Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lehigh
Women's Lax Comeback Falls One Short as Bison Drop Regular-Season Finale at Lehigh, 12-11
4/29/2016 7:35:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Bucknell spotted Lehigh a 5-0 lead and trailed 8-2 at the half before mounting a spirited comeback, but it fell one goal short in a 12-11 defeat at Ulrich Sports Complex on Friday night. Eve Lukowski scored two goals and matched her career high with five assists, and Christina Manis tallied three goals and one assist for the Bison, who finished the regular season 10-7 overall and 4-5 in the Patriot League.
Bucknell will be the No. 6 seed in the Patriot League Tournament and will be on the road for a quarterfinal game on Tuesday against an opponent to be determined.
Emily Becker and Gretchen Richter added two goals apiece for the Bison, and Richter also had six draw controls.
Lauren Beausoleil scored five goals, and Allison LaBeau had four goals and an assist for Lehigh (12-4, 6-3 PL). The Mountain Hawks outshot the Bison 30-19 and led 20-8 in ground balls, while Bucknell led 15-10 in draw controls.
It was all Lehigh early, as Beausoleil scored twice in the 5-0 run to start the game. Bucknell got on the board at the 16:17 mark when Ally Furbay fed Manis on a draw break, but Beausoleil added two more in the final nine minutes of the half to make it 8-2 at the break.
Bucknell's comeback began right at the start of the opening half, as Richter's goal off a Lukowski assist just 65 seconds in kicked off a 4-0 Bison run in a span of just eight minutes. Lukowski had a hand in all four goals, assisting on three and scoring one of her own on a free-position shot. Becker's tally at 20:55 made it an 8-6 game.
The teams traded two-goal runs, and then with 5:08 to go Lehigh went up 12-9 on a LaBeau unassisted score.
But the Bison were not finished. Lukowski scored off a Manis feed with 4:48 left, and then after an Annie Gilbertson caused turnover, Lukowski returned the favor with an assist to Manis at 1:28, and it was a 12-11 game.
Bucknell never had a chance to tie, however, as Beausoleil collected the draw control and Lehigh ran out the clock.
The Bison received a big lift from reserve attacker Courtney Burke during the comeback. She scored her second goal of the season on an 8-meter shot to bring the Bison within 10-8.
Lukowski now has 32 goals and 32 assists for 64 points on the season. She moved into second place on Bucknell's single-season points chart, trailing only Carol Donohue's 71 in 2008. Becker upped her team-leading goal total to 39, moving her into the top 10 (T-8th) in program history.
With her six draw controls, Richter now has 160 in her career, tying her with Julia Braun for second on Bucknell's all-time list.
