Bucknell University Athletics
Men's Soccer Kicks off Difficult Schedule this Weekend vs. La Salle, No. 15 Syracuse
8/27/2015 3:16:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Bucknell vs. La Salle & Syracuse: Live Stats | Live Webcast
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Brendan Nash says this year's non-conference schedule is the toughest in his 17 years as head coach of the Bucknell men's soccer team, and that challenging slate gets underway this weekend with a pair of home games against squads from the Atlantic-10 and Atlantic Coast Conference.
La Salle visits Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium for the 2015 opener on Friday at 7 p.m., and then 15th-ranked Syracuse comes in on Sunday at 7 p.m. Admission is free for both matches, and both can also be seen free of charge on the internet at PatriotLeague.TV.
For Friday's game, the first 500 fans will receive a free orange men's soccer t-shirt.
The Bison are the defending Patriot League champions, and they bring back eight starters from the 2014 squad that won its fourth league title in the last nine years. Bucknell has been training since Aug. 12, and the team had a pair of successful road scrimmages over the last two weeks. The Bison posted a 1-0 win at No. 13 Maryland and played Manhattan to a scoreless draw.
After finishing 7-9-3 overall and 3-3-2 in the conference, La Salle was picked ninth out of 13 teams in the preseason poll in the competitive A-10. Senior Joe Farrell, who is the son of Explorers head coach Pat Farrell, was a preseason All-A-10 selection. He scored the lone goal in La Salle's 1-0 victory over Bucknell last season in Philadelphia.
The Bison are 9-3-3 all-time against La Salle, including 2-1 wins in both 2012 and 2013. Current seniors Chris Thorsheim and Jesse Klug had the goals in the 2013 come-from-behind victory.
Sunday's opponent was one of the best teams in the country last season. Syracuse, which opens up at Hofstra on Friday night before traveling to Lewisburg, was ranked No. 1 nationally for the first time in school history in 2014. The Orange finished with a 16-4-1 record and won a share of the ACC Atlantic Division title. Syracuse advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, where it was knocked out by Georgetown.
Junior Chris Nanco is the Orange's top returning scorer. He totaled 12 points on five goals and two assists in 2014. Defensively, Syracuse will have to overcome the loss of Alex Bono, who was the 2014 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and the sixth overall pick in last year's MLS Draft.
Bucknell is 2-4-1 all-time against Syracuse in a series that dates back to 1938. The Bison's last series victory was a 1-0 verdict to clinch the title at the 2009 Mayor's Cup in Oneonta, New York. The two sides would not meet again until last October 21 in Syracuse, and the Orange, who were ranked No. 5 at the time, rolled to a 4-1 win. Then-freshman Ben Derleth, an upstate-New York native, scored his first collegiate goal for the Bison.
Following this weekend's home games, the Bison head back to Oneonta for their first Mayor's Cup appearance since that tournament victory in 2009. Bucknell will play host Hartwick in the Friday night affair, followed by a first-ever meeting with Northern Kentucky on Sunday.
Below is a more in-depth look at the Bison men's soccer team heading into the 2015 campaign:
For the fourth time in the last nine years, the Bucknell men's soccer team enters a season as the reigning Patriot League champion. A year ago, the Bison got hot at just the right time, sweeping Lehigh, Navy and Boston University to claim the title as the No. 5 seed. Eight starters and 23 of the 31 goals return from that team, but 17th-year head coach Brendan Nash cautions that the notion of defending a championship cannot not be a primary motivator for his side this season.
“'Repeat' is not a word that we talk about,” said Nash, who also guided the Bison to Patriot League titles in 2006, 2009 and 2010. “So many unexpected things happen every year in the Patriot League, and there are quality teams from top to bottom. You have to deal with the highs and lows that happen in the Patriot League every year. But throughout the preseason our attitudes have been good. The guys know success is a process that happens over three months.”
In preparation for the trials of Patriot League play, Nash has challenged his team with one of the toughest non-conference schedules in program history. The Bison earned a 1-0 win at No. 13 Maryland in an August exhibition match, and once the regular season begins they will face the likes of 15th-ranked Syracuse, 19th-ranked Xavier, Seton Hall, La Salle, Northern Kentucky, reigning Sun Belt champion Hartwick, and two of the top Northeast Conference teams in Saint Francis (Pa.) and Fairleigh Dickinson.
“We will be ready for Patriot League play,” Nash understated. American, which upset No. 1 UCLA last season, along with Navy and Boston University were all ranked in the national top-20 at times last season. Bucknell was picked third in the 2015 preseason poll, behind Navy and Boston University, while forward Jesse Klug, midfielder Chris Thorsheim, defender Zack Rockmore and goalkeeper Clarke Fox were all named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
While Fox ended last season as the starting netminder — he posted a 0.88 goals-against average and six shutouts in 14 starts — the Bison are fortunate to have two of the league's best in the senior class. Fox and Mike Lansing have both had moments of brilliance over the last three seasons, and Nash anticipates using both if necessary this fall.
