Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Navy
Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Begins Patriot League Action at Navy
2/26/2019 5:00:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
The Bison and Midshipmen are set to square off at 3 p.m. Navy, which shared the 2018 Patriot League regular-season crown with Bucknell and Loyola, was the only team that knocked off the Bison during league action that season.
Bucknell (1-3, 0-0 Patriot League) vs. Navy (2-1, 0-0 Patriot League)
When: Saturday, March 2 – 3 p.m.
Where: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium – Annapolis, Md.
Internet Video: Patriot League Network
Live Stats: NavySports.com
Tickets: NavySports.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX
Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison are currently 1-3 (0-0 Patriot League) following their 16-13 loss at No. 11/10 Ohio State, their second ranked opponent of the 2019 campaign.
• 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 45 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 (501), single-season faceoff wins (171, 2016), single-game faceoff wins (22, 2016) and single-season faceoff percentage (.6173, 2016). At No. 11/10 Ohio State on Feb. 23, he became the first Bison to win his 500th career faceoff.
• The Bison have 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 also faced off against No. 11/10 Ohio State, the 2017 NCAA runner-up, on Feb. 23 and will later take on North Carolina, the 2016 NCAA champion.
Inside the Ohio State Box Score
• No. 11/10 Ohio State outlasted Bucknell, 16-13, on Feb. 23. The Bison, who trailed by as many as many as nine goals, used a late 8-1 run to draw within two but ultimately ran out of time to complete their comeback.
• Will Yorke led the attack, posting career highs in goals (6), assists (1) and points (7). Tom Smith added a season-best four points on one goal and a career-high three helpers.
• Yorke's six-goal performance came just two weeks after he posted five in a win over Bryant at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The junior now has a team-high 12 goals on the season after coming into the year with three in his career.
• Jarett Witzal won 10 faceoffs for the Bison, including the 500th of his career, and finished with a team-high seven ground balls.
• Ohio State finished with a 35-33 shot advantage and a 41-35 edge in ground balls. Josh Kirson outdueled Christian Klipstein, finishing with 11 saves to the Bison senior's nine.
• Bucknell's 8-1 run stretched from the third quarter's 43-second mark to the fourth quarter's 1:20 mark. Jack Jasinski completed his hat trick with 37 seconds remaining in regulation to ice the game.
• For Ohio State, Jack Myers registered seven goals and a helper. The Buckeyes were the Bison's second top-10 opponent of the season; they previously fell at No. 3 Maryland, 16-13, in their 2019 opener for both teams.
Category Leaders
• Goals: Will Yorke (12)
• Assists: Tom Smith (5)
• Points: Will Yorke (13)
• Shots: Reed Malas (34)
• Ground Balls: Jarett Witzal (30)
• Caused Turnovers: Conor Shears (7)
• Face-Off Wins: Jarett Witzal (46)
• Face-Off Percentage: Jarett Witzal (.474)
• Save Percentage: Christian Klipstein (.517)
• Goals Against Average: Christian Klipstein (11.28)
• Saves: Christian Klipstein (46)
Career Milestones Met at No. 11/10 Ohio State
• Jarett Witzal: Became the first Bison with 500 faceoff wins in his career; now has 501
Career Milestone Watch
• Christian Klipstein: Needs 10 saves to move into seventh in school history with 465
• Christian Klipstein: Needs 45 saves to become the seventh Bison with 500 in his career
• Reed Malas: Needs five goals to reach the 50-goal plateau
• Jarett Witzal: Needs 48 ground balls to move into second in school history with 258
Navy at a Glance
• Navy is currently 2-1 (0-0 Patriot League) following a 14-9 loss to No. 3 Maryland on Feb. 23.
• The Midshipmen secured their 800th victory in program history on Feb. 15 with their 11-6 decision over UMBC.
• In the 2019 Patriot League preseason poll, Navy was selected to place third. Midfielders Greyson Torain and Ryan Wade represented the Midshipmen on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
• Torain became the 34th Midshipmen, and ninth midfielder, to reach the 100-point threshold in the 2019 opener against Vermont. A two-time All-Patriot League First Team honoree and 2017 Honorable Mention All-American, Torain currently boasts 105 points on 66 goals and 39 assists.
• A year ago, Navy went 9-5 (7-1 Patriot League). The Midshipmen, who shared the Patriot League regular-season title with Loyola and Bucknell, were ultimately upset by Lehigh in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals.
• Navy leads the all-time series, 10-8, and topped Bucknell in their past three meetings. Five of the Bison's wins came in a row between 2011 and 2015.
• The Midshipmen handed the Bison their only Patriot League loss of the 2018 campaign. On March 3 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, Navy outscored Bucknell by a 9-3 margin in the second half, erasing a 5-4 halftime deficit to win by a 13-8 margin.
• Sean O'Brien scored five goals for the Bison while Jack Ray (4g-1a), Christian Daniel (3g-2a) and Torain (3g-2a) led the Midshipmen's attack. Notably, Navy held Will Sands, who entered the game fourth in the NCAA in points per game (6.75), to a single assist.
A Look Ahead
• The Bison continue Patriot League play by hosting Holy Cross on Saturday, March 9 at 11 a.m. They then travel to North Carolina for a 4 p.m. tilt on Tuesday, March 12.
