Bucknell University Athletics
Field Hockey on the Road for Two Games this Weekend
10/8/2015 10:24:00 AM | Field Hockey
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell field hockey team puts its eight-game league winning streak on the line when it travels to Lafayette for an important mid-season Patriot League contest at noon on Saturday. The Bison also have a non-conference matchup on the weekend slate, an away game at Temple on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Only two teams in the conference – Bucknell and Boston University – have unbeaten records in league play. The Bison are 2-0 with wins over Lehigh and Colgate, and haven't lost a Patriot League regular season game since Oct. 26, 2013. The Terriers are 3-0 with wins over Lafayette, Colgate and American, and haven't lost to a league opponent since they were defeated 5-2 by the Bison on Oct. 4, 2014.
Bucknell is coming off a pair of wins over the weekend, including a 6-0 shutout over Colgate. Seniors Kiersten Sydnor and Abby Watson scored two goals apiece. Sydnor added a goal in a 4-2 win over Saint Joseph's on Sunday to give her four in the past three games and a team-leading six on the season. That ranks fifth in the Patriot League, just one goal behind the four players tied for the lead.
Senior Emily Hitchings registered two assists against Saint Joseph's and now has three on the year. She and Stephanie Dressler are tied for ninth in the conference. Dressler also came up big against the Hawks, scoring the game-winning goal on a penalty corner.
at Lafayette | Saturday, Noon | Live Stats
Lafayette is 6-6 overall after a 5-0 loss to Penn in its most recent game. The Leopards are 1-1 in the Patriot League with a loss to Boston University and a win over Lehigh. They rank second in the conference in assists per game (1.82), while Amanda Magadan ranks third in points with 17, including a league-leading nine goals. The junior has accounted for 37 percent of the team's goals this season
Lafayette leads 34-13-2 in the all-time series, but Bucknell has won each of the past two meetings by identical 2-1 scores. The teams are nearly dead even as far as the RPI is concerned, with the Bison ranking 38th and the Leopards coming in at 39th.
at Temple | Sunday, 1 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch Live ($)
Temple is 3-8 following a stretch of four straight losses, but three of those losses came to nationally-ranked opponents and the other to American. The Owls will play No. 2 Connecticut on Friday. Eleven of the team's 31 goals have come on penalty corners. Alyssa Delp is Temple's top offensive threat, ranking second in the Big East with 22 points on nine goals and four assists.
Temple leads 5-1 in the all-time series, including a 2-1 win at Bucknell last season. The Bison's win came via a 2-1 score in 2009. The teams are nearly even in RPI with the Owls ranking 43rd. They are also both 2-2 in games against common opponents, including wins over Saint Joseph's and Monmouth and losses to Penn State and Delaware.
