Bucknell University Athletics
Men's Soccer Jumps into 2014 Season with Pair of Home Games this Weekend
8/28/2014 9:45:00 AM | Men's Soccer
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Expectations are high for the Bucknell men's soccer team in 2014, and the Bison are eager to get their campaign going with a pair of home games this weekend against Binghamton and Hartwick. The season opener is slated for 7 p.m. Friday against Binghamton, and the Hartwick game kicks off Sunday at 5 p.m.
Both contests will air live and free of charge on Bison Vision on the Patriot League Network. On Friday, the first 250 fans through the Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium gates will receive a free tee shirt, and there will also be free Rita's Italian Ice while supplies last and inflatables for kids. There will be a pregame barbeque prior to Sunday's match, with free food for the first 500 fans and tee shirts for the first 100 fans.
Binghamton and Hartwick have been familiar opponents for Bucknell in recent years. The Bison and Bearcats have met in eight of the last nine years, with the last encounter a 2-2 draw in 2012. The all-time series is deadlocked at 4-4-2.
Likewise, the Bucknell-Hartwick series is even at 2-2-2. The Bison won 1-0 at Hartwick last season, avenging a 1-0 home loss in 2012. In last year's meeting, Chris Thorsheim converted a penalty kick for Bucknell's goal, while Clarke Fox stopped a penalty kick to keep the Hawks off the board.
Hartwick, which will be moving from the Mid-American Conference to the Sun Belt Conference this year, opens up on Friday at Robert Morris before heading to Lewisburg on Sunday.
Following this opening homestand, Bucknell will play three straight games on the road at Saint Francis (Pa.), Canisius and Buffalo before returning home on Sept. 13 to face Howard.
Below is a more in-depth preview of the 2014 Bucknell men's soccer team:
The Bucknell men's soccer team won 13 games a year ago, the second-most in program history. While that is certainly a noteworthy achievement, for head coach Brendan Nash and his 20 returning players, the lasting memory of 2013 is a tough 1-0 loss at No. 21 Navy in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals. And now as the 2014 season nears, Nash senses that those final images in Annapolis are serving as motivation for this year's squad.
“I don't think it's the 13 wins that we build from, but rather the disappointment of how the way the season ended,” said Nash during the preseason. “We started off the season rough and lost our first two games, but then we got better as the season went along. When we played Navy in the regular season, they were significantly better than us, but when we played them in the playoffs you could see just how much we had improved over the previous month. To lose on an own-goal, and then to watch Navy go on and win the championship, it just showed us how close we really were. But we can't be satisfied with how much we improved. We need to replicate coming to practice every day and trying to get better. If they can do that, then their personal and team goals will fall into place.”
Nash counts eight starters among his 20 returnees this fall, including a much-heralded junior class and a strong group of seniors headed by team captains Brian Ward and Jonathan Grad. Striker Jesse Klug (10 goals, 3 assists), center midfielder Chris Thorsheim (8 goals, 1 assist), goalkeeper Mike Lansing (0.75 GAA, 8 shutouts), winger Patrick Figgie (team-high 4 assists) and fullback Connor Willings lead that talented junior class.
Third Team All-America defender Mayowa Alli is just launching his pro career in Denmark, and he will be a tough man to replace, both in the back four and for his ability to get forward and score goals, especially on set pieces. Not to be forgotten among the graduation losses are gritty outside back Joe Meyer, who was a two-time Academic All-American, and defensive center mid Josh Butzke.
While Nash spent a great deal of time during the preseason trying to account for those losses, he says that step one in that process is replacing Alli's leadership as last year's lone captain.
“Mayowa was an All-American, but it was his leadership and how he controlled the locker room and the temperament of the team that we really don't know yet how we are going to replace,” said Nash. “But we have plenty of guys who were around Mayowa, and it is going to be more of a committee-type of leadership. Somebody is going to have to step up and fill that void. That's one of the things when you are trying to reload -- not rebuild -- a program, somebody should be able to step into that role. I don't know that we have an All-America center back this year, but as a group we should be able to fill the void.
Nash's teams have traditionally relied on outstanding defense and goalkeeping, along with some opportunistic goal-scoring. The Bison kept 10 clean sheets a year ago, and in 2014 they return perhaps the league's best 1-2 goalie tandem in Lansing and fellow junior Clarke Fox. Both are tall, athletic keepers, and while Lansing is the starter, Nash would not hesitate to go to Fox on any given night.
Lansing produced a terrific sophomore campaign that saw him earn Second Team All-Patriot League honors. He has garnered five Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week awards, and his 13 career shutouts already rank seventh in program history. Fox started three games last year and allowed only one goal in 281 minutes while producing a perfect 3-0 record.
“We are very much set at the goalkeeper position, and it is fair to say it is the strength of our team,” said Nash. “We have a great starter and backup, and both of them have the ability to keep us in games. Mike played a lot this summer, and we hope he has taken his game to another level. If he has, then we can be very successful. We think Clarke is the best backup in the league, and we have the utmost confidence in him.”
In front of the keeper is a back four that will have a new look following the graduation of Alli and Meyer. Fortunately for Nash, he thinks he has two capable replacements in newcomers Zack Rockmore and Dan Bank. Rockmore is a junior transfer from Boston College who will take Alli's spot at left center back, and Bank is a freshman who is already drawing comparisons to Meyer for his toughness and work rate at the right outside back spot.
