Women's Soccer First Out of the Gates as Robert Morris, Pitt Visit Emmitt Field this Week

Thursday, August 22

Lewisburg, Pa.

4 p.m.

Bucknell University

Robert Morris

Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

Women's Soccer First Out of the Gates as Robert Morris, Pitt Visit Emmitt Field this Week

8/20/2019 10:49:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Feels GREAT to be back on the training grounds! We're building each day to get better leading up to the season opener at HOME on Aug. 22. #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/FvsOYJvL9g
— Bucknell WSoccer (@Bucknell_WSOC) August 7, 2019

Setting the Scene, Part I
Who: Robert Morris (0-0) at Bucknell (0-0)
When: Thursday, Aug. 22, 4 p.m.
Where: Emmitt Field, Lewisburg, Pa.
Live Webstream: Patriot League Network | Tips on watching games on the PLN
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com

Setting the Scene, Part II
Who: Pittsburgh (0-0) at Bucknell (0-0)
When: Sunday, Aug. 25, 1 p.m.
Where: Emmitt Field, Lewisburg, Pa.
Live Webstream: Patriot League Network
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com

About the Bison

Bucknell begins its 2019 season with three straight home games, including two this week against Robert Morris and Pittsburgh. The Bison will also host Wright State on Aug. 29 before visiting Georgetown, which was a College Cup semifinalist last season.
Women's soccer is the first Bucknell team to compete in 2019-20. The Bison played exhibition games against Binghamton and St. Bonaventure in preparation for this week's opener.
The Bison captured back-to-back Patriot League championships in 2016 and 2017. Last season the team was hit hard by graduation and injuries, but Bucknell still managed to finish in fourth place with 15 points (5-4-0) and host a Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal game. Unfortunately the season ended in heartbreak, when Lehigh scored with two seconds remaining in double overtime.
Head coach Kelly Cook is back for her fifth season in Lewisburg. Cook has a 46-28-6 overall record and a 26-8-2 mark against Patriot League competition. Assistant coaches David Madsen and Riley Piechnick are also back in 2019.
Bucknell will have to replace four regular starters from last year's team, each of whom played a defensive position (one goalkeeper, two backs, one defensive center midfielder). The Bison do bring back 11 players who started at least one game a year ago. That includes the team's leading scorer in junior Jenna Marek, who paced the squad with four goals last season. Marek was a Third Team All-Patriot League selection a year ago.
Senior Ali Russo will be in her second year as a team captain. Bucknell's most experienced player has 60 career games under her belt, including 58 starts.
This year's team features 11 newcomers, comprised of 10 freshmen along with sophomore Molly Mishler.
Bucknell has finished .500 or better in Patriot League play in each of the last six seasons. The Bison have also qualified for the Patriot League Tournament in each of those six seasons and 21 times overall. The 21 PL postseason appearances is tied with Navy for second-most in league history, trailing only Colgate with 26. Bucknell has advanced to the championship game six times and is 4-2 in those appearances, with the league titles coming in 2001, 2005, 2016 and 2017.
Bucknell was picked tied for fifth (with Army West Point) in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. Boston University was selected as the preseason favorite, followed by Colgate, Navy and Lehigh.

About Robert Morris/Series History

Bucknell's opening-day opponent is Robert Morris out of the Northeast Conference. The Colonials went 6-12 overall and 4-4 in the NEC a year ago. They fell one point shy of qualifying for the four-team NEC Tournament. Robert Morris was picked seventh among 11 teams in the NEC Preseason Poll.
Senior midfielder Kristina Kelley is a two-time all-conference selection. She had a monster year in 2017 with nine goals and seven assists. Sophomore defender Allie Ball was an NEC All-Rookie Team honoree last season.
The Colonials must replace graduated forward Jane Schleicher, who was the NEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2018. Schleicher accounted for 13 of the team's 19 goals on the season. She had four multi-goal games and graduated with 24 career goals.
Bucknell and Robert Morris have met 13 times previously, but not since 2014. The Bison lead the all-time series 10-2-1 dating back to 1993. In the most recent meeting at Emmitt Field early in the 2014 season, Bucknell won 1-0 on an 85th-minute goal from substitute Montana Paley. Jessie Ashworth made seven saves en route to the clean sheet, and the Bison outshot the Colonials 30-14 in a wide open match.

About Pittsburgh/Series History

Pitt opens its 2019 season at home against Loyola Marymount on Friday night, and then the Panthers make their first trip to Lewisburg since 2000 for Sunday afternoon's fixture.
The Panthers went 4-12-1 overall and 0-10-0 in the star-studded Atlantic Coast Conference last season.
This year's Pitt squad features 21 newcomers, including 18 freshmen and three transfers. One of those transfers, England national team player Hollie Olding, was a two-year captain at Kentucky who scored four goals for the Wildcats last season.
Pitt was picked to finish 13th among 14 teams in the ACC Preseason Poll. The Panthers were selected ahead of Syracuse.
The Panthers produced 11 goals last season, with three coming from then-freshman Anna Rico.
Bucknell leads the all-time series 2-1, with the wins coming in back-to-back seasons in 2000 and 2001. The Bison prevailed 3-0 at home in 2000 behind two goals and an assist from Kristie Simon, and then 1-0 in Pittsburgh the following season on a Megan Farrell goal in the 85th minute. Laurie Purse was the winning goalkeeper in both of those shutout victories. The Panthers claimed the most recent meeting by a 3-0 count on their home field in 2013. That game was played in front of the largest crowd in Pitt history at the time (1,388). Jessie Ashworth made nine saves for the Bison, who were playing without three of their four starting fullbacks. Pitt broke open a 1-0 game with two goals in less than three minutes early in the second half.

