Saturday, February 22
Lewisburg, Pa.
12 p.m.
Bucknell University
vs
#17/19 Ohio State
Photo by: Phil Puccio
No. 20/RV Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Hosts No. 17/19 Ohio State
2/18/2020 8:05:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
No. 17/19 Ohio State (2-1, 0-0 B1G) vs. No. 20/RV Bucknell (3-0, 0-0 PL)
When: Saturday, February 22 – 12 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Internet Video: Patriot League Network
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX
No. 20/RV Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison are currently 3-0 (0-0 PL) following their 14-11 victory over Sacred Heart on Feb. 15.
• Bucknell entered the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches' Poll this week, checking in at 20th. The Bison also received votes in the Inside Lacrosse Media Listing.
• This is the first time since the final week of the 2018 campaign Bucknell has appeared in the national rankings; then, the Bison were slotted 16th in the media listing and 17th in the coaches' poll.
• Bucknell is one of six teams that are currently 3-0, joining No. 1 Penn State, No. 4 Maryland, No. 7/9 Army West Point, No. 9/7 North Carolina and RV Providence. The Bison's 3-0 start is their best since 2016; that season, they went 10-5 (5-3 Patriot League) and fell in the Patriot League semifinals to Loyola in a double-overtime heartbreaker.
• In 2019, Bucknell posted a 6-9 (4-4 PL) record. The Bison closed the regular season on a four-game winning streak and earned their 13th Patriot League Tournament berth in the past 15 seasons.
• Bucknell was selected to tie for sixth in the 2020 Patriot League preseason poll. Bryant Boswell represented the Bison on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
• Seniors Grayson Burns, Matt Fedorjaka, Conor Shears and Will Yorke are serving as team captains in 2020.
• Bucknell returned its three All-Patriot League honorees from a year ago in Boswell, Shears and Yorke. In Yorke, Tommy Sopko and Alston Tarry, the Bison also returned their top three point producers from that season.
• Following the 2019 campaign, Bucknell lost four-year starting goalie Christian Klipstein and four-year primary faceoff specialist Jarett Witzal to graduation. Klipstein was a two-time All-Patriot League selection while Witzal graduated as the school record holder in seven different statistical categories, including career faceoff wins and single-season faceoff percentage.
• The Bison will play eight games at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium during the 2020 regular season, highlighted by a late February tilt with Ohio State.
• Bucknell is a relatively young team, featuring just five seniors and 27 underclassmen. In 2020, the Bison welcomed 17 newcomers who hail from an impressive 10 different states: California (3), Connecticut (2), Maryland (2), New Jersey (2), New York (2), Pennsylvania (2), Delaware, Missouri, New Hampshire and Texas.
• Frank Fedorjaka is in his 15th season as Bucknell's head coach and 20th campaign as a collegiate head coach. He is just the second head coach in Bison men's lacrosse history.
Category Leaders
• Goals: Will Yorke (9) – t-10th in NCAA
• Assists: Alston Tarry (8) – t-7th in NCAA
• Points: Alston Tarry (13)
• Shots: Tommy Sopko (36)
• Ground Balls: Nick Crovatto (31) – 2nd in NCAA (one of two with at least 30)
• Caused Turnovers: Hunter Newman and Travis Talarico (7) – t-5th in NCAA
• Face-Off Wins: Nick Crovatto (48) – 2nd in NCAA (one of five with at least 40)
• Face-Off Percentage: Nick Crovatto (.600)
• Save Percentage: Ben Clark (.588)
• Goals Against Average: Ben Clark (9.44)
• Saves: Ben Clark (40) – 5th in NCAA (one of five with at least 40)
Inside the Sacred Heart Box Score
• Bucknell outlasted Sacred Heart, 14-11, on Feb. 15 in their first ever meeting.
• The Bison used a hot start and a career-best eight points from Tommy Sopko to dispatch the Pioneers. Sopko, who logged equal totals of goals and assists to top his previous career-best figure by three, factored into Bucknell's first four goals and had six points (4g-2a) at the intermission.
• Ben Clark made 17 saves, one shy of his career high set the week before at Bryant.
• At halftime, the Bison held an 8-4 advantage. They extended their lead to a game-best six goals, at 11-5, by netting three of the second half's first four goals.
• Between the third quarter's 6:46 and 2:14 marks, Sacred Heart roared back into the game, netting four unanswered goals to cut Bucknell's edge to 11-9. The Bison regrouped, answering with three goals of their own between the third quarter's 1:03 mark and the fourth quarter's 13:41 mark.
• Alston Tarry and Will Yorke caught fire in the second half. Tarry finished with six points (2g-4a); all but one assist came during the second half. Yorke netted three of his four goals in the second half; notably, Yorke and Tarry scored Bucknell's fourth-quarter goals off seeing-eyes feeds in just over a minute window.
• Nick Crovatto went 17-for-29 in the faceoff x and picked up a game-best 11 ground balls. Yorke (7) and Hunter Newman (4) also collected at least four ground balls for the Bison. Bryant Boswell (5), Travis Talarico (4) and Newman (3) all caused at least three turnovers.
