Saturday, October 19
Annapolis, Md.
11 a.m.
Bucknell University
at
Navy
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
Women's Soccer Heads to Navy Saturday for Clash Between League's Top Two Sides
10/17/2019 3:42:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Setting the Scene
Who: Bucknell (5-9-0, 3-2-0 PL) at Navy (12-2-1, 3-1-1 PL)
When: Saturday, Oct. 19, 11 a.m.
Where: Glenn Warner Soccer Facility, Annapolis, Md.
Live Stats: NavySports.com
About the Bison
About Navy/Series History
Up Next
Who: Bucknell (5-9-0, 3-2-0 PL) at Navy (12-2-1, 3-1-1 PL)
When: Saturday, Oct. 19, 11 a.m.
Where: Glenn Warner Soccer Facility, Annapolis, Md.
Live Stats: NavySports.com
About the Bison
- The top two teams in the Patriot League standings clash on Saturday morning when second-place Bucknell visits first-place Navy at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
- Bucknell snapped a three-match losing streak with a big win at Colgate last Saturday. The Bison scored first in each of those three losses to Lehigh, Army and Columbia, but this time they were able to make Jenna Marek's 34th-minute goal hold up with some outstanding defense in the second half.
- While the Bison picked up three big points on the road at Colgate, Navy was upset at Holy Cross by a 1-0 count, which tightened the Patriot League table considerably. Navy still has the lead with 10 points, but Bucknell is just one point back. Loyola (8), Lafayette (8), Holy Cross (7), Boston University (7) and Army (7) are all within three points of the lead. The final four rounds of league play are set up for some high drama.
- Marek sat out the mid-week game against Columbia last week due to injury, and then she came on as a substitute late in the first half at Colgate. Five minutes after jumping into the fray, she headed in what proved to be the winning goal. Marek, who now has six career tallies, was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.
- Bucknell's 13 goals this season have come from nine different players. Gabby Bair leads the way with three goals, and Chloe Christakos and Abby Gearhart have two each.
- Seven freshmen have started at least one game and five have registered at least one point for the Bison this season.
- Senior midfielder/defender Ali Russo has played all 1,286 minutes this season. Russo, in her second year as team captain, has played in 73 career games with 71 starts to lead all active Bison players.
- The Bison average a league-best 5.79 corner kicks per game.
- Head coach Kelly Cook is in her fifth season in Lewisburg. Cook has a 51-36-6 overall record and a 29-10-2 mark against Patriot League competition. Cook's .581 winning percentage is the highest in team history, and she needs one more wins to catch Toby Lovecchio for third-most in program history.
- Bucknell has finished .500 or better in Patriot League play in each of the last six seasons. The Bison have also qualified for the Patriot League Tournament in each of those six seasons and 21 times overall. The 21 PL postseason appearances is tied with Navy for second-most in league history, trailing only Colgate with 26. Bucknell has advanced to the championship game six times and is 4-2 in those appearances, with the league titles coming in 2001, 2005, 2016 and 2017.
- Bucknell was picked tied for fifth (with Army West Point) in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. Boston University was selected as the preseason favorite, followed by Colgate, Navy and Lehigh.
About Navy/Series History
- The Mids have scored the most goals (22) and allowed the fewest goals (7) in the Patriot League this season.
- Prior to last week's loss to Holy Cross, Navy's only other setback was a 1-0 double-overtime loss to LSU back on Aug. 25.
- In league play, Navy owns 1-0 wins over Colgate, Army and Lehigh, a 1-1 draw with Lafayette, and the 1-0 loss to Holy Cross.
- The Mids rebounded from that loss in Worcester with a 1-0 victory at Delaware State on Monday.
- Basely McClaskey and Carolyn Mang lead the Mids with three goals apiece. Four others have two, and McClaskey leads the squad with four assists.
- Sydney Fortson is Navy's primary goalkeeper. She has a .788 save percentage and a 0.57 goals-against average in 12 starts. Thanks to a tight defense in front of her, Fortson has only been needed for 2.2 saves per game, but she is tied for the league lead with six shutouts.
- Bucknell and Navy have met 30 times dating back to 1994. The Mids lead the all-time series 17-11-2, including a 3-0 verdict in Lewisburg last season.
- The Bison have won three of the last five meetings, with two of those victories coming in postseason play. Bucknell won 3-0 in the 2015 Patriot League Tournament semifinals in Boston, and then two years later the Bison went to Annapolis and knocked off the top-seeded Mids 3-2 in the league title game. Kendall Ham's memorable hat trick in the opening 21 minutes of the match set the stage for the Bucknell victory.
- No current Bison has scored against Navy, although Ali Russo has one assist. Bucknell's last five goals, and six of its last nine, against Navy were scored by Ham.
Up Next
- After the Navy game, the Bison return to Lewisburg for two big games at Graham Field next week. Bucknell hosts Loyola on Wednesday night, and then American is in town Saturday at 1 p.m. for Senior Day.
Players Mentioned
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