Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
#3 Maryland
Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Opens 2019 at No. 3 Maryland
1/29/2019 12:41:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
The Bison and Terrapins, who were ranked third in this season's first United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches' Poll and Inside Lacrosse Media Listing, are set to square off for the first time since 2006. In the last meeting between the teams, Bucknell scored a stunning double overtime upset of top-ranked Maryland in College Park.
The complete game notes can be viewed here.
Bucknell (0-0, 0-0 Patriot League) vs. No. 3 Maryland (0-0, 0-0 B1G)
When: Saturday, Feb. 2 – 1 p.m.
Where: Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium – College Park, Md.
Internet Video: BTN2Go.com ($)
Live Stats: UMTerps.com
Tickets: UMTerps.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX
Bucknell at a Glance
• In 2018, Bucknell finished 11-4 overall and captured a share of the Patriot League regular-season title by going 7-1 in conference action.
• The Bison reached the double digits in victories for the sixth time in Frank Fedorjaka's tenure as head coach and most notably knocked off eventual national champion Yale (9-8 OT) and then No. 6 Loyola (12-11) on the road. They rose as high as 10th in both the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches' Poll and Inside Lacrosse Maverik Media Listing, their best national ranking since the 2013 campaign.
• Bucknell will need to replace 57 percent of its total goals, and 62 percent of its overall point production, from a year ago due to the loss of Will Sands (20g-55a), Sean O'Brien (42g-5a) and Connor O'Hara (37g-8a) to graduation.
• The Bison, who also graduated their starting three close defenders from 2018, were selected to finish sixth in the Patriot League based on a vote by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
• Bucknell's captains are seniors Ryan Durkin, Christian Klipstein, Reed Malas and Jarett Witzal. The four first-time captains will lead a team featuring 26 underclassmen.
• Malas represented the Bison on the 2019 Preseason All-Patriot League Team. A year ago, he finished second to Sands in assists (12) and fourth to the "Big Three" of Sands, O'Brien and O'Hara in points (34).
• Malas is one of three seniors projected to start at midfield, joining Durkin and Tom Smith. Durkin missed the majority of 2018 due to injury while Smith was sensation in Bucknell's final three games of that campaign, recording 14 of his 26 points, and 12 of his 21 goals.
• Klipstein is a three-year starter in the cage. An All-Patriot League Second Team goalie in 2017 and 2016, he enters his final campaign in Lewisburg needing 91 saves to become the seventh Bison with at least 500 in his career. He posted a goals against average south of 10 in 2016 (8.41) and 2018 (9.11), with his best single-season save percentage of .579 coming as a freshman.
• Witzal enters his final year in Lewisburg as the Bucknell record holder in career faceoff wins (455), single-season faceoff wins (171, 2016), single-game faceoff wins (22, 2016) and single-season faceoff percentage (.6173, 2016).
• Sophomore Tommy Sopko is the lone returning attacker with starting experience. A year ago, he was the only underclassmen to start all 15 games, placing third on the team in goals (24) and fifth in points (30).
• The Bison will face a grueling non-conference schedule in 2019. They open their 52nd campaign on Saturday, February 2 at Maryland, which reached the NCAA title game three years in a row from 2015 to 2017, winning the 2017 edition. They will also face off against Ohio State, the 2017 NCAA runner-up, and North Carolina, the 2016 NCAA champion.
• A full season preview can be viewed here.
No. 3 Maryland at a Glance
• The Terrapins were ranked third in the first United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches' Poll and Inside Lacrosse Media Listing of the 2019 campaign.
• Maryland went 14-4 (4-1 B1G) in 2018. The Terrapins advanced to the NCAA semifinals for the fifth-consecutive season under John Tillman, who boasts a 20-7 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament.
• Maryland won the 2017 NCAA Championship, finishing that campaign with a 16-3 (4-1 B1G) record. In both 2016 and 2015, the Terrapins were the NCAA runners-up, falling to North Carolina and Denver respectively.
• Maryland returns two USILA All-Americans in attacker Jared Bernhardt and defenseman Curtis Corley. The Terrapins's biggest loss to graduation is midfielder Connor Kelly, who led the team in goals (46), assists (36) and points (82) a year ago en route to becoming the third Tewaaraton finalist in Maryland history.
• The Terrapins led the country in RPI each of the past three seasons. Their 2019 schedule features 10 teams that were ranked inside the final 2018 Inside Lacrosse Maverick Media Poll's top 20.
The Bucknell/Maryland Series
• Maryland leads an all-time series that dates back to 1981, 7-1. Seven of those meetings came in a row between 2000 and 2006.
• In their most recent contest on March 14, 2006, the Bison scored a stunning double overtime upset of the top-ranked Terrapins in College Park.
• Joe Mele netted a hat trick, which included the game-winning goal with nine seconds remaining in double overtime, to lift Bucknell to a 7-6 victory that shocked the lacrosse world.
