Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lafayette
DeGennaro's Golden Goal Lifts Bison Women's Soccer Past Lafayette, 2-1
10/23/2011 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 23, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell women's soccer team is very much alive in the Patriot League playoff chase after Megan DeGennaro (Westlake Village, Calif./La Reina) scored on a breakaway 4:53 into sudden-death overtime to give the Bison a 2-1 win over Lafayette and a weekend sweep of the Lehigh Valley teams. Including Friday's 1-0 win over Lehigh, Bucknell claimed six critical points in 48 hours, three from the defending league champs and three the first-place team entering play on Sunday.
Kayla Yee (Centennial, Colo./Heritage) scored the tying goal just 20 seconds into the second half for the Bison, who pulled back to level at 3-3-0 in the Patriot League (5-9-1 overall). With just one game remaining in the regular season - a Senior Day clash with Navy next Saturday at Emmitt Field - Bucknell sits in fifth place in the standings, but is just one point in back of fourth-place Navy (3-2-1), two behind third-place Army (3-1-2) and three behind Lafayette (4-2-0), which slipped into second place behind Colgate (4-0-2) with Sunday's loss to the Bison. Simply, Bucknell earns one of the four Patriot League Tournament berths with a win over Navy next week, and the Bison would be out with a loss or a tie.
The drama surrounding the playoff scenarios did not detract from a highly entertaining match between Bucknell and Lafayette. Both teams attacked and generated quality scoring chances throughout the afternoon. There were a total of 34 shots in the game, half of which were on goal. The Bison finished with an 18-16 shot advantage, including a 10-2 differential in the second half.
Lafayette was the aggressor early, launching the game's first four shots, three of which required saves from Sandita McDermott (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Red Hook). But the Bison settled in after the 10-minute mark and took the game's next three shots. One was a tracer from Courtney Nelson (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Community Learning Center) that Lauren Smedley steered aside, and then Liz Dwornik (Endwell, N.Y./Union Endicott) just missed the top right corner with a shot from 25 yards out on the left wing.
The Leopards (9-5-1, 4-2-0) got on the scoreboard first in the 24th minute when a ball played into the box from the left side was settled down by Nicole Brownell and then finished from eight yards out by Janelle Pierson.
Just over 11 minutes prior to the halftime break Evelyn Nicinski (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown North), who was the goal-scorer on Friday night against Lehigh, headed a ball off a corner kick that was ticketed for the left side of the net, but Smedley made a diving save. Later in the half, Smedley dove into the passing lane to intercept a crossing pass that was tracking right to a wide-open Taryn Boucher (Cutchogue, N.Y./Mattituck) on the back side.
Trailing 1-0 at halftime, Bucknell attacked right off the restart in the second half. Nelson carried the ball to the right corner and crossed it into the box. The ball bounced around for a bit until Yee poked a shot off the crossbar and then down inches over the line for the equalizing goal. It was Yee's second tally of the year, and the assist for Nelson was her first career point.
Playing for their playoff lives for the second time in three days, the Bison still had plenty of legs late in the game, and they nearly scored three times in the final 15 minutes of regulation. After a terrific build-up in the midfield, Nelson sent in another cross from the right wing that eluded Smedley's fingertips and came right to a wide-open Nicinski at the top of the 6-yard box, but the ball hopped up on her a bit at the last second, and her re-direct went over the crossbar.
With 8:15 remaining, Smedley made a tricky kick save on a hard, low shot by DeGennaro, and then just a minute later Tara Cort (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) got a head on a free kick by Corinne Collins (Orinda, Miramonte), but the ball just slipped wide of the left post.
Lafayette had one look at goal in the overtime period, but a Pierson header went well wide. Bucknell then caught the Leopards on a counter-attack, and Cort lobbed a perfect ball past the last defender and on to DeGennaro for a breakaway. Smedley came out to contest, but DeGennaro calmly slipped a low shot past her for the game-winner.
It was the first goal of the season for DeGennaro, who leads the team with four assists, and it was her first career overtime goal. DeGennaro also scored against Lafayette as a freshman in 2008.
This was Bucknell's first overtime win since Sept. 11, 2009, when Molly Linhart scored to beat Mount St. Mary's. Linhart also scored Bucknell's last overtime goal at home, that coming against Army in the 2007 Patriot League Tournament semifinals.
McDermott finished with nine saves in the game, eight of them coming in the first half when Lafayette outshot the Bison 13-7. Smedley had five saves for Lafayette.
Next Saturday's critical Bucknell-Navy game will start at noon at Emmitt Field. Prior the game, Bucknell will pay tribute to its four seniors: Cort, DeGennaro, Casey Crowley (Hamilton Square, N.J./Peddie School) and Sadie Canter (Dresden, Ohio/Tri-Valley).
