Field Hockey Looks for Third Straight Win with Game at Monmouth on Sunday

Setting the Scene
What: Bucknell (4-3, 1-0 Patriot League) at Monmouth (7-1, 0-0 MAAC)
When: Sunday, Sept. 25 -- 1 p.m.
Where: “So Sweet a Cat” Field (West Long Branch, N.J.)
Live Stats: MonmouthHawks.com

About the Bison
* Bucknell is 4-3 following a pair of wins on the road. The Bison beat Lehigh 2-1 in the Patriot League opener for both teams, and followed that with a 3-2 overtime win at Quinnipiac.
* Junior Stephanie Dressler scored two goals and tallied two assists in the wins. Two of the goals, including the game-winner in overtime, and one of the assists came in the win over the Bobcats.
* The Bison are ranked 24^th in the first national RPI of the season.
* Sophomore Nicole Rupnik has scored three goals over the past four games. She scored once in games against Albany, Penn State and Lehigh. Rupnik has 10 goals through the first 26 games of her career.
* Freshman Brittany Willwerth ranks eighth in the Patriot League with four goals and 10^th with nine points.
* Junior goalkeeper Emily Finn ranks second in the league in saves per game (7.57).
* Seniors Amy Mucelli and Emily Goodloe have each notched a defensive save this season.

Scouting Monmouth
* Monmouth is 7-1 after wins over Saint Joseph's and Temple. The Hawks lone loss of the season came against then-No. 19 Iowa.
* The Hawks will play Drexel on Friday night.
* Monmouth has four shutouts on the season, winning those games by a combined score of 13-0.
* Alyssa Ecolino leads the MAAC with 17 points on seven goals and three assists.

Series History with Monmouth
* Bucknell leads the all-time series 8-2. The teams first met in 1998.
* The Bison have won three straight, including a 3-1 win in 2014 and a 2-1 victory in 2015.
* Nicole Rupnik scored the game-winner on an assist from Emma Fitzgerald in a 2-1 Bucknell win last season.
* The Bison have won the past three meetings by a combined 13-4 score.

League Notes
* Bucknell, American and Boston University all opened league play with a win. Lafayette has yet to play a conference opponent.
* Four Patriot League teams – Boston University (12^th), American (19^th), Lafayette (23^rd), and Bucknell (24^th) – are ranked in the top 25 of the first national RPI.
* Boston University is ranked ninth in the nation.

Up Next
* Bucknell follows its game with Monmouth with a huge weekend of play. The Bison will host American in a key conference matchup on Saturday, Oct. 2, and will then welcome the No. 1 ranked team in the country and defending national champion Syracuse to Graham Field on Sunday, Oct. 2.