Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Soccer Takes on Penn Thursday in NCAA Tournament
11/18/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 18, 2010
WHAT: Bucknell at Penn, NCAA Tournament First Round
WHERE: Rhodes Field, Philadelphia, Pa.
WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 18, 7 p.m. ET
RADIO: WVBU (90.5 FM) and SportsJuice.com
LIVE STATS: GameTracker 
Media Notes in PDF Format 
Interactive Tournament Bracket
For the sixth time in program history and for the third time in the last five years, the Bucknell men's soccer team will be competing in the NCAA Tournament. The resilient Bison, who qualified for the Patriot League Tournament on the final night of the regular season, went on to win the tourney as the No. 4 seed with a pair of shutout victories over No. 1 Colgate (1-0) and No. 3 American (2-0). In each of Bucknell's last two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2006 and 2009, it won first-round games. The Bison defeated George Mason 1-0 in overtime in 2006, and last season they went to Princeton and won 1-0. In both '06 and '09, Bucknell lost to Virginia in the second round. This year's first-round foe, Penn, finished second to Princeton in the Ivy League with a 5-2 record. The Bucknell-Penn winner will travel to No. 2 seed Maryland on Sunday in the second round.
Bucknell in the NCAA Tournament
Bucknell has made five previous trips to the NCAA Tournament and is 3-5 all-time in tournament play.
• 1974: Bucknell brought an 11-0-2 record into its first NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bison won at Penn State 1-0 in the first round, then lost at Philadelphia Textile 1-0 in double overtime in the second stage.
• 1975: In Teaneck, N.J., Bucknell and Fairleigh Dickinson played to a scoreless tie in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but FDU prevailed on penalty kicks, 7-6.
• 1976: Back in the tournament for the third year in a row, Bucknell fell 4-0 at Temple in the opening round.
• 2006: The Bison captured the Patriot League title by defeating both Lehigh and Lafayette in penalty kicks, earning their first NCAA bid in 30 years. Bucknell won at George Mason 1-0 in overtime on a golden goal by Mark Schmiegel, then fell 4-0 in the second round to No. 4 seed Virginia.
• 2009: Punctuating a season in which Bucknell set school records for wins (17) and shutouts (12), the Bison blanked Lafayette and American by 1-0 counts in the Patriot League Tournament and then toppled Princeton by the same score in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Just like in 2006, their tournament came to an end in Charlottesville, as No. 2 seed and eventual national champion Virginia scored a 5-0 victory.
Bucknell vs. Penn
• This will be Bucknell's very first game against the Quakers.
The Road to the Championship
Bucknell's third Patriot League championship did not come without some tense moments:
• After absorbing a tough overtime loss at Lafayette on Oct. 30, the Bison came into the final day of Patriot League play trailing Navy by one point for the fourth and final Patriot League Tournament berth. That meant Bucknell would have to win at second-place Lehigh and have Navy lose or tie against Lafayette in the season finale on Nov. 6. Lafayette handled its end of the deal, beating Navy 1-0 in Annapolis, but the Bison found themselves trailing 1-0 at Lehigh after a controversial penalty kick was awarded. Bucknell tied it in the 76th minute on a CK Kumah goal, and then just minutes after the Lafayette-Navy match went final, freshman Mayowa Alli scored the golden goal 3:10 into overtime to send the Bison on to the postseason.
• In the Patriot League Tournament semifinals, Bucknell had to face the top seed, Colgate, on its home field in a rematch of a wild 3-3 affair from earlier in the year. This time the Bison kept the Raiders off the board, parlaying Josh Plump's goal in the 50th minute into a 1-0 win.
• For the first time in Patriot League history, there was a championship game rematch when the fourth-seeded Bison met No. 3 American. It was only the second time in league history that the No. 3 and 4 seeds met for the championship. Just like in 2009, when Bucknell topped American 1-0 in the championship game at Emmitt Field, this time the Bison turned in a clean sheet with a 2-0 verdict. Ross Liberati scored both goals in the first half off set pieces from Tommy McCabe.
Three Out of Five Ain't Bad
• Bucknell became only the fourth team in Patriot League history to repeat as league champion. The others were Lafayette in 1994-95, Lafayette again in 1998-99 and Colgate in 2007-08.
• Bucknell has now won three of the last five Patriot League titles. Only Lafayette in 1990s has won as many as three championships in a five-year period, and no team has won more than three.
About Penn
• The Quakers come in with a 12-5-0 overall record, 5-2-0 in the Ivy League. They finished second in the Ivy League to unbeaten Princeton.
