Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Soccer Draws Penn in First Round of NCAA Tournament
11/15/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 15, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell men's soccer team is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five seasons, and for the first time in that span, the Bison will not have to leave the state of Pennsylvania. Bucknell will face 18th-ranked Penn in the first round this Thursday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at Rhodes Field in Philadelphia.
Bucknell captured the Patriot League Tournament as the No. 4 seed over the weekend, blanking Lafayette 1-0 in the semifinals and American 2-0 in the championship match. The Bison are making their sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament. Bucknell is 3-5 all-time in NCAA play, having defeated Penn State 1-0 in 1974, George Mason 1-0 in overtime in 2006 and Princeton 1-0 last season.
Bucknell is 10-8-2 overall and ranked No. 3 in the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional rankings. Meanwhile, the Quakers will come in with a 12-5 overall record and a 5-2 mark in a competitive Ivy League that placed four teams in the NCAA Tournament. Penn grabbed an at-large berth and will be making its ninth NCAA appearance.
The Bucknell-Penn winner will face No. 2 seed Maryland in the second round on Sunday. Bucknell and Penn have never met in men's soccer.
The Quakers are coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to Harvard on Saturday. Bucknell and Penn have played a number of common opponents this season. The Quakers have played two Patriot League teams, edging both Lafayette and American in overtime. Both teams defeated La Salle and both lost to Villanova, and the Bison defeated Penn State and Adelphi, while Penn lost to both of those sides.
Both teams have produced plenty of goals this season. The Quakers have outscored foes 26-12 in 17 matches, led by eight goals and two assists from freshman Stephen Baker and four goals and seven assists from Christian Barreiro. Bucknell has produced 32 goals in 20 contests. Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Brendan Burgdorf has six goals and two assists, while senior Tommy McCabe leads the league in points (16) and assists (10). Patriot League Tournament MVP Ross Liberati has five goals from his center back position, including both tallies in the league championship final against American.
Bucknell will be producing a radio broadcast of Thursday's game. Check back soon on BucknellBison.com for broadcast details.