“We know that goaltending is our best and deepest position,” said Nash. “It will be interesting to see how it plays out as far as if one of them claims the position or if we have the luxury of picking one based on the opponent. I am not at all worried about our goaltending.”
With Fox and Lansing in their final seasons, the Bison have brought in a highly touted keeper in Ryan Ott to apprentice this fall. A native of Syosset, New York, the 6'5” Ott was listed as the third-best recruit in the state and the 13th-best goalkeeper prospect in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Bucknell must replace two starters on the back line following the graduation of captain Brian Ward in the middle and Mark Leibensperger on the left side. Rockmore is back to full fitness after suffering an injury in last year's NCAA Tournament game at UNC Wilmington. In his first season with the Bison after transferring from Boston College, Rockmore finished 20 of his 22 starts and became a strong replacement for All-American Mayowa Alli at center back.
“Zack is the cornerstone of our back four,” said Nash. “We really benefit from his speed and strength, and it will be up to the other three to adapt to his leadership. We are looking to figure out how to get the right guys in the right spots for their strengths.”
Seniors Connor Willings and Mark Kramarchuk, junior Peter Krebs, sophomore Sterling Kirk, and freshmen Dany Teran and Tyler Peterson all have the ability to play either inside or outside. Junior Adam Bradshaw and sophomore Dan Bank are best-suited as outside backs.
Willings has been a utility player for the Bison, seeing significant minutes as a midfielder, outside back and center back. Even though Willings has 56 career appearances under his belt, Nash feels that he is capable of a breakout senior year.
The 6'4” Krebs was pressed into duty for seven starts as a freshman in 2013 but did not get into a game last season. He has looked good in preseason training, however, and may be back on the cusp of a prominent role.
An interesting addition this season is Kirk, a sophomore who was not active a year ago due to a foot injury, although he did participate in the spring. Kirk came back in tremendous shape, and Nash says he is the team's fastest field player.
Bank was the regular starter at right back last season, while Bradshaw has seen time at left wing and left back.
Parked in front of the back four is a pair of tall, athletic defensive midfielders in junior Sebastiaan Blickman and sophomore Jack Zollicoffer. Blickman was one of Bucknell's 2014 postseason heroes, as he scored two goals, including the overtime game-winner, in the championship game at Boston University. He has 29 starts over the last two campaigns.
Zollicoffer started the first six games as a freshman last season before going down with an injury. He returned late in the year and assisted on Blickman's dramatic golden goal in Boston. Freshman New Zealander Stefan Krystman is also in the mix at that position.
“Seb and Jack know how to take care of business back there,” said Nash. “They are still learning how to play together.”
Senior Patrick Figgie, who had two goals and two assists last season, and junior Austin Lenart are the incumbent starters at the outside midfield spots. Junior Crispin Muessle and sophomores Ben Derleth and Mike Moshier provide depth.
At attacking center mid, the Bison are fortunate to have one of the best around in Thorsheim. One of 30 Division I players named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list, Thorsheim is already a three-time All-Patriot League selection and a two-time all-region pick. He ranked second in the league with seven assists last season, and he has 12 goals and 12 assists entering his final campaign.
“Chris is doing a great job as a leader on the field,” said Nash. “He is a special talent, and he knows that we need to play through him in the center of the field.”
Junior Andrew Leischner, who has 38 appearances over the last two seasons, is pushing to step into a starting role. The Bison will need another scoring option in the attacking third after the graduation of captain Jonathan Grad, who scored some big goals over the last few seasons.
Klug is one of the premier goal-scorers in the region, and he will once again be the team's primary target up top. He ranked second in the conference in goals (11) and points (27) last year, and he enters his senior year ranked in the top 10 in program history with 24 goals and 60 points.
“Jesse is the best forward I've ever coached,” praised Nash. “He can stretch the defense and has a nose for the goal.”
Junior Justin Galiani is a big, strong, fast forward who could be on the verge of a breakout season. Newcomers Zander Perelman and Bryan Da Silva provide depth while they continue to learn the nuances of the collegiate game.
As the 2015 season nears, Nash knows that his team will go as far as his senior class takes it. With Fox and Lansing in goal, Willings and Kramarchuk in the back, Figgie and Thorsheim in the midfield, and Klug at striker, this is one of the most talented classes in Nash's tenure.
“This is a special group,” Nash said of his seniors. “They have been through the wars, and they are hungry for another shot in the NCAA Tournament. It is going to be so important how we deal with adversity. There is so much parity in the Patriot League, and we know there are going to be surprising results — both good and bad —and we are going to need our seniors to keep us on an even keel and get us through those tough moments.
“We would like to get out to a good start, but that is not our primary focus,” added Nash. “We want to get people in the right spots to play the way we want to play by the end of the year.”
That formula led to a championship a year ago, and the Bison are working hard to reprise it in 2015.