• Penn was ranked as high as No. 13 in the NSCAA national poll two weeks ago. But after falling 2-1 to Princeton the Quakers dropped to No. 18, and then Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to Harvard dropped them out of the poll. Penn is now the top team among others receiving votes.
• The Quakers are 2-0 against teams from the Patriot League this season, with both wins coming in overtime at home. They topped Lafayette 2-1 on Sept. 12 and American 1-0 on Oct. 12.
• Among other common opponents, Bucknell and Penn both defeated La Salle and both lost to Villanova. Bucknell defeated Penn State and Adelphi, while Penn lost to both of those teams.
• Penn is led by freshman Stephen Baker, who produced eight goals and two assists for 18 points. Other top scorers include Christian Barreiro (4-7-15), Travis Cantrell (4-4-12), Thomas Brandt (5-0-10) and Loukas Tasigianis (3-3-9).
• Ben Berg has played every minute in goal for Penn and has eight shutouts, an .844 save percentage and a 0.69 goals-against average.
• Penn had seven All-Ivy selections. Barreiro, Thomas Brandt and Jason Gorskie were all named First Team All-Ivy. Berg, Baker and Jake Levin earned second team honors, and Tasigianis received honorable mention distinction.
Awards Time
Bucknell was well-represented when it came to Patriot League postseason awards, with five players honored, including two major award winners.
• Sophomore Brendan Burgdorf was selected as the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. Burgdorf, who is tied for the league lead with six goals, is the third straight Bucknell player to win the award, as Conor O'Brien was the recipient in both 2008 and 2009. The only other Bison to win PL Offensive Player of the Year honors was Scott Visnic in 2003. Burgdorf also earned First Team All-Patriot League honors for the first time.
• Freshman Mayowa Alli earned Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors. Alli was outstanding defensively this season and also totaled three goals and three assists. He scored two late goals in the 3-3 tie with Colgate and also had the overtime game-winner in the playoff-clinching win at Lehigh. Alli is Bucknell's third Patriot League Rookie of the Year, joining Adam Edwards in 2002 and Nathan LaGrave in 2006.
• Joining Burgdorf on the All-Patriot League First Team was senior defender Ross Liberati. Also named Patriot League Tournament MVP after his two-goal performance in the championship game against American, Liberati earned first team honors for the second year in a row. He has five goals and an assist on the season.
• Senior midfielder Tommy McCabe, the Patriot League points (16) and assists (10) leader, earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors. McCabe, who assisted on both of Liberati's goals in the Patriot League Tournament final, is a first-time all-star selection.
• Junior defender Andrew Powell earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors for the second year in a row. Powell is one of Bucknell's defensive anchors and also has two goals and two assists.
Powell Not Just All-League in Soccer
Junior Andrew Powell is one of the Patriot League's top multi-sport athletes. In fact, he has the rare distinction of earning All-Patriot League honors in both soccer and track and field. Powell was recruited to Bucknell as a high jumper and decathlete, and last spring he helped the Bison win their first outdoor conference championship since 1991 by winning the gold medal in the decathlon and finishing second in the high jump. Powell is Bucknell's very first Patriot League decathlon champion, and his 6-8 1/4 high jump ranks No. 8 in program history.
It's Academic
• Bucknell senior defender Travis Rand and junior goalkeeper Tommy Caso were named to the ESPN Academic All-District Team. Caso is a mechanical engineering major with a 3.80 cumulative grade-point average, while Rand, a team co-captain, is a political science major with a 3.59 cumulative GPA.
• Two different Bison, junior defenders Ryan Sappington and Andrew Powell, were named to the inaugural Patriot League All-Academic Team. Sappington is majoring in both philosophy and psychology with a minor in education, and he has a stellar cumulative grade-point average of 3.86. Powell is an accounting major with a 3.40 GPA.
• The Bucknell men's soccer team this week received an NSCAA Team Academic Award for the 2009-10 academic year. The Bison have received the award every year since 1997.
Seniors are No. 1
• Bucknell's senior class — Ross Liberati, Tommy McCabe and Travis Rand — now has more wins than any other class in program history. This class now has 44 victories, one more than last year's seniors.
• Prior to last season, the school record for wins by one class was 41, set by the Class of 1976, which featured All-American Scott Strasburg, one of the best players in program history.
Comeback Kids
• In four of their wins (La Salle, Penn State, Drexel, Lehigh) and in both ties (Holy Cross, Colgate) this season, the Bison trailed at some point in the game.
