Klug, Rockmore Earn Weekly Honors as Bison Prep for Tourney Date with Lehigh

11/9/2015 5:23:00 PM | Men's Soccer

By: TBD

Bucknell vs. Lehigh: Watch Live | Live Stats

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Striker Jesse Klug and center back Zack Rockmore played starring roles in Bucknell's critical 4-0 victory over Army West Point on Saturday, and both have earned honors for their efforts. Rockmore was picked as the Corvias Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week, while Klug was named Corvias Offensive Player of the Week as well as the 5th Quarter Fresh Bison Athlete of the Week.

Bucknell entered Saturday's Senior Day contest against the Black Knights needing the full three points to earn one of the six spots in the Patriot League Tournament. Klug helped erase any doubt early in the contest. He took down a long cross into the box from Connor Willings and scored the game's opening goal 11:13 into the match. Only 2:30 later, Klug's nifty back pass connected with Sebastiaan Blickman for another tally to make it 2-0. The Bison would go on to score again in the 28th and 48th minutes to secure a postseason berth for the fourth year in a row.

Klug missed six of Bucknell's 18 games due to a broken foot, but he still ended the regular season as the league's No. 7 point-producer with 17 points on five goals and seven assists. He had a goal and five assists in the last three games of the season. The Bison got seven points out of those three key matches, which were just enough to keep the campaign going.

While Bucknell hit the back of the net four times, at the other end of the field the defense kept Army Black Knights at bay. With Rockmore holding down the center of the back line, the Bison limited Army West Point to seven total shots and just one on goal, an attempt from distance that Clarke Fox easily corralled.

Rockmore, who earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors earlier in the day, also scored Bucknell's fourth goal of the game, a running header off a corner kick from Adam Bradshaw. It was Rockmore's fourth goal of the season.

Also on Monday, leading scorer Chris Thorsheim earned First Team All-Patriot League honors. It was his fourth career All-PL citation and his third straight year on the First Team. Thorsheim ranks second in the league with eight goals and 22 points.

Bucknell will be the No. 5 seed in the Patriot League Tournament, which sets up a quarterfinal match against No. 4 Lehigh on Tuesday night at the Ulrich Sports Complex. One year ago, Bucknell was also seeded fifth and started the postseason at Lehigh, and the Bison went on to win the championship.

The two teams met just over a week ago, on Oct. 31 in Bethlehem, and played to a 1-1 draw. Lehigh scored first on a ninth-minute tally by Gianfranco Giammatteo, but the Bison equalized in the 52nd minute with Klug setting up Blickman for a strike from the top of the 18.

Fox had a big night in goal for Bucknell. He made eight saves, including a handful of tough ones late in regulation and in overtime. Lehigh finished with a 30-16 shot advantage, but the Bison defense held strong and earned what proved to be a critical point on the road.

Lehigh (11-5-2, 5-3-1 PL) is one of the league's hottest teams entering the postseason. The Mountain Hawks closed out the regular season with a 2-2 draw at American on Saturday, snapping the Eagles' run of seven straight shutouts. Lehigh is now unbeaten in its last six matches (4-0-2), and it owns wins this season over the league's top two seeds in Colgate and Boston University.

Lehigh had four players earn All-Patriot League honors, including First Team fullback Justin Worley. Forward Jamie Luchini, who has seven goals and seven assists in 2015, was a Second Team pick, while eight-goal scorer Mark Forrest and midfielder Danny Gonzalez were Third Team selections.

Bucknell holds a slim 26-25-9 lead in the all-time series. In last year's Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals, the Bison rolled to a 4-0 win, with Thorsheim and Klug both scoring.

Colgate is the tournament host after securing the top seed with a win over Lafayette on Saturday. The Raiders and No. 2 Boston University will get byes into the semifinals. No. 6 Army West Point visits No. 3 American in the other quarterfinal matchup.

Bucknell's next victory would be the 500th in program history. If it comes on Tuesday, the Bison would be off to Hamilton, New York for a semifinal date on Friday with either Colgate or Boston U.

All Patriot League Tournament games can be seen live on the Patriot League Network.