Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Faces Rival Lehigh on CBS Sports Network

Saturday, April 20

Bethlehem, Pa.

12 p.m.

Bucknell University

Lehigh

Photo by: Phil Puccio

Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Faces Rival Lehigh on CBS Sports Network

4/17/2019 4:20:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Media Notes

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell men's lacrosse team closes its road swing with a game against Lehigh on Saturday, April 20 at 12 p.m.

The Bison, who are riding a two-game winning streak, will renew their rivalry with the first-place Mountain Hawks on CBS Sports Network.

The complete game notes can be viewed here.

Bucknell (4-8, 2-4 Patriot League) vs. Lehigh (8-5, 5-1 Patriot League)
When: Saturday, April 20 – 12 p.m.
Where: Ulrich Sports Complex – Bethlehem, Pa.
Television: CBS Sports Network
Internet Video: CBSSports.com
Live Stats: LehighSports.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX

Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison are currently 4-8 (2-4 Patriot League) following their 17-4 rout of Lafayette on April 13. They enter Saturday's game against Lehigh seventh in the Patriot League standings and can be eliminated from tournament contention with a loss.
• 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 (585), single-season faceoff wins (171, 2016), single-game faceoff wins (22, 2016), single-season faceoff percentage (.6173, 2016) and single-game ground balls (14, 2019). 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 Lafayette Box Score
• Behind Alston Tarry's nine-point effort and staunch defensive play, Bucknell rolled past Lafayette, 17-4, on April 13 at Fisher Stadium.
• The Bison stormed out to a 6-1 lead in the first half, with Tarry (3g-2a) factoring into all but one of those goals. They put the game out of reach in the third quarter, scoring six unanswered goals to extend their lead to 12-1.
• Bucknell's 13-goal margin of victory was its largest since a 17-2 decision over Canisius in its 2011 opener.
• The Bison last limited a Patriot League opponent to four or fewer goals a year ago with a 12-4 rout of Holy Cross in Worcester; before that contest, they last held a Patriot League opponent to four or fewer goals in 2014, when they scored a 7-3 win over Boston University and a 13-1 victory over Lafayette at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
• Bucknell held Lafayette scoreless for nearly the first 22 minutes of the contest and for nearly a 25-minute stretch from the second quarter's 8:06 mark to the fourth quarter's 13:43 mark.
• Tarry set new career highs in points, goals (5) and assists (4). Entering the contest, his career-high total in points was four, set with a four-goal effort at Navy on March 2. For his efforts, he captured his first career Patriot League Rookie of the Week nod.
• Tommy Sopko set a new career high with five points on four goals and a helper. Grayson Burns posted his first career hat trick while Colin O'Brien, the younger brother of Sean O'Brien, netted the first two goals of his collegiate career.
• Conor Shears led a staunch Bucknell defense, logging career highs in caused turnovers (4) and ground balls (4); he also posted the first points of his collegiate career with a pair of assists.

Lehigh at a Glance
• The Mountain Hawks are currently 8-5 (5-1 Patriot League) after going 1-1 in non-conference action last week. Their fell in their most recent Patriot League game to then No. 2 Loyola, 15-9, on April 6.
• Lehigh is currently tied for first in the Patriot League standings with Loyola. The Mountain Hawks can clinch a bye in the Patriot League Tournament with a win against Bucknell, a Holy Cross victory over Boston University and a Loyola win over Army West Point.
• Lehigh received votes in both the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches' Poll and Inside Lacrosse Media Listing this week. The Mountain Hawks, who were slotted 17th in both rankings last week, fell out of the top 20 in part due to their 13-12 loss to Robert Morris on April 10.
• Lehigh, which advanced to last year's Patriot League championship game despite being the fourth seed, was picked to finish second in the Patriot League in this year's preseason poll. The Mountain Hawks went 10-7 (5-3 Patriot League) in 2018.
• Lehigh is the only school to qualify for each of the past nine Patriot League Tournaments.
• Defender Craig Chick and faceoff specialist Conor Gaffney were tabbed as Mid-Season All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse. Chick is a two-time USILA honorable mention All-American while Gaffney has gone an impressive 185-for-265 on faceoffs, a .698 percentage good for third nationally as of April 17.
• The Mountain Hawks feature a balanced offense, with seven different players in the double digits in goals. Lucas Spence, a 2018 All-Patriot League honoree, is the team leader with 41 points (20g-21a).

