Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Field Hockey Hits Road Looking for Second Patriot League Win at Holy Cross
10/5/2012 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 5, 2012
| BUY PHOTOS
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell field hockey will begin its longest road trip of the season, making the trip this weekend to Holy Cross and Harvard, two teams the Bison are undefeated against since 2008. Bucknell and the Crusaders will square off in a Patriot League matchup at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Worcester, Mass. Play continues on Sunday in Cambridge, Mass., with a 2 p.m. non-conference bout against the Crimson.
Live stats will be available for both games. Video for the matchup between Bucknell and Harvard can also be found at gocrimson.com.
BISON NOTEBOOK
- Bucknell put its offense on display last week, outscoring Colgate and Rutgers by a combined 10-4. Leigh Hillman (Dallas, Pa./Lake Lehman) finished with three goals on the weekend, including her first career multi-goal game against the Raiders. Kayla Sullivan (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) also scored in each contest, earning her the title of Patriot League Rookie of the Week for the first time in her career.
- Three Bison have recorded multi-goal games this fall. In addition to Hillman, Tayler Siegrist (Madison, N.J./Madison) scored twice against both Towson and Temple, while Kiersten Sydnor (Shippensburg, Pa./Mercersburg Academy) had two goals against Towson as well. Three Bison also have multi-assist games. Kelsey Mucelli (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown Area) had three against Temple, tying the school single-game record. Siegrist had two against Towson and Amie Pritchard (Rumson, N.J./Kent School (Conn.)) had two against both Temple and Colgate.
- Pritchard entered the week ranked 30th nationally in assists per game with a 0.58 average. Mucelli was close behind in a tie for 39th (0.50). Also among the Division I leaders on the defensive side were Erica Perrine (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) in 37th in both goals against average (2.10) and saves per game (5.25). Liz Wills (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./William Penn Charter School) was ninth with four defensive saves.
- With its 7-0 win over Colgate last Saturday, Bucknell has recorded a shutout victory in each of its last four Patriot League openers. The Bison also defeated Holy Cross 7-0 in 2011 and 2-0 in 2010. The 2009 league opener was a 1-0 win over Lafayette. Bucknell had lost its previous four Patriot League debuts.
- Bucknell has 32 goals from 12 players this season. That's one more goal than all of last year when the Bison finished with 31 goals from 11 players. Recent graduate Mallory Smith had the team lead with seven scores last fall, while Siegrist leads the Bison with seven goals now.
- A majority of Bucknell's 32 goals this year have come late in the game. Ten of the Bison's goals have come in the first half, while 22, including two in overtime, have come after halftime. Opponents have 12 first-half goals and 13 second-half and overtime goals.
SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
- Holy Cross is 2-8 overall and 1-0 in the Patriot League after defeating Lehigh in overtime last weekend. The Crusaders' 5-4 decision over the Mountain Hawks was their first conference win since Oct. 17, 2009. It also snapped a five-game overall losing streak this season.
- The Crusaders were 1-17 overall and 0-5 in the Patriot League a year ago, and they lost both their all-conference selections. That has left things up to junior Carly Grimaudo who, after scoring one goal last season, leads the team with 13 points (6G, 1 A) this year. Kat Matchett is 2-8 in goal with one shutout in a 2-0 win against Siena. She also has a 3.63 goals against average and a .653 save percentage.
- Bucknell trails 19-8 in the series with Holy Cross, but that record is not indicative of recent matchups. The Bison have won each of the last three meetings with the Crusaders by a combined a score of 12-0. It is the first time in series history that Bucknell has won consecutive games against Holy Cross.
- While Bucknell has blanked Holy Cross in each of the last three meetings, the Bison recorded just four shutouts in the previous 25 games of the series.
- Bucknell is 2-12 all-time when playing at Worcester.
- When the Bison won 7-0 at Graham Field last fall, Maggie Murphy (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) scored her first two career goals. Smith also had two goals, along with an assist, and Perrine earned her first career shutout. Jeremy Cook moved into a tie for third place at Bucknell with his 33rd head coaching win. On Saturday, he will attempt to tie Martha Ludwig for second on that same list as he enters the game with a 44-45 record.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON
- Harvard is 3-7 this season. The Crimson lost their last two games, 3-1 against Quinnipiac and 4-1 to Northeastern. Before that was a pair of back-to-back wins, however, 4-1 against Bryant and 1-0 to Brown. Earlier in the year, Harvard defeated Holy Cross, 1-0, in its season opener.
- Harvard fell just shy of .500 last year, finishing the 2011 campaign with an overall record of 8-9. Carly Dickson was a First Team All-Ivy League and NFHCA All-Northeast Region selection, but she has since graduated. The Crimson now look to Noel Painter and Cynthia Tassopoulos, who were both Honorable Mention All-Ivy League a year ago. Painter leads the way offensively with 10 points (4G, 2A), while Tassopoulos enters the game with a 3-5 record in goal. The senior also has two shutouts and a 1.96 goals against average.
- Bucknell and Harvard have met just once before, and the Bison walked away with a 3-0 win in that 2010 game. Rachel Misko (Morristown, N.J./Madison) had an assist on what turned out to be the game-winning goal and Sarah Zargarpour had a one-save shutout. Bucknell's effort was its second shutout in as many days as they had also beat Holy Cross 2-0 less than 24 hours earlier.
LOOKING FORWARD
Bucknell will head to defending Patriot League champion Lafayette on Saturday, Oct. 13. Game time is set for noon. The Leopards are having one of the best seasons in the league this year, entering this weekend with a 9-1 record and the No. 13 ranking in the latest Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. In its first Patriot League game of the year, Lafayette defeated American 4-1.
