Men's Soccer Travels to Navy for Second Time This Season for PL Quarterfinal Match

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell University men's soccer team will travel to Navy on Saturday for the Patriot League quarterfinals at 1 p.m.

Setting the Scene
What: #6 Bucknell (5-6-7, 2-2-5 PL) at #3 Navy (12-3-1, 5-3-1 PL)
Where: Annapolis, Md./Glenn Warner Soccer Facility
When: Saturday, Nov. 8, 1 p.m.
Watch: Patriot League Network
Live Stats: Navysports.com

About the Bison

Bucknell will return to Annapolis for the second time this season, falling to the then-unbeaten and 21^st ranked Mids, 2-0, on Oct. 6.
The game against Navy was the last time Bucknell has given up more than one goal in a contest.
Since that game, Bucknell has allowed just five goals over its next eight contests.
During that stretch, Bucknell did not allow a goal for 420 minutes in conference games.
Stefan Gollisz, Quinn Bredin, Trevor Wiggins, and Bernie Wright have all been involved defensively in contributing to the run of shutouts.
Bredin, who was selected to the All-Patriot League Second Team for the first time in his career, has started every game this season, playing every minute barring a 16-minute rest at Northeastern.
Bucknell finished the Patriot League season with five ties in conference play and seven overall, the most by the program in a single season in both categories.
Each one of those ties in Patriot League play proved useful, as Bucknell advanced to the Patriot League Quarterfinals by a single point.
Of Bucknell's eight overtime games this season, seven have gone the distance for a tie. The only outlier was at Holy Cross, in which Patrick O'Hara scored the game-winning goal in the 102^nd minute.
O'Hara on Thursday also became the first Bison player to be selected CoSIDA Academic All-District since 2015.
Matt Thorsheim was selected to the All-Patriot League First Team after scoring five goals and adding five assists this season.
Thorsheim became Bucknell's first All-Patriot League First Team selection since Zack Rockmore was selected to the First Team in 2016. The junior midfielder finished sixth in the Patriot League with 15 points.
Bernie Wright scored his first goal of the season against the Mountain Hawks in what proved to be enough for Bucknell to earn a point in Bethlehem. The goal by Wright was the earliest goal Bucknell has scored this season (5:49), and is one of just five that Bucknell have scored in the first half in 2019.
Bucknell is unbeaten (4-0-2) when scoring first this season.
Luke Smith continues to be a strong presence in goal for the Bison, ranking second in the Patriot League (0.64) behind Navy's Ian Bramblett (0.49). Smith's average also ranks 12^th in the country, and the native of Devon, Pa. is one of only four freshmen to rank in the top 20 in the NCAA rankings.

About Navy/Series History

The Mids started the season 11-0, but dropped three straight games in Patriot League play afterwards. However, Navy rebounded to defeat Lafayette in the final game of the regular season, 1-0 to claim the third seed.
Navy still ranks at the top of the Patriot League by a wide margin in goals allowed, only giving up eight all season. The Mids have earned ten shutouts in their 16 games in 2019, including a 2-0 win over the Bison on Oct. 6.
Offensively, sophomore Jacob Williams and junior Nicko West each lead the team with seven goals. West scored Navy's second in the win over Bucknell, after the two teams played a scoreless first 74 minutes.
Navy broke a close game open after scoring two goals within a 45-second period to take the win in the 75^th and 76^th minute.
The Mids registered seven shots on target to Bucknell's five in that contest.
The two teams have split their two matchups in the Patriot League Tournament. In 2014, the Bison tied Navy in regulation, winning a dramatic 5-4 penalty shootout in Boston to advance to the Championship game. That 2014 team ended up defeating host Boston University 3-2 in overtime to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Bucknell also lost a narrow 1-0 game to a Navy team ranked in multiple polls in the Patriot League semifinals in 2013 in Annapolis.

Men's Soccer Travels to Navy for Second Time This Season for PL Quarterfinal Match

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Quinn Bredin

Stefan Gollisz

Patrick O'Hara

Luke Smith

Matt Thorsheim

Trevor Wiggins

Bernie Wright

Men's Soccer Travels to Navy for Second Time This Season for PL Quarterfinal Match

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Quinn Bredin

Stefan Gollisz

Patrick O'Hara

Luke Smith

Matt Thorsheim

Trevor Wiggins

Bernie Wright

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