The Bucknell/Lehigh Series
• This will be the 53rd meeting between the Bison and Mountain Hawks; the teams have met all but two years since 1968, Bucknell's first season of varsity men's lacrosse.
• Lehigh and Lafayette (52) are the only foes the Bison have faced off against more than 50 times.
• While Bucknell leads the all-time series with Lehigh, 37-15, the teams are tied at 5-5 in their past 10 meetings.
• A year ago at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, the then No. 10/11 Bison clinched a share of the Patriot League regular-season title with a 14-7 rout of the Mountain Hawks on April 20.
• 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.
• A pair of seniors stole the show in Bucknell's victory over Lehigh. Will Sands assisted on half of the Bison's goals, setting school records in both single-season assists and career assists in the process, while Sean O'Brien netted five goals and also notched an assist.
• In 2017, the Mountain Hawks and Bison squared off for the final spot in the Patriot League Tournament at the Ulrich Sports Complex. Lehigh ultimately emerged victorious by a 9-6 margin, snapping Bucknell's streak of tournament appearances at 10.

Category Leaders
• Goals: Will Yorke (26)
• Assists: Reed Malas (11)
• Points: Will Yorke (35)
• Shots: Will Yorke (91)
• Shots on Goal: Will Yorke (51)
• Shots on Goal Percentage (min. 10 shots): Tommy Sopko (.701)
• Ground Balls: Jarett Witzal (82) - t-4th school history
• Caused Turnovers: Conor Shears (19)
• Face-Off Wins: Jarett Witzal (130) - t-6th school history
• Face-Off Percentage: Jarett Witzal (.494)
• Save Percentage: Christian Klipstein (.531)
• Goals Against Average: Christian Klipstein (10.61)
• Saves: Christian Klipstein (138)

School Record Holders on the 2019 Roster
• Jarett Witzal: Career Face-off Wins (585), 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 (1,102), Season Face-off Attempts (325, 18), Game Ground Balls (14, 2019 vs. Army West Point)

Milestones Met at Lafayette
• Jarett Witzal: Moved to second in school history in career ground balls; now has 262
• Jarett Witzal: Entered tie for fourth in single-season ground balls; now has 82
• Jarett Witzal: Cracked Bucknell's top six in single-season faceoff wins for the fourth time; 2019 total of 130 tied for sixth
• Jarett Witzal: Cracked Bucknell's top five in single-season faceoff attempts for the third time; 2019 total of 263 good for fifth

Career Milestone Watch
• Christian Klipstein: Needs six saves to move to fourth in school history with 553; needs 25 to move to third with 572
• Reed Malas: Needs one goal to reach the 50-goal plateau

Single-Season Milestone Watch
• Jarett Witzal: Needs one ground ball to move to third in school history with 83; needs 16 to move to second with 98; needs 23 to match school record
• Jarett Witzal: Needs eight ground balls to become the third Bison to collect at least 90 in a single season
• Jarett Witzal: Needs four faceoff wins to move to fifth with 134; needs 15 to vault to fourth with 145

Bison All-Patriot League Selections
• Bucknell returned 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.

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 126-82 (.606) record, including a 59-35 (.628) 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 165-113 (.594) lifetime record.

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
• 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.

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 Colgate for Senior Night on Friday, April 26 at 7 p.m. Like Saturday's game at rival Lehigh, that regular-season finale will be televised on CBS Sports Network.