Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Bryant
Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Hosts Bryant in Sunday Home Opener
2/4/2019 8:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Bryant (0-0, 0-0 NEC) vs. Bucknell (0-1, 0-0 Patriot League)
When: Sunday, Feb. 10 – 1 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Internet Video: Patriot League Network
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX
Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison are currently 0-1 after falling at No. 3 Maryland, 11-6, in their season opener on Feb. 2.
• 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'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 Will Sands in assists (12) and fourth to the "Big Three" of Sands, Sean O'Brien and Connor O'Hara in points (34). The "Big Three" was lost to graduation.
• Klipstein is a three-year starter in the cage. An All-Patriot League Second Team goalie in 2017 and 2016, he needs 81 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 is the Bucknell record holder in career faceoff wins (463), single-season faceoff wins (171, 2016), single-game faceoff wins (22, 2016) and single-season faceoff percentage (.6173, 2016).
• The Bison will face a grueling non-conference schedule in 2019. They opened their 52nd campaign on Feb. 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.
Inside the Maryland Box Score
• No. 3 Maryland used a big second half to power past Bucknell, 11-6, in the season opener for both teams on Feb. 2.
• After a back-and-forth opening half, the Terrapins scored four of the third quarter's five goals to turn a 5-3 halftime lead into a 9-4 advantage.
• While freshmen Matthew Barkauskas and Alston Tarry netted their first collegiate goals in a 30-second window early in the final frame to pull the Bison back within three, that was as close as they would come to closing the gap.
• Bucknell was paced offensively by Reed Malas (2g), Ryan Durkin (1g-1a) and Tarry (1g-1a).
• Christian Klipstein made 10 saves while Bryant Boswell and Jarett Witzal tied Maryland's Jared Bernhardt for the game-high total with four ground balls.
• Three Bison made their first career start: Barkauskas, Alec Talarico and Will Yorke. Talarico, a senior defenseman, had never before appeared in a game.
• The Bison got off to a strong start, keeping the Terrapins off the board for the first eight minutes of the contest. During that stretch, at the 13:07 mark, Malas opened the scoring by beating Danny Dolan with a side-armed strike.
• Overall, Maryland held leads in shots (35-32), shots on goal (21-17), ground balls (35-22) and faceoffs (13-8). The Terrapins moved to 8-1 all-time against Bucknell, who they were facing for the first time since 2006.
Category Leaders
• Goals: Reed Malas (2)
• Assists: Alston Tarry and Ryan Durkin (1)
• Points: Three tied (2)
• Shots: Reed Malas (10)
• Ground Balls: Bryant Boswell and Jarett Witzal (4)
• Caused Turnovers: Four tied (1)
• Face-Off Wins: Jarett Witzal (8)
• Face-Off Percentage: Jarett Witzal (.381)
• Save Percentage: Christian Klipstein (.476)
• Goals Against Average: Christian Klipstein (11.00)
• Saves: Christian Klipstein (10)
• Christian Klipstein: Needs 12 saves to move into eighth in school history with 431
• Christian Klipstein: Needs 81 saves to become the seventh Bison with 500 in his career
• Reed Malas: Needs eight goals to reach the 50-goal plateau
• Jarett Witzal: Needs 16 ground balls to become the third Bison with 200 in his career
Bryant at a Glance
• Bryant is set to open its 2019 campaign, its 20th in program history, at Bucknell.
• Bryant was selected to finish second in the NEC this season, based on a vote by the league's seven head coaches. The Bulldogs were slotted behind defending tournament champion Robert Morris.
• In 2018, Bryant posted an 8-7 (5-1 NEC) record. The second-seeded Bulldogs fell to Robert Morris, 12-5, in the NEC semifinals.
• Bryant returns three of its top five scorers from a year ago, including NEC Rookie of the Year Marc O'Rourke and All-NEC honoree Trevor Weingarten. Back on defense, the Bulldogs boast an All-NEC selection in Zach Coffey.
• The Bulldogs have won six of the past eight NEC regular-season titles. They own five tournament crowns.
• Bucknell leads the all-time series with Bryant, 5-1. The Bison and Bulldogs have met every season since 2013, and all but one of those game was decided by two or fewer goals.
• Last year, Bucknell outlasted Bryant, 14-12, at the Track & Turf Complex, bolstered by big offensive efforts by Will Sands (3g-5a) and Connor O'Hara (4g). In addition, shortstick defensive midfielder Matt Fedorjaka netted his first collegiate goal.
A Look Ahead
• The Bison host Richmond for the first time in program history on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. A year ago, the Bison and Spiders met for the first time Robins Stadium, with the hosts ultimately prevailing, 9-8, on a Mitch Goldberg strike with 31 seconds remaining in regulation.
