Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Holy Cross
Men?s Soccer Earns First League Win Saturday at Holy Cross, 2-1
10/1/2016 4:49:00 PM | Men's Soccer
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Bucknell men's soccer team earned its first Patriot League victory Saturday with a 2-1 win at Holy Cross at Smith Soccer Stadium. Sebastiaan Blickman and Crispin Muessle each found the back of the net as the Bison improve to 3-6-2 overall and 1-0-1 in the Patriot League.
Bucknell battled through slick field conditions with rainfall throughout the afternoon, en route to picking up three points in the league standings. With the win, the Bison improve to 12-9-6 all-time against the Crusaders and remain unbeaten against the conference foe for the eighth straight meeting (5-0-3).
The Bison wasted no time getting on the board, taking a 1-0 lead just 54 seconds into the game. Blickman, a native of Massachusetts, scored off a rebound from five yards out after an initial shot from Nick King off a corner from Adam Bradshaw bounced off the post.
Bucknell's defense turned away four shots in the opening half before Holy Cross scored the equalizer in the 39th minute. Joey DeVivo scored on a free kick following a Bucknell foul just outside the 18-yard box.
Crispin Muessle gave the Bison the lead for good in the 76th minute. Blickman blasted a shot from 30 yards out that was deflected off the back of Muessle and over the head of keeper Bobby Hurstak for his first goal of the year.
Holy Cross, who entered Saturday with a 5-1 record at Smith Soccer Stadium, put heavy pressure on the Bison back line in the second half, generating 11 shots and three corner kicks. Zack Rockmore and Tyler Peterson were solid, coming up with timely deflections throughout the contest.
Emmett Witmer finished with seven saves, with six of those stops coming in the final 45 minutes. The rookie made a diving grab to his left side in the 75th minute off a shot from DeVivo and made a flurry of grabs in the final two minutes of action.
“Today was a game where we showed that we just keep grinding,” said head coach Brendan Nash. “I talked to the guys about continuing to work hard and our luck will change. Today, we got some bounces to go our way. It builds our confidence going into a very important week.”
Bucknell returns to Lewisburg to host Lafayette Wednesday at Emmitt Field. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the match will broadcast on the Patriot League Network.
