Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Takes on No. 6 Loyola

Saturday, March 23

Lewisburg, Pa.

1 p.m.

Bucknell University

#6 Loyola (Md.)

Photo by: Phil Puccio

3/18/2019 3:33:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Media Notes

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell men's lacrosse team welcomes No. 6 Loyola to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday, March 23.

The Greyhounds, who have been ranked as high as first nationally, will be the Bison's fourth ranked opponent of the 2019 campaign. Bucknell's previous three tilts against ranked foes came on the road.

The complete game notes can be viewed here.

No. 6 Loyola (5-2, 2-0 Patriot League) vs. Bucknell (2-6, 1-2 Patriot League)
When: Saturday, March 23 – 1 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Television: Stadium's Family of Networks
Internet Video: Patriot League Network
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX

Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison are currently 2-6 (1-2 Patriot League) following their 13-9 loss at Boston University on March 16.
• 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 four-year starter in the cage. An All-Patriot League Second Team goalie in 2017 and 2016, he became the seventh Bison with at least 500 career saves at Boston University on March 16. 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 (545), 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 had a grueling non-conference schedule in 2019. They opened their 52nd campaign on Feb. 2 at No. 3 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 No. 15/- North Carolina, the 2016 NCAA champion, on March 12.

Inside the Boston University Box Score
• Boston University scored eight of the game's final nine goals to topple Bucknell, 13-9, on March 16 in Boston.
• Christian Klipstein made 12 saves; it was the sixth time in 2019 he reached the double digits in stops.
• Klipstein became the seventh Bison to make his 500th career save during the contest; with 501, he is now tied for sixth in school history with Colin Barker (1991-94) and needs 30 more stops to move into Bucknell's top five.
• Will Yorke netted a hat trick; the junior now has 17 points (12g-5a) in the Bison's past six games, accounting for nearly 74 percent of his season total.
• Ryan Durkin added two goals while Matthew Barkauskas, Tommy Sopko and Alston Tarry each logged a goal and two helpers.
• Boston University held advantages in shots (46-36), shots on goal (25-20), ground balls (38-28) and faceoffs (19-7). The Terriers' second-half comeback was sparked by winning 13 of that half's 16 faceoffs.

No. 6 Loyola at a Glance
• The Greyhounds were ranked sixth in both the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches' Poll and Inside Lacrosse Media Listing this week. They will be the Bison's fourth ranked opponent of the 2019 campaign; Bucknell previously faced off against No. 3 Maryland (6-11), No. 11/10 Ohio State (13-16) and No. 15/- North Carolina (7-12) in road action.
• Earlier this season, Loyola was ranked No. 1 in all three national polls. It was the Greyhounds' highest national ranking since the final week of the 2014 regular season.
• Loyola is currently 5-2 (2-0 Patriot League) following its 18-5 rout of Navy on March 16. The Greyhounds have faced five nationally ranked opponents to date and hold a 3-2 record against them.
• Loyola was selected to win the Patriot League in the 2019 preseason poll, receiving 16 of a possible 18 first-place votes. The Greyhounds, who went 13-4 (7-1 Patriot League) a year ago, won their third-straight Patriot League Championship and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the sixth time in seven years.
• Loyola is led by Pat Spencer, who broke a 38-year-old school record for career points against the Midshipmen. Spencer now boasts 314 career points (122g-192a), which is just two shy entering the NCAA's all-time top 10.
• The highly decorated Spencer is a three-time USILA All-American, three-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist. He was also selected as the 2019 Warrior/USLacrosse Preseason Player of the Year.

The Bucknell/Loyola Series
• Loyola leads the all-time series, 6-3. After facing off three times in the 1980s, the teams didn't meet again until the Greyhounds joined the Patriot League in 2014.
• Bucknell won its past two games against Loyola by one-goal margins. Last year on March 24 in Baltimore, the Bison knocked off the then No. 6 Greyhounds, 12-11.
• Bucknell handed two-time defending champion Loyola its first, and only, Patriot League loss of the 2019 campaign by building a four-goal advantage and then holding off a furious comeback attempt in the final six minutes of regulation.
• With 47 seconds on the clock, Christian Klipstein snagged an Alex McGovern bullet at the right edge of the crease to maintain Bucknell's one-goal edge. While the Bison turned the ball over after Klipstein's save, Hunter Newman picked off a Pat Spencer pass to keep Loyola from getting another look on net. The Bison drained the final 35 seconds from the clock by playing keep away and then stormed the field in celebration of their first victory over a top-10 opponent since 2013.
• Reed Malas (3g-2a), Will Sands (1g-4a) and Connor O'Hara (4g) led the way offensively during the thrilling upset, which propelled their team back into the national rankings at 16th in the USILA Coaches' Poll and 18th in the Inside Lacrosse Maverik Media Listing.
• Sands (Offensive Player of the Week) and Matt Gilray (Defensive Player of the Week) captured Patriot League weekly laurels.
• In their most recent game at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium on March 25, 2017, Bucknell stunned then No. 17/18 Loyola, 9-8, in double overtime. Sands led the way with seven points (2g-5a), including the game-winning goal, while Klipstein made 15 saves. Following that game, Klipstein was honored as the Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week and Sands captured Bison Athlete of the Week accolades.

