Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lehigh
Bucknell Women's Soccer Rides Nicinski's Goal to 1-0 Win over Lehigh
10/21/2011 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 21, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Backed by a terrific performance from junior goalkeeper Sandita McDermott (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Red Hook) and the first career goal from freshman midfielder Evelyn Nicinski (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown South), the Bucknell women's soccer team blanked defending Patriot League champion Lehigh 1-0 before a Homecoming crowd Friday night at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium. In perhaps its best all-around effort of the season, the Bison picked up three critical points to get back into the Patriot League race.
The Bison are now 4-9-1 overall and 2-3 in the Patriot League, and they moved within one point of the fourth and final playoff berth with two league games remaining. Bucknell will host first-place Lafayette at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Leopards suffered their first conference loss of the year on Friday at Colgate, 2-0, but Lafayette still has a one-point lead over the Raiders. Also on Friday, Navy stormed back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to defeat rival Army 3-2, pushing the Mids into a fourth-place tie with Lehigh with seven points apiece.
Bucknell benefitted from an aggressive, attacking style to avenge a pair of losses to Lehigh (6-7-2, 2-2-1) from a year ago, the second one coming in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals.
Nicinski had a couple of dangerous chances on the receiving end of free kicks, and she was rewarded for her hard work with a goal exactly 14 minutes into the game. Tara Cort (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) got it started by shielding off two defenders and passing back to Megan DeGennaro (Westlake Village, Calif./La Reina) in the center of the field. DeGennaro angled a perfect pass into Nicinski in open space inside the box, and Nicinski slipped a low shot into the left side of the goal for her first career tally.
Bucknell nearly went up 2-0 with 11 minutes left in the first half when freshman Cassie Denger (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) gathered the rebound of her own blocked shot and cracked a tracer that required work from Lehigh keeper Ashley Banks to tip the ball over the bar.
Bucknell outshot Lehigh 11-5 in the first half, but the Mountain Hawks turned up the pressure after the intermission. Fortunately for the Bison, McDermott was at her very best. Not only did she come well off her line time after time to break up possible threats, but she made four sparkling saves among her eight total for the game.
McDermott made a diving stop on Murphee Greeley late in the first half and steered the rebound wide of the post, and Lehigh's follow-up try skipped harmlessly across the face of the goal before being cleared away. In the second half, Lehigh really pressed for about 20 minutes, and McDermott made two more highlight-reel diving saves on Isabelle Li and Paige Dyrek.
With just over 22 minutes remaining in the game, Genne Pepe made a terrific move along the left side of the box and fired a tricky shot that McDermott saved off the post and then calmly re-gathered. About two minutes after that, she darted all the way out beyond the 18 to ward off a potential breakaway.
Nicinski and Cort both had terrific games in the center of the field. Cort not only helped set up the goal and a number of other chances, but in the second half she made an 80-yard run back to break up a 1-on-1 opportunity for the Mountain Hawks as they tried to counter-attack off a Bison corner kick.
Bridget Gilmartin (Branchburg, N.J./Mount St. Mary Academy), Corinne Collins (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) and Casey Crowley (Hamilton Square, N.J./Peddie School) were all rock solid in the back.
It was a fairly physical game, with each team whistled for 13 fouls. Bucknell finished with a 19-13 shot advantage, and both keepers made eight saves. McDermott recorded her fourth shutout of the season.
Both teams have short rest before playing again on Sunday afternoon. The Bison host first-place Lafayette at 1 p.m., while Lehigh travels to Colgate.
