Bucknell University Athletics
Women's Soccer Pays Visit to First-Place Colgate Saturday
10/17/2014 11:32:00 AM | Women's Soccer
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The Bucknell women's soccer team faces a major test on Saturday when it travels to Hamilton, New York, to take on the red-hot Colgate Raiders, who currently sit atop the Patriot League table. Game time is 2 p.m. at Beyer-Small '76 Field, and it will air live on the Patriot League Network.
With four rounds of league play still to come, the push for playoff positioning will be in high gear starting this weekend. The Bison are 7-6-2 overall and 2-2-1 in the Patriot League, and with seven points they sit in sole possession of sixth place (the top six qualify for the Patriot League Tournament). Bucknell is just three points behind Army and Navy for third place, and it is three points clear of seventh-place Holy Cross.
The Bison have two games remaining against teams above them in the standings (Colgate, Boston University) and two against teams below them in the standings (Lafayette, Holy Cross). The Raiders are 4-0-1 for 13 points and have a two-point cushion over 3-0-2 Boston University at the top of the table.
Bucknell will be looking to bounce back from a 3-0 road loss at Navy last Friday. The Mids went ahead in the 16th minute, and then tacked on two insurance goals in the second half. That ended Bucknell's four-game unbeaten streak that included back-to-back league wins over Loyola and American.
Freshman Kendall Ham continues to lead the team in scoring 12 points on five goals and two assists. Six other Bison have two goals, a dozen players have at least one goal, and 15 have at least one point. Bucknell has an even (23-23) goal differential on the season, and it ranks third in the league in goals behind Navy and Holy Cross.
Colgate is just behind with 22 goals, but defense has been the primary ticket to success for the Raiders, who are 10-1-2 and have not lost since the season opener at 19th-ranked Boston College. Colgate is the No. 1 team in the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Poll for the third straight week, and it is the fourth team listed among "others receiving votes" in the national poll. The Raiders' RPI is now up to 27.
Colgate has allowed only seven goals all year, and the team's .905 combined save percentage ranks No. 2 in the nation. Brenna Mason has presided over six of the team's seven shutouts, although the Raiders have conceded once in each of their last three games, a 1-1 draw with Navy and 2-1 wins over Cornell and Holy Cross.
Sarah Coy leads the team with six goals, and they have all come in the team's last four games.
Bucknell and Colgate met twice last season, and both games were deadlocked after 110 minutes. In the regular-season contest at Emmitt Field, Evelyn Nicinski scored a second-half equalizer to help the Bison draw Colgate 1-1. The two teams met again in Hamilton in a Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal game, and neither side could score in regulation or 20 minutes of extra time. Colgate went on to advance 5-4 on penalty kicks.
Colgate has a 19-6-2 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to the first year of Patriot League play in 1991. Bucknell's last victory over the Raiders was a 1-0 decision at home in 2010, and its last win in Hamilton came in 2007 by a 3-1 count.
Following the Colgate contest, the Bison will return home for a mid-week league match with Lafayette on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