Category Leaders
• Goals: Will Yorke (18)
• Assists: Reed Malas (7)
• Points: Will Yorke (23)
• Shots: Will Yorke (63)
• Ground Balls: Jarett Witzal (55)
• Caused Turnovers: Conor Shears (11)
• Face-Off Wins: Jarett Witzal (90)
• Face-Off Percentage: Jarett Witzal (.481)
• Save Percentage: Christian Klipstein (.508)
• Goals Against Average: Christian Klipstein (11.42)
• Saves: Christian Klipstein (92)

School Record Holders on the 2019 Roster
• Jarett Witzal: Career Face-off Wins (545), Season Face-off Wins (171, 2016), Game Face-off Wins (22, 2016 vs. Lehigh), Season Face-off Winning Percentage (.6173, 2016), Career Face-off Attempts (839), Season Face-off Attempts (325, 18)

Milestones Met at Boston University
• Christian Klipstein: Became the seventh Bison with at least 500 saves in his career; now has 501, placing him in a tie for sixth in school history

Career Milestone Watch
• Christian Klipstein: Needs 30 saves to move to fifth in school history with 531
• Reed Malas: Needs two goals to reach the 50-goal plateau
• Jarett Witzal: Needs 23 ground balls to move into second in school history with 258

Single-Season Milestone Watch
• Jarett Witzal: Needs 14 ground balls to crack Bucknell's top 10 for the second time with 69

Malas Candidate for Senior CLASS Award®
• Senior midfielder Reed Malas was selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate men's lacrosse.
• Malas was drafted by the Florida Launch in the seventh round, 56th overall, in the 2019 Major League Lacrosse Draft on March 9.
• Malas has been a key midfielder for the Bison since arriving in Lewisburg. Over the past three seasons, he has started all 36 of Bucknell's games. He currently boasts 79 points (48g-31a) in 49 career games.
• In 2018, Malas enjoyed a breakout year, placing fourth on the team with 34 points (22g-12a) while helping the Bison capture a share of the Patriot League regular-season title and achieve a top-10 national ranking. For his efforts, he earned All-Patriot League Second Team accolades for the first time in his career.
• Malas has excelled in the classroom during his time at Bucknell. A two-time Academic All-Patriot League Team honoree, he holds a cumulative grade point average of 3.96. Malas, who has made the Bucknell Dean's List every semester to date, is working towards a degree in accounting & financial management and is on pace to graduate in May 2019.
• Malas has interned for Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., CVCCredit Partners and Morgan Stanley. In his hometown of Mamaroneck, New York, he is heavily involved in the youth lacrosse community. Through the years, he has volunteered with multiple youth programs and given lessons.

Bison All-Patriot League Selections
• Bucknell returns two All-Patriot League players in goalie Christian Klipstein (2nd in '17 & '16) and midfielder Reed Malas (2nd in '18).
• The Bison lost five of their six 2018 all-league honorees: attacker Will Sands (1st), midfielder Sean O'Brien (1st), defenseman Benny Borgognone (2nd), defenseman Matt Gilray (2nd) and attacker Connor O'Hara (2nd).
• Sands and O'Brien were also recognized as USILA All-Americans, with Sands making the third team and O'Brien garnering honorable mention accolades. Sands joined David Dickson (2013, 3rd), Billy Eisenreich (2012, 3rd), Chris Cara (2005, 3rd), Peter von Hoffman (1979, 3rd), Lou Kissling (1970, 3rd), Ed Farver (1969, 1st) and Jim McKee (1969, 2nd) as Bison who were tabbed to USILA's All-America First, Second or Third Team. Five members of that group have been inducted into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame.