• Matt Baran made 14 saves, with seven coming in the fourth quarter and overtimes.
• Freshmen accounted for five of the Bison's seven goals. Another tally came from a sophomore who was in his first year in the program.
• It was Bucknell's first victory over a top-ranked team in program history.
• Maryland is one of three top-three opponents the Bison have knocked off with a golden goal. On March 12, 2005, they toppled then No. 2 Navy, 8-7, on a Patrick Christensen extra-man strike 51 seconds into overtime; at the time, the Midshipmen, 2004 NCAA finalists, were the highest ranked opponent Bucknell had ever upset. Last season, on April 4, Sean O'Brien lifted the Bison to a 9-8 overtime upset at then No. 3 Yale, the eventual NCAA champions.
Bison All-Patriot League Selections
• Bucknell returns two All-Patriot League players in goalie Christian Klipstein (2nd in '17 & '16) and midfielder Reed Malas (2nd in '18).
• The Bison lost five of their six 2018 all-league honorees: attacker Will Sands (1st), midfielder Sean O'Brien (1st), defenseman Benny Borgognone (2nd), defenseman Matt Gilray (2nd) and attacker Connor O'Hara (2nd).
• Sands and O'Brien were also recognized as USILA All-Americans, with Sands making the third team and O'Brien garnering honorable mention accolades. Sands joined David Dickson (2013, 3rd), Billy Eisenreich (2012, 3rd), Chris Cara (2005, 3rd), Peter von Hoffman (1979, 3rd), Lou Kissling (1970, 3rd), Ed Farver (1969, 1st) and Jim McKee (1969, 2nd) as Bison who were tabbed to USILA's All-America First, Second or Third Team. Five members of that group have been inducted into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame.
School Record Holders on the 2019 Roster
• Jarett Witzal: Career Face-off Wins (455), Season Face-off Wins (171, 2016), Game Face-off Wins (22, 2016 vs. Lehigh), Season Face-off Winning Percentage (.6173, 2016), Career Face-off Attempts (839), Season Face-off Attempts (325, 18)
Milestone Watch
• Christian Klipstein: Needs 22 saves to move into eighth in school history with 431
• Christian Klipstein: Needs 91 saves to become the seventh Bison with 500 in his career
• Jarett Witzal: Needs 20 ground balls to become the third Bison with 200 in his career
Bucknell in the 2018 National Polls
• The Bison were ranked 16th in the final Inside Lacrosse Maverik Media Listing, and 17th in the final United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches' Poll, of the 2018 campaign.
• Fresh off of capturing a share of the 2018 Patriot League regular-season title, Bucknell entered the national top 10 for the first time since the 2013 campaign on April 23.
• The Bison, who wrapped up the regular season with an 11-3 (7-1 Patriot League) record, moved to 10th in both the USILA Coaches' Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Maverik Media Listing.
• Bucknell last appeared in the national top 10 on March 25, 2013 following thrilling road victories over then No. 2 Cornell (9-8) and No. 20 Albany (18-12). The Bison were listed sixth in that week's Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, which remains their highest ranking in program history, and seventh in the USILA Coaches' Poll.
Week USILA Inside Lacrosse
Feb. 26 20 -
Mar. 26 16 18
Apr. 2 14 14
Apr. 9 12 11
Apr. 16 11 12
Apr. 23 10 10
Apr. 30 14 15
Final 17 16
Bucknell Captures Ninth Patriot League Regular-Season Title
• In 2018, Bucknell captured its ninth Patriot League regular-season crown.
• The Bison previously won the regular-season title in 1996 (5-0), 2000 (5-1), 2001 (6-0), 2002 (5-1), 2003 (5-1), 2005 (5-1), 2009 (6-0) and 2011 (6-0). It was the fifth time they shared the crown; they claimed it outright with their undefeated league records in 1996, 2001, 2009 and 2011.
• Bucknell's seven Patriot League wins represent its highest total in program history. With the additions of Loyola and Boston University, the league's regular season expanded to eight games in 2014. Before the 2018 campaign, the Bison had never won more than five Patriot League games since those squads joined the league.
Head Coach Frank Fedorjaka
• Frank Fedorjaka took over as the Bucknell head men's lacrosse coach in 2006 when he succeeded longtime mentor Sid Jamieson. Now in his 14th season at the helm of the program, he has fashioned a stellar 122-74 (.622) record, including a 57-31 (.648) Patriot League ledger.
• At the end of the 2018 regular season, Fedorjaka was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. He was previously named the Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2011. In 2009, the Bison won the Patriot League regular-season crown with a 6-0 record; the 2011 squad captured both the regular-season and tournament titles, advancing to Bucknell's second NCAA Tournament in program history.
• The Bison have won nine or more games in nine of Fedorjaka's 13 seasons, including a program-record 14 in 2011, 12 in 2013 and 11 in 2018.
• Including a five-year stint as head coach at Franklin & Marshall from 1994 to 1998, Fedorjaka has a 161-105 (.605) lifetime record.
