Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Holy Cross
Field Hockey Remains Unbeaten in Patriot League with 4-0 Shutout Over Holy Cross
10/11/2014 5:34:00 PM | Field Hockey
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Bucknell field hockey team remained unbeaten in the Patriot League with a 4-0 shutout win at Holy Cross on Saturday. Four different players scored for the Bison, who improved to 7-3 overall and a perfect 3-0 in the conference.
Abby Watson, Kiersten Sydnor, Liz Wills and Cassie Lawrence all scored for Bucknell. The Bison dominated the game from start to finish. They didn't allow a single shot or penalty corner.
“Our defensive structure did a fantastic job of bending without breaking,” Bucknell head coach Jeremy Cook said. “Anna Wills in particular had a great game. We're excited for tomorrow. We have the opportunity to link two strong games together back-to-back.”
It was the fifth shutout of the season for the Bison. Goalkeeper Shannon Keen has recorded four solo shutouts and assisted on a fifth.
Watson, who had a hat trick in a win over Holy Cross last season, scored first for Bucknell in the 20th minute. She received a pass from Stephanie Dressler and scored her second goal of the season after firing a shot that deflected off a defender and past the goalie.
Watson added an assist as the Bison went up 2-0 with under seven minutes to play in the first half. She delivered a pass into the circle to Sydnor, who knocked one in off the post for her third goal of the season.
Bucknell didn't let up in the second half, adding two more goals in a seven-minute span. Wills, the team's leading scorer, put the Bison up 3-0 with 10:40 left in the game. Her sixth goal of the season came off a penalty corner, with Kelsey Mucelli and Amie Pritchard recording assists on the play.
Lawrence completed the scoring for the Bison. She took control of a loose ball from 25 yards out and went in for a breakaway goal, her fourth of the season, with under four minutes left in the game.
“We had a great team game today,” Cook said. “I thought we played exceptionally well for large periods of the game. We moved the ball well which forced Holy Cross to chase the game. We were able to generate a bunch of scoring opportunities and did well to finish on a few of them.”
Bucknell has won six straight games over Holy Cross, all by shutout. The Bison have out-scored the Crusaders 27-0 during that span.
The Bison will stay in Massachusetts for a non-conference game at UMass Lowell on Sunday at 1 p.m.
