Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
American
Lawrence's Early Goal Gives Field Hockey Huge Win Over American
9/27/2014 2:29:00 PM | Field Hockey
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Cassie Lawrence scored an early goal, and Shannon Keen recorded her third shutout of the season to lead Bucknell to a 1-0 win over defending Patriot League champion American on Saturday at Graham Field.
The Bison improved to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference, winning in front of a large crowd of over 800 fans. The Eagles, which had won 11 straight regular season games in the Patriot League, dropped to 5-4 overall and 1-1 in the league.
Lawrence's goal, her third of the season, came less than seven minutes into the game. Abby Watson delivered a nice pass to set Lawrence up behind the defense, and following a rebound off her own shot she delivered with the eventual game-winning goal.
Following an evenly played first half that saw much of the action in the center of the field, the Bucknell defense did its part in the second half as American turned up the pressure. The Eagles kept possession of the ball for much of the half, but managed to get just three shots, including two on goal.
“I thought we did a tremendous job of breaking down the play in the right places and stepping up when we really needed to,” Bucknell head coach Jeremy Cook said. “We got numbers around the ball and kept them from getting the opportunities they needed to get a tying goal. It was a fantastic job all the way around.”
Keen, who entered the game ranked in the top 10 nationally in both goals against average and save percentage, stopped all three of American's shot on goal. It was the fourth shutout of the season for the Bison, who are allowing less than a goal per game.
Following the game, Cook referred to American as the “class of the league” and referenced the Bison's tough non-conference schedule as one of the keys to the victory.
“This schedule absolutely helps. We are playing against teams that are in their ballpark and on their level of being a really strong team,” Cook said. “Each of those teams has presented a different challenge. Obviously, today American was all over us in the second half and we were able to fight through it.”
The Bison, who sit just outside the top 25 in the RPI rankings, return to action next weekend with a pair of home games. They will host Patriot League foe and nationally-ranked Boston U. on Saturday, and will play a non-conference game against Cook's alma mater, Drexel, on Sunday.