• Bucknell outscored foes 19-12 in the second halves of games.
Preseason Prognostications
• Bucknell was picked as preseason favorites in the Patriot League by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The Bison captured the maximum 14 first-place votes for 98 points, while Lehigh took second with 68 points and one first-place vote. Lafayette finished closely behind in third with 65 points and one first-place vote, while American and Colgate tied for fourth with 63 points. Holy Cross finished sixth in the voting with 41 points, while Navy (35) and Army (15) rounded out the poll.
• Bucknell was listed No. 26 in the College Soccer News preseason national poll.
Lending a Helping Hand
• Bison senior midfielder Tommy McCabe has handed out 10 assists this season. That total leads the Patriot League and ranks No. 8 nationally.
• McCabe is just the fifth player in program history to record 10 assists in a season. His total is tied for third-most on the Bucknell single-season list and is just two shy of Tom Roller's school record, set in 1993.
• McCabe now has 14 career assists, tied for 10th-most in program history.
• In Bucknell's 3-1 win over La Salle on Sept. 3, McCabe assisted on all three goals. It was only the 13th time in program history where a Bucknell player had three or more assists. The last to do it was Jonathan Hemmert against NJIT in 2004. The only four-assist game was recorded by Dave Rath against Lycoming in 1967.
Alli Lives Up to Rookie Billing
• Prior to the season, freshman Mayowa Alli was named to the College Soccer News “Top 100 Freshmen to Keep an Eye On” list. Alli, from Lanham, Md., and Bishop McNamara High School, was the Washington Post Player of the Year last season.
• Alli lived up to the advance billing, earning Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors. Starting 18 games at left back, he scored three goals and three assists, with all of the goals coming in dramatic fashion.
• On Oct. 23, the Bison trailed Colgate 3-1 with four minutes to play, by Alli headed in a corner kick and a direct kick just 50 seconds apart in the 86th minute to help his team salvage a 3-3 tie.
• On Nov. 6 at Lehigh, Bucknell had to have a win to qualify for the Patriot League Tournament, and Alli provided it with an overtime goal.
Hartmann Finishes Strong in Goal
• Bucknell head coach Brendan Nash had to make a tough call midway through the season, when he promoted junior Marc Hartmann to the starting goalkeeper position.
• Hartmann responded well, posting a 7-3-1 record in 11 starts, including four shutouts. He did not concede a goal in either Patriot League Tournament match, and he enters the NCAA Tournament with a 1.13 goals-against average and .690 save percentage.
Head Coach Brendan Nash
Bison head coach Brendan Nash is in his 12th season at Bucknell. Nash is currently 116-90-30, and he ranks No. 2 on Bucknell's all-time wins list, trailing only Craig Reynolds (238). Nash was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2000, 2003 and 2009, and he led the Bison to the 2006, 2009 and 2010 Patriot League titles.
Coaching Stability
Bucknell has had only two head coaches since 1967. Craig Reynolds had the reins from 1967-98, and when Reynolds retired following the 1998 season, he turned the playbook over to his assistant coach Brendan Nash, who has manned the Bison sideline ever since.
A Look Back at Last Season
Bucknell had one of its best seasons in program history in 2009. Here is a look at some of the milestones:
• The Bison captured the Patriot League regular-season title with a 5-2 record, then won the Patriot League Tournament title on its home field with consecutive 1-0 wins over Lafayette and American.
• For the second time in four years, Bucknell won an NCAA Tournament first-round game. Brendan Burgdorf's goal helped the Bison to a 1-0 win at Princeton, but the season ended after a 5-0 loss to eventual national champion Virginia in Charlottesville in round two.
• The Bison finished 17-6-0 in 2009. No previous Bucknell team had ever won more than 13 games in a season. It was also a Patriot League record for wins in a season, breaking the previous mark of 16 by Lafayette in 1998.
• Bucknell also broke the program record for shutouts in a season with 12. Of those 12 clean sheets, 10 came by 1-0 scores. In fact, 14 of the team's 17 wins came by one goal.
Bison Rarely Blanked
• Since all the way back in mid-September of 2007, Bucknell has been shut out only three times.
• The Bison have scored a goal in 74 of their last 77 games. In those same 77 games, Bucknell has blanked the opposition 28 times.
• During that span the Bison have produced scoring streaks of 28, 27 and 15 (active) games. The 28 and 27 streaks were the longest in the nation when they were broken up.