“Zach is fitting in very well, and he has ACC-type talent,” said Nash. “How quickly he adjusts to Patriot League soccer will determine how successful he is. Dan has a lot of Joe Meyer in him. He is a quick, tenacious defender who can come forward. I am excited to see how he progresses.”
Bucknell closed last season with Willings playing the other center back spot – a new position for him -- with rising senior Mark Leibensperger on the left side. Nash said that Willings had a tremendous spring season and is getting more comfortable in a role as an organizer and leader on the back line. Liebensperger started the final six games of 2013 and will again be in contention for a starting spot. Ward has also seen considerable action at left back as well as defensive center midfield.
“Brian is a captain and a leader of our team,” said Nash. “He is extremely versatile. He can play left back, left center back and holding center mid, and I would expect his role to change throughout the year depending on what we need from him.”
Junior Mark Kramarchuk, sophomores Adam Bradshaw and Peter Krebs, and freshman Jack Natale are also part of the defensive unit.
“To be successful we have to defend as a unit and defend with passion,” said Nash. “That is what Bucknell soccer is all about.”
Nash typically plays with a holding center midfielder in front of the back four. Sophomore Sebastiaan Blickman saw extensive time in that spot last year and fared well, and freshman Jack Zollicoffer also brings tremendous promise.
“Sebastiaan is very fit and is a hard-working, chemistry guy,” said Nash. “He lifts the energy level of the guys around him with his own energy level. Jack is another big guy with a great work rate. He has a good soccer IQ and is strong in the air. He's still adapting, but he's going to be a good one.”
The Bison have a plethora of options in the midfield, which will allow Nash to make in-game tactical adjustments as the score dictates. Thorsheim is the anchor in the middle of the field, a prototypical nimble center mid who adeptly links the backs to the forwards. Thorsheim also developed as a goal-scoring threat last season, pumping in eight scores, including a perfect 4-for-4 on penalty kicks.
“Chris is our go-to player in the midfield,” said Nash. “We need him to keep doing what he does so well, connecting the defense to offense, setting up and scoring some goals.”
Grad, Figgie and sophomores Andrew Leischner and Austin Lenart give the Bison plenty of speed and determination in the midfield. Grad has 51 career appearances to his credit, and he got hot late in the year in 2013 with three goals against Patriot League opponents in the final two weeks of the campaign. Figgie typically runs the right flank and has the speed and strength to beat defenders 1v1 and get crosses into the box. Lenart and Leischner were both regulars as freshmen last season and scored goals. Lenart and Figgie – two outside mids – shared the team lead in assists with four each.
“Jonathan is a captain this year and is now healthy after battling injuries last year,” said Nash. “We hope that his success late in the season last year will carry over. He reads the game well and makes good runs. Pat is just a tireless worker. He's a junior now, and I hope he gets rewarded in the stat column this year for all of that hard work. Andrew had a great start to preseason, and I expect a breakthrough year from him. He brings a different dynamic to the midfield with his skill and quickness. Austin understands his role and has matured as a player over the last year. He is good at working the flanks and making plays out of nothing.”
Senior John Miller will add even more depth and experience to the midfield when he returns from injury midway through the season. Senior Rafael Enriquez-Hesles and sophomore Crispin Muessle will start the year as reserves at outside midfield positions.
Bucknell's three returning forwards all bring different styles of play to the position. Junior Jesse Klug, coming off a breakout 10-goal season, can be a true sniper. Klug registered a goal or assist in 10 different games last season en route to First Team All-Patriot League and First Team All-Region honors. He is complemented up front by senior Pat Plourde and sophomore Justin Galiani, both of whom bring size and strength to the position.
“We need to get Jesse as many touches as possible in the last third of the field,” said Nash. “The more touches he gets, the more confidence he has, and the more confident he is, the more goals he scores. We know what we are going to get when Pat comes into the game. He is going to work very hard and do everything he can to get the ball in the net. Justin has the size and strength, and he is still learning the nuances of being a forward in our system. But he is very tough to defend.”
The Bison have also added a pair of promising rookie forwards in Ben Derleth and Mike Moshier, who have both had some shining moments during the preseason.
“We have so many different looks there and have options to go with two forwards if needed,” said Nash. “Jesse is our main target, but each guy is so different, so we can play to matchups.”
Bucknell was picked third in the Patriot League Preseason Poll behind Navy and Army. The Midshipmen spun a perfect 9-0 league record last season and are favored to win it again in 2014. The Bison dropped two one-goal games against Navy last year, including that hard-fought Patriot League semifinal match, and they will return to Annapolis on Oct. 18.
The non-conference schedule is again challenging, and it includes home games against Big East and Big 10 foes Xavier and Penn State as well as an October road trip to Syracuse.
The Patriot League Tournament will once again feature a six-team format, with the top two seeds earning quarterfinal byes. A year ago the Bison hosted a quarterfinal game and topped American 3-1, and this year they will be gunning for a top seed.
“We have a ton of potential,” said Nash, “but we have to realize that if we don't work hard and work for each other that potential will be unfulfilled.”
