Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Faces Colgate in Home Finale on CBS Sports Network

Friday, April 26

Lewisburg, Pa.

7 p.m.

Bucknell University

Colgate

Photo by: Phil Puccio

Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Faces Colgate in Home Finale on CBS Sports Network

4/23/2019 4:26:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Media Notes

NOTICE: Due to expected inclement weather on Friday, Family Fun Day, presented by UPMC, has been rescheduled. It wil now take place on Saturday, May 4 from 12 to 3 p.m. in conjunction with the softball team's double header against Boston University at Becker Field.

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell men's lacrosse team will face Colgate under the Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium lights on Friday, April 26.

The Bison, who are riding a three-game winning streak, can clinch a spot in the Patriot League Tournament with a win over the Raiders. The opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.

Before the game, Bucknell will honor its 12 seniors: Joey Altemus, Marshall Dickson, Teddy Dumbauld, Ryan Durkin, Jordy Elardo, Jack Feeley, Christian Klipstein, Brad Landry, Reed Malas, Tom Smith, Alec Talarico and Jarett Witzal. The Bison are also set to welcome alumni back to Lewisburg.

Even more festivities are on tap for the local community. Presented by UPMC, a Family Fun Day is set for 5 to 8 p.m. on the football practice field beside Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. There will be inflatables, a dunk tank featuring Bison coaches and student-athletes, face painting, poster making, giveaways and much more.

As part of National STUDENT-Athlete Day, Bucknell's student-athletes will be recognized at halftime. The Bucknell Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will also be on hand to collect gently used t-shirts that will be donated to a local charity through One Shirt One Body.

The complete game notes can be viewed here.

Colgate (4-8, 2-5 Patriot League) vs. Bucknell (5-8, 3-4 Patriot League)
When: Friday, April 26 – 7 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Television: CBS Sports Network
Internet Video: CBSSports.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX

Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison are currently 5-8 (3-4 Patriot League) after knocking off rival Lehigh, 12-10, on April 20 in Bethlehem. They are currently in a three-way tie for fifth in the Patriot League standings with Holy Cross and Navy.
• Bucknell can clinch a spot in the Patriot League Tournament with a victory over Colgate. The Bison would finish in either five or sixth place depending on the results of Holy Cross and Navy's games.
• 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 (593), 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 Lehigh Box Score
• Christian Klipstein made 15 saves, and Tommy Sopko and Will Yorke each posted five points on a hat trick and two assists, to lift Bucknell to a 12-10 victory at first-place Lehigh on April 20.
• Entering the fourth quarter, the Bison and Mountain Hawks were locked in a 9-9 tie. After the teams traded goals to make it a 10-10 game, Ryan Durkin netted what proved to be the game-winning goal with 10:13 left to play.
• Klipstein, who captured his sixth career Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week nod for his efforts, made six stops following Durkin's go-ahead goal.
• Klipstein reached the double digits in saves for the ninth time this season; his 15 stops was his second-highest total of the season following a 20-save effort against then No. 6 Loyola. He now boasts 562 career saves, good for fourth in the Bucknell annals.
• With his five points, Sopko matched his career-high total. Beyond Sopko and Yorke, six Bison found the back of the net; Reed Malas notably registered the 50th goal of his collegiate career early in the second quarter.
• Conor Shears filled the stat sheet, netting his first collegiate goal and logging four ground balls and two caused turnovers. A week earlier at Lafayette, he posted career highs in caused turnovers (4) and ground balls (4); he also notched the first points of his collegiate career with a pair of assists.
• The Bison got off to a strong start, building a 5-1 lead in the first 11 minutes of the first quarter. During that hot streak, Sopko completed a hat trick in just over a three-minute window; his first goal, a sprawling strike from in close, opened the game's scoring. Matthew Barkauskas and Yorke also collected two points apiece, each netting a goal and assisting on a Sopko tally.
• The win kept Bucknell alive in the Patriot League Tournament hunt; with a loss, the Bison would have been eliminated.
• Entering the game, Lehigh was tied for first in the Patriot League standings with Loyola; both teams were 5-1 against league opponents on the year.