Bucknell in the Patriot League Tournament
• Bucknell has appeared in 12 of the past 14 Patriot League Tournaments, including 10 in a row from 2007 to 2016.
• After suffering championship-game losses in 2008 and 2009, the Bison won their first Patriot League Tournament title in 2011 behind convincing victories over Lehigh and Colgate.
• In 2013, the Bison again advanced to the Patriot League championship game, where they fell to top-seeded Lehigh.
• Bucknell is 7-12 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament.
• Because of the goal differential between the three co-champions, the Bison were seeded third in the 2018 Patriot League Tournament; on April 25, they were upset in the quarterfinals by sixth-seeded Boston University, 12-11, at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
Bucknell in the NCAA Tournament
• The Bison appeared in the 2001 and 2011 editions after securing an automatic bid as the Patriot League champion.
• In 2001, Bucknell played fifth-seeded Notre Dame in its first NCAA Tournament game at Army West Point's Michie Stadium. The Fighting Irish used a 6-0 run to turn a 2-2 deadlock into an 8-2 advantage 39 seconds into the third quarter and never looked back, ultimately winning by 12-7 margin.
• In 2011, the Bison were minutes away from their first NCAA Tournament win in program history, but seventh-seeded Virginia scored twice in the final 2:32 of regulation to force overtime. Then, Matt White found the back of the net 1:27 into the extra frame to lift the host Cavaliers to a stunning 13-12 verdict at a rainy Klockner Stadium.
• Against Virginia, Bucknell finished with a 47-30 shot advantage, went 18-for-19 on clears, won 15 of 29 face-offs and committed only eight turnovers. Billy Eisenreich and Ryan Klipstein, the older brother of current Bison goalkeeper Christian Klipstein, each posted four points (2g-2a) while Charlie Streep and Todd Heritage added hat tricks.
Bison in the 2018 MLL and NLL Drafts
• A school record four Bison were selected in the 2018 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft on April 18.
• Attacker Will Sands became Bucknell's second-highest draft pick when he was chosen by the Boston Cannons with the first selection of the third round, 19th overall.
• Later in the evening, midfielder Sean O'Brien was taken by the Dallas Rattlers (5th round, 37th overall) while defenseman Matt Gilray (5th round, 44th overall) and attacker Connor O'Hara (6th round, 53rd overall) were both selected by the Denver Outlaws.
• Sands was the Bison's highest draft pick since there were at least eight teams in the MLL. Chris Cara was chosen 14th by the Long Island Lizards in the 2005 edition, back when there were only six teams in the league. Billy Eisenreich is Bucknell's only other third rounder; he was taken by the Ohio Machine 21st overall in 2012.
• Previously, the most Bison selected in a single draft was two. Charlie Streep, who was selected 52nd overall by the Long Island Lizards, was in Eisenreich's draft class.
• A total of 13 Bison have become MLL Draft picks since the league was founded in 2001. A least one Bison has heard his name called in six of the past seven drafts.
• On Sept. 25, Gilray was selected by the Buffalo Bandits third overall in the 2018 National Lacrosse League Draft. The versatile Gilray, who played close defense, long-stick midfield and short-stick defensive midfield over the course of his collegiate career, helped Canada finish second at the 2018 FIL Men's Lacrosse World Championship, which was held July 12-21 in Netanya, Israel.
Sands Nominated for 2018 Tewaaraton Award
• Senior attacker Will Sands was selected as one of 25 nominees for the 2018 Tewaaraton Award. He was one of three Patriot League players among the 25 Tewaaraton Award nominees, joining Loyola's Foster Huggins and Pat Spencer.
• Sands was the first Bison since 2012 to be listed among the top 25 nominees for this prestigious award, which honors the top male and female collegiate lacrosse players in the United States.
• Over the course of the campaign, Sands reached a number of career milestones. He became the third Bison to eclipse the 200-point plateau, the fifth to register at least 100 assists and the sixth to net his 100th career goal. His career total of 243 points, which came on 102 goals and a school-record 141 assists, is second in Bucknell's 50-year history.
• Sands was honored as a 2018 Third Team All-American by the USILA and Inside Lacrosse. A two-time member of the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, he was also recognized on the 2018 and 2017 All-Patriot League First and Academic Teams and the 2016 All-Patriot League Second and Tournament Teams.
• Sands registered at least one point in all 15 of Bucknell's games, notching at least five in six. He topped out at 10 points (3g-7a) against Boston University on March 17, which was one shy of the Bison single-game record.
• Before Sands, Billy Eisenreich was the last Bison to make the cut from the top 50 to the top 25 for the Tewaaraton Award. In 2012, his senior season, Eisenreich registered 66 points on 34 goals and 32 assists. His point total is tied for fifth in school history, and he is one of only three Bison who recorded at least 30 goals and 30 assists in the same season.
A Look Ahead
• The Bison host Bryant on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. for their home opener at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
