Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell, American Meet in Patriot League Men's Soccer Championship Rematch Saturday in D.C.
9/23/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 23, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The opening weekend of Patriot League men's soccer action features a rematch of last year's championship match when Bucknell travels to Washington, D.C., Saturday to face American. In 2009 the Eagles dealt the Bison a 3-1 setback in the regular season, but Bucknell avenged the loss by topping American 1-0 in the Patriot League title game at Emmitt Field. Saturday's game kicks off at 1 p.m. at Reeves Field, with a live Webcast available at AUeagles.com.
Bucknell will be taking its second shot at ending a three-game losing streak. Since winning at No. 15 Penn State on Sept. 10, the Bison have lost 2-1 to No. 11 Ohio State, 4-0 to College of Charleston and 2-1 to Furman. On Wednesday Bucknell went out to Saint Francis (Pa.) for a final non-league tuneup, and the Bison took a 1-0 lead on a Ross Liberati goal before a heavy thunderstorm wiped out the game after only 22 minutes.
While the Bison come in with a 2-4 record, American is 3-3 on the season. Most recently the Eagles played well in a 2-0 loss to No. 7 Virginia, who defeated Bucknell in the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament en route to the national championship. The Eagles have also played Bucknell's other 2009 NCAA opponent this fall, knocking off Princeton 2-1 on the road. American's other victories are against Howard (3-0) and Syracuse (2-1), while its other two losses are against George Mason (1-0) and No. 7 Monmouth (3-1).
Saturday's game marks the start of a tough Patriot League schedule for Bucknell. The Bison have three home games and four away games in league play, and they will have to face each of the other three 2009 Patriot League Tournament qualifiers away from home.
Coverage 
• Click HERE for a live video Webcast of the Bucknell-American game via AUeagles.com.
American Series Notes
• American has a 7-4 series lead over Bucknell, with 10 of the 11 games coming since the Eagles joined the Patriot League in 2001. Bucknell won 2-1 in 2003, 1-0 in 2004, 3-0 in 2007 and 1-0 in the 2009 Patriot League championship game. The Bison are 3-3 against AU at home and 1-4 in Washington.
• In last year's regular-season meeting American prevailed 3-1 at rain-soaked Emmitt Field. Nick Kapus and Mike Worden scored first-half goals and David Menzie tacked on an insurance tally in the 82nd minute. Conor O'Brien scored on a free kick in the 89th minute to break up Matt Makowski's shutout bid.
• In the rematch at Emmitt Field with the league title on the line, two Bucknell freshmen teamed up to score the only goal of the day. Brendan Burgdorf headed in CK Kumah's corner kick in the 15th minute, and the defense made it hold up.
• The last time Bucknell and American met in D.C., the Bison were knocked out of the postseason when the Eagles won 3-2 in overtime on the final day of the regular-season. Anthony Ferraro scored both Bucknell goals, but Luis Martinez scored with 6:22 left in the second overtime period to win it for American. It was a tense, physical battle, as the match featured 26 fouls, six yellow cards and two red cards.
Bison Notebook
• Ross Liberati, a senior co-captain who plays both center back and defensive midfield, leads the Bison in scoring with three goals and an assist. Liberati actually has four goals, but one was wiped off the books when Bucknell's game at Saint Francis was abandoned due to inclement weather. Liberati's career high is four goals set during his freshman year.
• Liberati is tied for third in the Patriot League in goals and tied for fourth in points.
• Brendan Burgdorf is second on the team with two goals, while Josh Plump and Ryan Sappington have one each. Tommy McCabe has a team and Patriot League-high four assists.
• Bucknell has been outscored 12-8 through six games. The Bison have been outshot 80-75 but have a 42-31 lead in shots on goal. Burgdorf leads the team with 18 attempts.
• Both of Bucknell's 2010 victories have come on the road, at Penn State and La Salle. In fact, the Bison have played only one home game so far this season, a 2-1 overtime loss to Villanova on opening night.
• In its most recent completed match, the Bison fell 2-1 to Furman last Sunday in Charleston, S.C. Liberati scored the tying goal in the 67th minute on a header from a long throw-in by freshman defender Mayowa Alli, who recorded his first career point with the assist. But the Paladins countered only four minutes later, taking advantage of Bucknell's defensive misplay on a long punt.
• Liberati and fellow senior co-captain Travis Rand were named to the all-tournament team at last week's Nike/Aaron Olitsky Memorial Classic in Charleston.
About American
• The Eagles' top scorer is Vermont transfer Alassane Kane, who is tied for the Patriot League lead with four goals. Jamie Davin and Eli Dennis both have a goal and three assists, while Mike Worden and Seth Goldman also have goals.
• Former Patriot League Rookie of the Year Matt Makowski has seen all of the action in goal and has 25 saves with eight goals against.
• American has scored eight goals and yielded eight on the season.
• The Eagles are 2-2 at home and 1-1 on the road this season. They are 5-1-1 against league foes at home over the last two seasons.
• American was picked fourth in the Patriot League preseason poll.
Looking Ahead
• After playing seven straight games away from home, the Bison will now get to stay home for seven of their next eight. The homestand starts Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Drexel in a game that will be shown live on BisonVision. That will be followed by another big Patriot League game against Navy on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. at Emmitt Field.