Bucknell in the 2018 National Polls
• The Bison were ranked 16th in the final Inside Lacrosse Maverik Media Listing, and 17th in the final United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches' Poll, of the 2018 campaign.
• Fresh off of capturing a share of the 2018 Patriot League regular-season title, Bucknell entered the national top 10 for the first time since the 2013 campaign on April 23.
• The Bison, who wrapped up the regular season with an 11-3 (7-1 Patriot League) record, moved to 10th in both the USILA Coaches' Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Maverik Media Listing.
• Bucknell last appeared in the national top 10 on March 25, 2013 following thrilling road victories over then No. 2 Cornell (9-8) and No. 20 Albany (18-12). The Bison were listed sixth in that week's Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, which remains their highest ranking in program history, and seventh in the USILA Coaches' Poll.

Week        USILA   Inside Lacrosse
Feb. 26        20        -
Mar. 26        16       18
Apr. 2           14       14
Apr. 9           12 11
Apr. 16         11    12
Apr. 23         10    10
Apr. 30         14 15
Final             17       16

Bucknell Captures Ninth Patriot League Regular-Season Title
• In 2018, Bucknell captured its ninth Patriot League regular-season crown.
• The Bison previously won the regular-season title in 1996 (5-0), 2000 (5-1), 2001 (6-0), 2002 (5-1), 2003 (5-1), 2005 (5-1), 2009 (6-0) and 2011 (6-0). It was the fifth time they shared the crown; they claimed it outright with their undefeated league records in 1996, 2001, 2009 and 2011.
• Bucknell's seven Patriot League wins represent its highest total in program history. With the additions of Loyola and Boston University, the league's regular season expanded to eight games in 2014. Before the 2018 campaign, the Bison had never won more than five Patriot League games since those squads joined the league.

Head Coach Frank Fedorjaka
• Frank Fedorjaka took over as the Bucknell head men's lacrosse coach in 2006 when he succeeded longtime mentor Sid Jamieson. Now in his 14th season at the helm of the program, he has fashioned a stellar 124-80 (.608) record, including a 58-33 (.637) Patriot League ledger.
• At the end of the 2018 regular season, Fedorjaka was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. He was previously named the Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2011. In 2009, the Bison won the Patriot League regular-season crown with a 6-0 record; the 2011 squad captured both the regular-season and tournament titles, advancing to Bucknell's second NCAA Tournament in program history.
• The Bison have won nine or more games in nine of Fedorjaka's 13 seasons, including a program-record 14 in 2011, 12 in 2013 and 11 in 2018.
• Including a five-year stint as head coach at Franklin & Marshall from 1994 to 1998, Fedorjaka has a 163-111 (.595) lifetime record.

Bucknell in the Patriot League Tournament
• Bucknell has appeared in 12 of the past 14 Patriot League Tournaments, including 10 in a row from 2007 to 2016.
• After suffering championship-game losses in 2008 and 2009, the Bison won their first Patriot League Tournament title in 2011 behind convincing victories over Lehigh and Colgate.
• In 2013, the Bison again advanced to the Patriot League championship game, where they fell to top-seeded Lehigh.
• Bucknell is 7-12 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament.
• Because of the goal differential between the three co-champions, the Bison were seeded third in the 2018 Patriot League Tournament; on April 25, they were upset in the quarterfinals by sixth-seeded Boston University, 12-11, at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.

Bucknell in the NCAA Tournament
• The Bison appeared in the 2001 and 2011 NCAA Tournaments after securing an automatic bid as the Patriot League champion.
• In 2001, Bucknell played fifth-seeded Notre Dame in its first NCAA Tournament game at Army West Point's Michie Stadium. The Fighting Irish used a 6-0 run to turn a 2-2 deadlock into an 8-2 advantage 39 seconds into the third quarter and never looked back, ultimately winning by 12-7 margin.
• In 2011, the Bison were minutes away from their first NCAA Tournament win in program history, but seventh-seeded Virginia scored twice in the final 2:32 of regulation to force overtime. Then, Matt White found the back of the net 1:27 into the extra frame to lift the host Cavaliers to a stunning 13-12 verdict at a rainy Klockner Stadium.
• Against Virginia, Bucknell finished with a 47-30 shot advantage, went 18-for-19 on clears, won 15 of 29 face-offs and committed only eight turnovers. Billy Eisenreich and Ryan Klipstein, the older brother of current Bison goalkeeper Christian Klipstein, each posted four points (2g-2a) while Charlie Streep and Todd Heritage added hat tricks.

A Look Ahead
• The Bison next host Army West Point on Saturday, March 30 at 1 p.m.