• The Bison held advantages in shots (56-43), shots on goal (33-28) and ground balls (44-35). Both teams struggled at times with turnovers, with Sacred Heart turning the ball over 25 times and Bucknell 18 times.
No. 17/19 Ohio State at a Glance
• The Buckeyes were ranked 17th in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches' Poll and 19th in the Inside Lacrosse Media Listing this week. They will be the Bison's first ranked opponent of the 2020 campaign.
• Ohio State is 2-1 (0-0 B1G) following its tight 9-7 loss to UMass on Feb. 15. The Buckeyes outscored their first two opponents by a combined 34-13 margin; earlier, they handed Patriot League squad Boston University a 11-4 loss in Boston.
• A year ago, Ohio State went 8-4 (1-4 B1G), missing out on the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2016.
• The Buckeyes returned the majority of their key contributors from a year ago, including eight starters and 10 of their top 11 scorers. They also returned three 2019 All-Americans: short stick defensive midfielder Ryan Terefenko, attacker Tre Leclaire and faceoff specialist Justin Inacio.
• Terefenko and Inacio are both three-time All-Americans; they have a chance to become Ohio State's first four-time All-Americans this year. In addition, Leclaire entered his senior year ranked fifth in school history in goals.
• Ohio State reached the 2017 NCAA Tournament finals; there, the Buckeyes were downed by Maryland, 9-6. During the 2015 campaign, Ohio State advanced to the NCAA Final Four, where they were knocked out by eventual champion Denver.
The Bucknell/Ohio State Series
• This will be the eighth meeting between the Bison and Buckeyes. Last year, the teams met for the first since the 2010 campaign, with then No. 11/10 Ohio State scoring a 16-13 victory in Columbus, Ohio.
• Bucknell leads the all-time series that dates back to 1991, 5-2.
• Three of the team's past five games were decided by a single goal, including two in bonus time. The most recent contest at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium was one of the exceptions, an 11-5 Bison win on Feb. 20, 2010.
• Both teams were ranked at the time of their 2007 (Bucknell 17th, Ohio State 19th) and 2008 (Bucknell 19th, Ohio State 20th) meetings. In addition, the Buckeyes were 19th at the time of the 2009 game while the Bison were 17th entering the 2010 contest.
A Look Ahead
• The Bison next travel to Binghamton (Feb. 25 at 4 p.m.) before hosting Marist (Feb. 29 at 12 p.m.).
When: Saturday, February 22 – 12 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Internet Video: Patriot League Network
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX
No. 20/RV Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison are currently 3-0 (0-0 PL) following their 14-11 victory over Sacred Heart on Feb. 15.
• Bucknell entered the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches' Poll this week, checking in at 20th. The Bison also received votes in the Inside Lacrosse Media Listing.
• This is the first time since the final week of the 2018 campaign Bucknell has appeared in the national rankings; then, the Bison were slotted 16th in the media listing and 17th in the coaches' poll.
• Bucknell is one of six teams that are currently 3-0, joining No. 1 Penn State, No. 4 Maryland, No. 7/9 Army West Point, No. 9/7 North Carolina and RV Providence. The Bison's 3-0 start is their best since 2016; that season, they went 10-5 (5-3 Patriot League) and fell in the Patriot League semifinals to Loyola in a double-overtime heartbreaker.
• In 2019, Bucknell posted a 6-9 (4-4 PL) record. The Bison closed the regular season on a four-game winning streak and earned their 13th Patriot League Tournament berth in the past 15 seasons.
• Bucknell was selected to tie for sixth in the 2020 Patriot League preseason poll. Bryant Boswell represented the Bison on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
• Seniors Grayson Burns, Matt Fedorjaka, Conor Shears and Will Yorke are serving as team captains in 2020.
• Bucknell returned its three All-Patriot League honorees from a year ago in Boswell, Shears and Yorke. In Yorke, Tommy Sopko and Alston Tarry, the Bison also returned their top three point producers from that season.
• Following the 2019 campaign, Bucknell lost four-year starting goalie Christian Klipstein and four-year primary faceoff specialist Jarett Witzal to graduation. Klipstein was a two-time All-Patriot League selection while Witzal graduated as the school record holder in seven different statistical categories, including career faceoff wins and single-season faceoff percentage.
• The Bison will play eight games at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium during the 2020 regular season, highlighted by a late February tilt with Ohio State.
• Bucknell is a relatively young team, featuring just five seniors and 27 underclassmen. In 2020, the Bison welcomed 17 newcomers who hail from an impressive 10 different states: California (3), Connecticut (2), Maryland (2), New Jersey (2), New York (2), Pennsylvania (2), Delaware, Missouri, New Hampshire and Texas.
• Frank Fedorjaka is in his 15th season as Bucknell's head coach and 20th campaign as a collegiate head coach. He is just the second head coach in Bison men's lacrosse history.