Up Next

Following this week's contests, the Bison will play at home again on Thursday, Aug. 29 against Wright State at 5 p.m.

Season Preview

Below is a more in-depth look at the 2019 Bucknell women's soccer team.

As Kelly Cook enters her fifth season as head coach of the Bucknell women's soccer team, she finds herself in charge of a side with quality depth and a nice blend of youth and experience in all phases.

After claiming back-to-back Patriot League championships in 2016 and 2017, the Bison had to cope with a major graduation loss and some key injuries last season. Nonetheless, they finished solidly in fourth place in the 10-team Patriot League with 15 points (5-4-0), which was a full six points clear of fifth place.

"Every year our goal is to compete for championships," said Cook, who is 46-28-6 overall and 26-8-2 against Patriot League competition in her first four years with the Bison. "We are retuning quite a few still-young players who gained valuable experience last year. Many of our sophomores played a lot of minutes last season, in part due to injuries, but they are another year older and fitting in well with our older group. We also have some freshmen who will contribute, if not right away then most likely as the season progresses. That balance provides us with a little bit of everything. We are much deeper than in recent years, and we want to be in that top group in the Patriot League."

With the 2019 season opener against Robert Morris looming on Thursday, Bucknell will have to replace four regular starters from a year ago, all of whom played defensive positions: goalkeeper Theresa Adu-Attobrah, center back Maddie Dano, left back Riley Coopersmith, and defensive midfielder Carly Baggott.

The Bison have four goalkeepers on the roster this year, their most in recent memory. Senior Dani Kaufman is the most experienced of the group. She was the starter during the 2017 championship season and enjoyed a run of six straight shutout wins in one stretch. Kaufman was injured in the Patriot League Tournament semifinal game that year, however, and she served as the backup keeper last season.

Also battling for the starting nod are sophomore Raegan Dunwoodie and freshmen Kaylee Donnelly and Audrey Schaffer. Cook noted that the competition for the No. 1 spot could carry into the season.

"The goalkeeper position is very much up for grabs," said Cook. "As the season progresses, that position could change depending on who has the best week of training, and how opportunities to play are being taken advantage of. It's been a competitive battle, which you really like to see. All four keepers are working hard, and it's nice to have depth there."

In front of the goalkeeper will be a new-look back four. In addition to the graduation of Dano and Coopersmith, last year's left back, senior Ali Russo, will most likely move to a central defensive midfield position, and sophomore center back Claire Mensi is still working her way back to full strength after an injury cut short a terrific rookie year.

Sophomore Holly Burns and junior Chloe Christakos are the likely opening-day starters at center back. Burns began last season as a midfielder and earned a Patriot League Rookie of the Week award after a two-goal game at Army. She later moved to the back after Mensi went down with the injury. Christakos has played in 10 career matches as a reserve.

Two more young players will handle the wingback positions, with sophomore Alana Carlucci on the right and freshman Leanne Engemann on the left. Carlucci showed promise over the final eight games of the 2018 season after missing the first 11 due to injury, and she slides from midfield to right back at the start of this season. Engemann has quickly recovered from an injury of her own dating back to her high school season, and she has turned in an excellent preseason thus far.

Sophomore Molly Mishler and freshmen Kate Reinhardt, Emily Den Haese and Alivia Handson are also in the mix on the back line.

"It's a young back line, but there is a great deal of promise there," said Cook. "Holly Burns did a great job at center back when we moved her there late last season, and we see her as a key anchor back there. We are excited about this group, but we need to see them play a lot of minutes together and watch them gel as a unit."

Russo, a two-year team captain, is the team's most experienced player with 60 career appearances and 58 starts. She has played both midfield and outside back over the course of her career, and now she will sit in front of that young back four.

"Ali provides so much leadership for our team on and off the field," said Cook. "We think she will be very effective in the middle of the field, providing some direction for the young defenders. She also brings a lot of quickness and energy, and she can get forward and start the attack when the opportunity presents itself."

Sophomore Sarah Hazard, another young player working her way back from injury, and freshman Petie Nassetta are competing for time next to Russo. Freshman Abby Gearhart has shown very well as an attacking center midfielder, and sophomore Hunter Matson could also be a factor there.

Up top, forwards Jenna Marek, Bri Kropinack, Gabby Bair and Bailey Hurst are all experienced veterans, making this one of Bucknell's deepest position groups. Sophomore Emilene Parham, who saw time as a midfielder last year, will play at her more natural forward position and compete for time along with senior Lilly Courts and freshmen Rylee Donaldson and Annabelle Heisel.

"Along with goalkeeper, this has been our most competitive spot with a mix of experience and newcomers," said Cook, whose team struggled to generate goals at times last year. "Having that depth and also a stronger midfield will help us create more chances in the attacking third."

As has become the norm in recent years, Cook has put together another challenging non-conference schedule this fall. Following the home opener against Robert Morris, Pittsburgh and Wright State come to Emmitt Field, making it three straight home games to start the season.

The first road game of the season comes on Sept. 1 at Georgetown, which is coming off a 21-1-3 season, with the lone loss coming to No. 1 North Carolina in the College Cup semifinals. It was the Hoyas' second Final Four appearance in the last three years.

Bucknell will also face Cornell and Penn at home, and Towson and George Washington on the road, prior to the Patriot League opener at Lafayette on Sept. 21.

The Bison were picked tied for fifth with Army West Point in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, behind Boston University, Colgate, Navy and Lehigh. Loyola, Holy Cross, American and Lafayette rounded out the poll.

Once again this season, the top six teams qualify for the Patriot League Tournament.

"We have a group that can compete to be in that top group in the Patriot League, but we have a lot of work to do to get there," said Cook.