Saturday, November 9
Annapolis, MD
1 p.m.
Bucknell University
6-6-7
2
at
0
Navy (Patriot League Quarterfinals)
12-4-1
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2
F
Bucknell
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2
Navy
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Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
Men's Soccer Defeats Navy in Patriot League Quarterfinal Behind Thorsheim's Two Goals
11/9/2019 5:14:00 PM | Men's Soccer
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Bucknell University men's soccer team used a pair of goals on either side of halftime from First-Team All-Patriot League pick Matt Thorsheim and held on in the second half to earn a Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal win at No. 3 seeded Navy, 2-0, on Saturday afternoon. Luke Smith saved a penalty in the second half as the Bison held on for their fourth clean sheet in five Patriot League games.
The Bison, who snuck into the tournament as the six seed on the final day of competition, earned their first tournament win since a first-round win over Boston University in 2016. Bucknell also avenged a 2-0 loss to the Mids in Annapolis on Oct. 6 this season.
Bucknell only managed one shot in the first half, but it was an important one as Thorsheim was brought down in the box by a Navy defender after Cody Wax clipped in a threatening ball from the right side with 19:32 remaining in the first period. Thorsheim calmly stepped up and sent the Navy goalkeeper the wrong way, placing his shot on the right upper side of the net. The Mids outshot the Bison 6-1 in the first half, but a resilient Bucknell backline kept Navy off the board.
Bucknell doubled its lead in the 59th minute, when Thorsheim scored his seventh goal of the season on a long free kick that landed in the back post untouched. Thorsheim lined up from near the far corner of the penalty area as the ball curled and nestled into the far corner of the net. Of Thorsheim's seven goals this season, six have come from set pieces.
The homestanding Mids wouldn't go away quietly though, as Jacob Williams was brought down in the box with 28 minutes remaining in the contest. However, the freshman goalkeeper Smith was up to the task as he dove low to his left to save his second penalty kick this season, the third for Bucknell. Smith's other penalty kick save came in a 0-0 draw against Army in Lewisburg.
Navy threatened again shortly afterwards, after a corner kick was knocked down dangerously in the penalty area. Thorsheim, this time on the defensive end, made a huge impact as he moved off the post to boot the ball out of harm's way right as the ball was making its way into the goal. Bucknell held off a furious Navy rally in the final minutes as it defeated Navy for the first time in three matches. Bucknell and Navy have had a history with penalty kicks in the Patriot League Tournament, as the last time these two teams met, Bucknell advanced in a shootout in 2014.
It's been our team down the stretch here," said Head Coach Brendan Nash. "We always look to be solid defensively and get pressure on the ball. At halftime, we talked about trying to open things up and getting a second goal, and that helped us a lot down the stretch in the second half. Matt Thorsheim steps up in big games, he's carrying on that tradition that his brother Chris also had for us. He made the plays that were needed to be made. Luke Smith was huge in saving the penalty kick for us. Now we'll look ahead to playing a tough Lehigh team on Tuesday."
The Bison will now travel once again to Bethlehem for a matchup at top-seeded Lehigh for the second time in six days. The match against Lehigh was the only game where the Bison have allowed a goal in conference play in their last five games, after Bernie Wright's opening goal was equalized in the second half in a 1-1 draw. The match is scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff at the Ulrich Sports Complex on Tuesday evening.
The Bison, who snuck into the tournament as the six seed on the final day of competition, earned their first tournament win since a first-round win over Boston University in 2016. Bucknell also avenged a 2-0 loss to the Mids in Annapolis on Oct. 6 this season.
Bucknell only managed one shot in the first half, but it was an important one as Thorsheim was brought down in the box by a Navy defender after Cody Wax clipped in a threatening ball from the right side with 19:32 remaining in the first period. Thorsheim calmly stepped up and sent the Navy goalkeeper the wrong way, placing his shot on the right upper side of the net. The Mids outshot the Bison 6-1 in the first half, but a resilient Bucknell backline kept Navy off the board.
Bucknell doubled its lead in the 59th minute, when Thorsheim scored his seventh goal of the season on a long free kick that landed in the back post untouched. Thorsheim lined up from near the far corner of the penalty area as the ball curled and nestled into the far corner of the net. Of Thorsheim's seven goals this season, six have come from set pieces.
The homestanding Mids wouldn't go away quietly though, as Jacob Williams was brought down in the box with 28 minutes remaining in the contest. However, the freshman goalkeeper Smith was up to the task as he dove low to his left to save his second penalty kick this season, the third for Bucknell. Smith's other penalty kick save came in a 0-0 draw against Army in Lewisburg.
Navy threatened again shortly afterwards, after a corner kick was knocked down dangerously in the penalty area. Thorsheim, this time on the defensive end, made a huge impact as he moved off the post to boot the ball out of harm's way right as the ball was making its way into the goal. Bucknell held off a furious Navy rally in the final minutes as it defeated Navy for the first time in three matches. Bucknell and Navy have had a history with penalty kicks in the Patriot League Tournament, as the last time these two teams met, Bucknell advanced in a shootout in 2014.
It's been our team down the stretch here," said Head Coach Brendan Nash. "We always look to be solid defensively and get pressure on the ball. At halftime, we talked about trying to open things up and getting a second goal, and that helped us a lot down the stretch in the second half. Matt Thorsheim steps up in big games, he's carrying on that tradition that his brother Chris also had for us. He made the plays that were needed to be made. Luke Smith was huge in saving the penalty kick for us. Now we'll look ahead to playing a tough Lehigh team on Tuesday."
The Bison will now travel once again to Bethlehem for a matchup at top-seeded Lehigh for the second time in six days. The match against Lehigh was the only game where the Bison have allowed a goal in conference play in their last five games, after Bernie Wright's opening goal was equalized in the second half in a 1-1 draw. The match is scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff at the Ulrich Sports Complex on Tuesday evening.
Team Stats
BUCKNELL
NAVY
Goals
2
0
Shots
10
10
Shots on Goal
3
4
Saves
4
1
Corners
7
4
Fouls
16
6
Scoring Plays
Thorsheim, Matt (6)
BUCKNELL Thorsheim, Matt PENALTY KICK GOAL, goal number 6 for season.
25:28
Thorsheim, Matt (7)
9 free kick from just outside up right c
58:20
Game Leaders
Shots
3
SOG
2
Goals
2
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
GK
/ Men's SoccerMF
/ Men's Soccer
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