Colgate at a Glance
• The Raiders are currently 4-8 (2-5 Patriot League). Even with a win over the Bison, they would not make the Patriot League Tournament.
• Colgate opened the season with a 12-9 upset at No. 10 Syracuse but struggled mightily in March, going 1-5.
• The Raiders snapped a six-game losing slide with their 16-7 victory at Lafayette on April 20. Colgate matched its season high in goals and spread its scoring among 10 different players.
• Only two Raiders have surpassed the 20-point threshold entering the season finale: Sam Cleveland (16g-16a) and Griffin Brown (20g-7a).
• Faceoff specialist Malcolm Feeney has been solid, posting a .508 faceoff percentage and collecting 67 ground balls.
• Connor Mullen has seen the lion's share of action in the cage and boasts 94 saves. He also owns a 9.91 goals against average and .503 save percentage.
• In Patriot League action, Colgate has been outscored by an 85-64 margin. Overall, that margin is at 135-110.

The Bucknell/Colgate Series
• While the Bison lead the all-time series, 22-18, the Raiders have won eight of the past 10 contests.
• Last year in Hamilton, N.Y., Bucknell stunned then No. 18/20 Colgate, 13-10. Will Sands (3g-4a), Connor O'Hara (4g) and Sean O'Brien (3g) led the attack while Christian Klipstein made 12 stops.
• Following their win over the Raiders, who were 3-0 at the time, the Bison entered the USILA Coaches' Poll at 20th and received votes in the Inside Lacrosse Maverik Media Listing; it was their first national ranking since Feb. 22, 2016, when they were tabbed 20th in both the USILA Coaches' Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Cascade/Maverik Media Poll.
• For their role in Bucknell's upset, Sands (Offensive Player of the Week) and Klipstein (Goalkeeper of the Week) captured Patriot League weekly laurels.
• Entering that 2018 contest, Colgate had taken six in a row from the Bison. With a win, the Raiders would have tied Bucknell's longest win streak in the series, which dates back to 1979. From 1999 to 2005, the Bison rattled off seven-straight victories over Colgate.
• During the game, Sands reached three career milestones. Most notably, he became only the fifth Bison to register 100 assists in his career.
• The Raiders downed the Bison, 15-10, in their 2017 contest at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Colgate opened up a 14-6 advantage with a 9-1 run that began in the second quarter and never looked back.

Category Leaders
• Goals: Will Yorke (29)
• Assists: Reed Malas (12)
• Points: Will Yorke (40)
• Shots: Will Yorke (98)
• Shots on Goal: Will Yorke (54)
• Shots on Goal Percentage (min. 10 shots): Tommy Sopko (.693)
• Ground Balls: Jarett Witzal (84) - 3rd school history
• Caused Turnovers: Conor Shears (21)
• Face-Off Wins: Jarett Witzal (138) - 5th school history
• Face-Off Percentage: Jarett Witzal (.479)
• Save Percentage: Christian Klipstein (.537)
• Goals Against Average: Christian Klipstein (10.56)
• Saves: Christian Klipstein (153)

School Record Holders on the 2019 Roster
• Jarett Witzal: Career Faceoff Wins (593), Season Faceoff Wins (171, 2016), Game Faceoff Wins (22, 2016 vs. Lehigh), Season Faceoff Winning Percentage (.6173, 2016), Career Faceoff Attempts (1,127), Season Faceoff Attempts (325, 18), Game Ground Balls (14, 2019 vs. Army West Point)

Milestones Met at Lehigh
• Christian Klipstein: Moved to fourth in school history in career saves; now has 562
• Reed Malas: Netted 50th goal of collegiate career
• Jarett Witzal: Moved to third in school history in single-season ground balls; now has 84
• Jarett Witzal: Moved to fifth in school history in single-season faceoff wins; now has 138

Career Milestone Watch
• Christian Klipstein: Needs 10 saves to move to third in school history with 572
• Jarett Witzal: Needs seven faceoff wins to become the first Bison with 600 in his career

Single-Season Milestone Watch
• Will Yorke: Needs 11 shots to crack Bucknell's top five with 109
• Jarett Witzal: Needs 14 ground balls to move to second with 98; needs 21 to match school record with 105
• Jarett Witzal: Needs six ground balls to become the third Bison to collect at least 90 in a single season
• Jarett Witzal: Needs seven faceoff wins to move to fourth with 145; needs 16 to vault to third for second time with 154

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 127-82 (.608) record, including a 60-35 (.632) 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 previous 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 166-113 (.595) 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
• With a win over the Raiders, the Bison will qualify for the Patriot League Tournament. The quarterfinals are set for Tuesday, April 30.