decision in Lewisburg. Jen Fetsick scored twice for the Mountain Hawks, who also benefited from an own goal after the Bison had closed within 2-1. Doherty scored Bucknell's goal, with Brooke Stokes and Matlack assisting.
Bison Notebook
• Caitlin Holtz has goals in each of Bucknell's last two games, and she joins Christa Matlack (4) as multiple-goal scorers this season.
• Sandita McDermott made four of her five saves in the second half against American to record her first career shutout, while the back four of Kelsey Johnson, Amanda Citron, Casey Crowley and Corinne Collins all played well. In the previous game against Iona, McDermott secured her first collegiate victory.
• Johnson's goal against American was her first since 2007. The senior central defender now has three career tallies.
• Matlack leads the Bison with four goals, two assists and 10 points. Holtz has two goals, while Kelliann Doherty, Liz Dwornik, Johnson, Megan DeGennaro and Kayla Yee have one each. Matlack, Doherty and Crowley lead the way with two assists each.
• Matlack now ranks in the top-10 in Bucknell history in goals (6th with 29), assists (9th with 13) and points (6th with 71).
• Holtz ranks sixth on Bucknell's career assists chart with 14. She is one assist away from moving into the top five. Krista Lee Gentile had 15 helpers from 2004-07.
• Dwornik's goal against Iona was the first of her career and the first by a Bucknell freshman this season.
About Lafayette
• The Leopards' 2010 victories have come against Wagner, La Salle, Bryant, NJIT, St. Peter's and Delaware State. All but the Wagner victory have come by shutout, and Lafayette also has a scoreless tie against Holy Cross.
• Lauren Smedley has backstopped all six of those clean sheets. She has a stellar .889 save percentage and 0.80 goals-against average. Both of those figures rank second in the Patriot League behind Army's Alex Lostetter, and Smedley leads the league with 80 saves.
• Offensively, Jill Dozier has half of her team's 10 goals. Dozier's five tallies are tied for third-most in the league.
• Olivia Hawes and Catherine Galgano both have two goals and one assist, while Janelle Pierson has a goal and two assists.
• Lafayette has been outshot 147-101 on the season, but the Leopards are even in goal differential.
About Lehigh
• Lehigh is 5-2-2 on the season, with the only two losses coming to quality opponents in Dayton and Army. The Mountain Hawks have wins over Quinnipiac, Saint Joseph's, Marist, La Salle and NJIT, as well as ties with Syracuse and Columbia.
• Lehigh has scored multiple goals in five of its nine games, with a high of six against NJIT on Sunday. The Mountain Hawks have outscored opponents 22-11, and 10 different players have scored goals, inclduing six with multiple goals. • Liz Carlos, who scored against Bucknell last year, leads the team with four goals to go with two assists. Murphee Greeley also has 10 points on three goals and four assists. Glynn Fitzer, Lena Cannon and Ali MacLeod all have three goals, while Jana Basubas has two. • Lauren Mains has started eight of the team's nine games -- the lone exception was the NJIT game on Sunday -- and has 40 saves and 11 goals against.
Looking Ahead
• Bucknell has nothing but Patriot League games the rest of the way, and after the Lafayette/Lehigh contests this weekend the Bison will play their final regular-season road match at Navy on Oct. 16 at 11 a.m.