Category Leaders
• Goals: Will Yorke (9) – t-10th in NCAA
• Assists: Alston Tarry (8) – t-7th in NCAA
• Points: Alston Tarry (13)
• Shots: Tommy Sopko (36)
• Ground Balls: Nick Crovatto (31) – 2nd in NCAA (one of two with at least 30)
• Caused Turnovers: Hunter Newman and Travis Talarico (7) – t-5th in NCAA
• Face-Off Wins: Nick Crovatto (48) – 2nd in NCAA (one of five with at least 40)
• Face-Off Percentage: Nick Crovatto (.600)
• Save Percentage: Ben Clark (.588)
• Goals Against Average: Ben Clark (9.44)
• Saves: Ben Clark (40) – 5th in NCAA (one of five with at least 40)
Inside the Sacred Heart Box Score
• Bucknell outlasted Sacred Heart, 14-11, on Feb. 15 in their first ever meeting.
• The Bison used a hot start and a career-best eight points from Tommy Sopko to dispatch the Pioneers. Sopko, who logged equal totals of goals and assists to top his previous career-best figure by three, factored into Bucknell's first four goals and had six points (4g-2a) at the intermission.
• Ben Clark made 17 saves, one shy of his career high set the week before at Bryant.
• At halftime, the Bison held an 8-4 advantage. They extended their lead to a game-best six goals, at 11-5, by netting three of the second half's first four goals.
• Between the third quarter's 6:46 and 2:14 marks, Sacred Heart roared back into the game, netting four unanswered goals to cut Bucknell's edge to 11-9. The Bison regrouped, answering with three goals of their own between the third quarter's 1:03 mark and the fourth quarter's 13:41 mark.
• Alston Tarry and Will Yorke caught fire in the second half. Tarry finished with six points (2g-4a); all but one assist came during the second half. Yorke netted three of his four goals in the second half; notably, Yorke and Tarry scored Bucknell's fourth-quarter goals off seeing-eyes feeds in just over a minute window.
• Nick Crovatto went 17-for-29 in the faceoff x and picked up a game-best 11 ground balls. Yorke (7) and Hunter Newman (4) also collected at least four ground balls for the Bison. Bryant Boswell (5), Travis Talarico (4) and Newman (3) all caused at least three turnovers.
• The Bison held advantages in shots (56-43), shots on goal (33-28) and ground balls (44-35). Both teams struggled at times with turnovers, with Sacred Heart turning the ball over 25 times and Bucknell 18 times.
No. 17/19 Ohio State at a Glance
• The Buckeyes were ranked 17th in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches' Poll and 19th in the Inside Lacrosse Media Listing this week. They will be the Bison's first ranked opponent of the 2020 campaign.
• Ohio State is 2-1 (0-0 B1G) following its tight 9-7 loss to UMass on Feb. 15. The Buckeyes outscored their first two opponents by a combined 34-13 margin; earlier, they handed Patriot League squad Boston University a 11-4 loss in Boston.
• A year ago, Ohio State went 8-4 (1-4 B1G), missing out on the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2016.
• The Buckeyes returned the majority of their key contributors from a year ago, including eight starters and 10 of their top 11 scorers. They also returned three 2019 All-Americans: short stick defensive midfielder Ryan Terefenko, attacker Tre Leclaire and faceoff specialist Justin Inacio.
• Terefenko and Inacio are both three-time All-Americans; they have a chance to become Ohio State's first four-time All-Americans this year. In addition, Leclaire entered his senior year ranked fifth in school history in goals.
• Ohio State reached the 2017 NCAA Tournament finals; there, the Buckeyes were downed by Maryland, 9-6. During the 2015 campaign, Ohio State advanced to the NCAA Final Four, where they were knocked out by eventual champion Denver.
The Bucknell/Ohio State Series
• This will be the eighth meeting between the Bison and Buckeyes. Last year, the teams met for the first since the 2010 campaign, with then No. 11/10 Ohio State scoring a 16-13 victory in Columbus, Ohio.
• Bucknell leads the all-time series that dates back to 1991, 5-2.
• Three of the team's past five games were decided by a single goal, including two in bonus time. The most recent contest at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium was one of the exceptions, an 11-5 Bison win on Feb. 20, 2010.
• Both teams were ranked at the time of their 2007 (Bucknell 17th, Ohio State 19th) and 2008 (Bucknell 19th, Ohio State 20th) meetings. In addition, the Buckeyes were 19th at the time of the 2009 game while the Bison were 17th entering the 2010 contest.
A Look Ahead
• The Bison next travel to Binghamton (Feb. 25 at 4 p.m.) before hosting Marist (Feb. 29 at 12 p.m.).
Players Mentioned
D
/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's Lacrosse
F/O
/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's Lacrosse
G
/ Men's Lacrosse
LSM
/ Men's Lacrosse
D
/ Men's Lacrosse
A
/ Men's Lacrosse
LSM
/ Men's Lacrosse
A
/ Men's Lacrosse
F/O
/ Men's Lacrosse
A
/ Men's LacrosseIn The Herd: Bucknell Invitational Preview And Mirra Manolov And Abby Platt Features
Thursday, September 11
Evelyn Bliss World's Send Off
Thursday, September 11
In The Herd: Georgetown Game Preview And Katie Connell Feature
Thursday, September 11
Bucknell at Marist Football Game Highlights 9-6-2025
Tuesday, September 09