Bucknell University Athletics
Men's Soccer Hosts Delaware, Visits St. Bonaventure this Weekend
8/25/2016 11:36:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Setting the Scene (Friday, 8/26)
What: Bucknell (0-0, 0-0 Patriot League) vs. Delaware (0-0, 0-0 CAA)
Where: Emmitt Field, Lewisburg, Pa.
Webcast: Patriot League Network
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com
(Sunday, 8/28)
What: Bucknell at St. Bonaventure (0-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Where: Marra Athletics Field Complex, Bonaventure, N.Y.
Webcast: N/A
Live Statistics: GoBonnies.com
About the Bison
>> Bucknell was picked sixth in the Patriot League Preseason Coaches' Poll.
>> Sebastiaan Blickman, Peter Krebs and Zack Rockmore are tri-captains for the 2016 season.
>> Blickman returns as the team's leading scorer. Last season, Blickman recorded six goals and three assists for 15 points. Rockmore posted four goals and one assist for nine points, while earning All-Patriot League honors.
>> The Bison finished 7-7-5 last year, finishing the year 4-1-1 and earning a spot in the Patriot League Tournament for the fourth consecutive season.
Scouting Delaware
>> Delaware was picked to finish second in the CAA, earning 55 points and one first place vote.
>> Seniors Guillermo Delgado and Thomas de Villardi along with junior Thibault Phillippe were selected to the All-CAA Preseason Team.
>> Delgado, UD's first three-time All-American, finished with 10 goals last season and ranks second in program history with 85 careers points and 37 goals.
>> The Blue Hens finished 10-7-4 overall last year, reaching the CAA Tournament title game for the third straight season.
Scouting St. Bonaventure
>> St. Bonaventure will host the Bison following its contest Friday at Hartwick.
>> The Bonnies return Kosi Nwafornso, who earned a spot on the A-10 All-Rookie Team. The sophomore started 15 games last season, scoring a team-high four goals.
>> St. Bonaventure finished 2-16-1 in 2015, with one win coming in non-conference action.
Series History
>> The Bison are 37-16-4 all-time against the Blue Hens dating back to 1932. Bucknell has won the last four meetings, including a 2-1 overtime victory in 1995.
>> Bucknell is 1-1-1 all-time against the Bonnies, winning the previous matchup by a 3-1 margin in 1996.
Up Next
>> Bucknell returns to the pitch Sept. 2 to compete in the Peter Baldwin Memorial Classic, hosted by the University of Vermont. The Bison will take on LIU Brooklyn, followed by Sacred Heart on Sept. 4.
Below is a more in-depth season preview.
Brendan Nash is entering his 18th season as head coach of the Bucknell men's soccer program, and for the first time in a few years, he enters a season not sure what his team will look like in 2016. He knows it will be a younger team, with the loss of six players from one of the top senior classes in team history to graduation and 10 incoming freshmen, leaving Nash with the task of showing his youth the Bucknell way.
“Each year, you're going to change because of graduation,” said Nash, who is Bucknell's second-longest tenured soccer coach. “We had guys in very important positions that played for four years. This year, it's a lot more on the job training. It's going to be a major adjustment for our team this year.”
Last season, Bucknell finished 7-7-5 and 3-3-3 in the Patriot League. The Bison secured a spot in the Patriot League Tournament for the fourth-straight season as the fifth seed, but was knocked out in the quarterfinal round by fourth-seeded Lehigh.
Seniors Sebastiaan Blickman, Peter Krebs and Zack Rockmore, an All-Patriot League honoree in 2015, will serve as tri-captains this season.
Taking a look at the Bison personnel from back to front, there will be a new face in goal for Bucknell in 2016. The team lost goalkeepers Mike Lansing and Clarke Fox to graduation, and will look to freshmen Emmet Witmer and Tyler Marchiano to man the position.
“We were spoiled in goal with Mike and Clarke for the last four years,” said Nash, who will be joined on the sidelines by former Bison standout Ross Liberati, Pete Ellis and Connor Klekota. “Now we go to a situation where as a coach you get nervous, because they're freshmen. It's not the ideal situation, but we've had freshmen playing there before. They know it's a position that's up for grabs, so they have to be sharp every day, train every day and compete every day.”
The back line is expected to be the strength of the team this upcoming season. Bucknell returns veteran defenders Adam Bradshaw, Krebs, Rockmore and Dan Bank, while Tyler Peterson enjoyed a successful rookie season. Providing depth at the position are Dany Teran and Nick Sia, along with freshmen Bernie Wright and Quinn Bredin.
“We feel our strength is going to be our back line, said Nash. “Adam came along pretty well, while Zack and Peter are captains in the back. As a team, we always build from the back forward. We want to have senior leadership back there, depth back there, and guys that have played in the past before.”
Bucknell will be missing a familiar face in the midfield this year in Chris Thorsheim, who left his mark in his four years as a Bison student-athlete. The Bison return several midfielders from a season ago, highlighted by seniors Blickman, the Patriot League Tournament MVP when the Bison won the championship in 2014, Austin Lenart and Andrew Leischner. The trio combined to tally 25 points in 2015.
“We're going to have depth in the midfield, said Nash. “We have to figure out which is the best formation to play and what's the best personnel to play. Austin has been a starter for his four years here, while Sebastiaan has been in and out of the starting lineup throughout his four years. Andrew has also played his whole entire career here at Bucknell.”
Nash is very high on first-year midfielder Nick King, who he expects to see on the field very quickly. King brings an impressive resume to Bucknell, as the Mattawan, Michigan native was a three-time All-State, All-Region, All-District selection and was three-time All-SMAC Conference honoree.
Returning to the midfield group are Crispin Muessle, Jack Zollicoffer and Stefan Krystman, while welcoming first-year players Daniel Hallowell, Patrick Mahoney and Cody Wax.
“We could use anywhere from five to nine midfielders in the beginning of the year,” said Nash. “We want hard-working guys in there that are going to make it difficult for the opponent.”
With the loss of former standout Jesse Klug to graduation, perhaps the position most up for grabs is at forward. Bucknell returns senior Justin Galiani, who appeared in all 19 matches and recorded five assists, which ranked 10th in the Patriot League. Joining Galiani at forward are junior Ben Derleth and freshman Ari Rosenzweig. The lack of depth at the position will call on Nash to be creative with his lineups.
“The forward spot is the great unknown for us,” said Nash. “Justin is the returning guy, but played a reserve role to Jesse the last two years. Whether we play with one forward or two forwards will be contingent on how our midfielders play.”
Bucknell has a challenging non-conference schedule in 2016, which includes tournaments hosted by Vermont and Duquesne in September. The Bison have home non-conference dates with Delaware, Fairleigh Dickinson and Howard, while traveling to Saint Francis (Pa.) and Binghamton.
“Whenever we try to set up our non-conference schedule, we try to base it on our team, where we think we're going to be competitive, and play teams that are going to challenge us for the Patriot League season,” said Nash. “We try to play teams that have been in the NCAA Tournament or going to compete in the NCAA Tournament so we know what the benchmark is.”
The Patriot League schedule begins Sept. 24 when the Bison host Boston University. Lafayette, American and Lehigh will also visit Emmitt Field this season.
The Patriot League Tournament is slated to begin with the first round on Nov. 8, followed by the semifinals on Nov. 11 and the championship game on Nov. 13. The top six teams will qualify for the postseason tournament, with the top two seeds earning quarterfinal byes. The No. 1 seed will host the semifinal and championship, with the tournament champion receiving an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
