Saturday, September 21
Easton, Pa.
4 p.m.
Bucknell University
at
Lafayette
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
Women's Soccer Begins Patriot League Play Saturday at Lafayette
9/18/2019 3:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Setting the Scene
Who: Bucknell (2-6-0, 0-0-0 PL) at Lafayette (4-3-1, 0-0-0 PL)
When: Saturday, Sept. 21, 4 p.m.
Where: Oaks Stadium, Easton, Pa.
Live Webstream: Patriot League Network
Live Stats: GoLeopards.com
About the Bison
Who: Bucknell (2-6-0, 0-0-0 PL) at Lafayette (4-3-1, 0-0-0 PL)
When: Saturday, Sept. 21, 4 p.m.
Where: Oaks Stadium, Easton, Pa.
Live Webstream: Patriot League Network
Live Stats: GoLeopards.com
About the Bison
- Bucknell and Lafayette meet Saturday in the first round of Patriot League play. The Bison went 2-6 in non-conference action against a very challenging schedule.
- Last week, the Bison dropped a 2-0 home decision to defending Ivy League co-champion Penn, followed by a 2-1 away verdict against a one-loss George Washington side.
- Gabby Bair tallied the Bucknell goal against George Washington, and it came on a terrific shot. Bair found the top-right corner of the goal from about 35 yards out, knotting the game at 1-1 in the first half.
- Bair now leads the team with two goals, with the other one coming in overtime against Robert Morris in the season opener.
- Also scoring goals thus far are Abby Gearhart, Bri Kropinack, Chloe Christakos and Petie Nassetta. Christakos also has an assist, giving her three points, and Lilly Courts, Rylee Donaldson and Alana Carlucci also have assists.
- Freshman Kaylee Donnelly has started every game in goal thus far. She has a Patriot League-high 44 saves with 12 goals against. Donnelly was named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week after a sensational 12-save performance against Pitt earlier in the season. She added 10 more saves against George Washington.
- The Bison started six freshmen at George Washington on Sunday. Alivia Handson, Rylee Donaldson and Annabelle Heisel also made their first career starters. Donnelly, Gearhart and Leanne Engemann were also in the starting XI.
- Bucknell leads the Patriot League in corner kick attempts with 59.
- Head coach Kelly Cook is in her fifth season in Lewisburg. Cook has a 48-34-6 overall record and a 26-8-2 mark against Patriot League competition. Cook's .580 winning percentage is the highest in team history, and she needs four more wins to catch Toby Lovecchio for third-most in program history.
- Senior Ali Russo is in her second year as a team captain. Bucknell's most experienced player has 68 career games under her belt, including 646 starts. Bair and Kropinak are also co-captains.
- 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.
- Lafayette went 4-3-1 in non-conference play, with the wins coming against St. Francis (N.Y.) (1-0 OT), Delaware State (3-0), Saint Peter's (6-0) and Marist (2-1). The Leopards also played to a scoreless draw at Hartford.
- Lafayette has outscored foes 13-8 on the season. Krista Kissell and Sophie Saldivar lead the team with three goals apiece, followed by Rebecca Schreiner and Katie Butler with two each. Kissell also has two assists, giving her a team-high eight points.
- Lafayette has used a goalkeeper platoon thus far. Maggie Pohl has started all eight games and has made nine saves with two goals against. Natalie Neumann comes on for the second half and has been much busier with 19 saves and six goals against.
- Bucknell is 21-7-2 in 30 all-time meetings with Lafayette.
- The Bison had a 16-game series unbeaten streak (14-0-2) snapped last season, when Lafayette won 2-0 at Emmitt Field. Bucknell had a 16-6 shot advantage in that game, but the Leopards put two in the back of the net through Alli Munro and Butler.
- Bucknell's last trip to Easton resulted in a dramatic 1-0 victory, when Carly Baggott scored with 45 seconds remaining in regulation.
- The Bison have a current 10-game unbeaten streak (8-0-2) in Easton. Bucknell's last away loss to the Leopards was a 3-0 decision in 1997.
- These two teams have met just once in postseason play. Bucknell won 2-0 in the 2016 Patriot League Tournament semifinals on the way to a league championship.
- Bucknell hosts Boston University on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. The Terriers defeated the Bison 2-0 in Boston last season. That snapped Bucknell's four-game series winning streak that included victories in the 2016 Patriot League championship match and the 2017 Patriot League Tournament semifinals.
Players Mentioned
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
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