Bison Men's Soccer Through the Decades, Presented by Geisinger

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Although it is one of the oldest team sports known to man, soccer did not arrive at Bucknell until around 1927, when it was introduced by John Plant, the Hall-of-Fame coach and physical education director. Bucknell's first varsity soccer season was 1929, and the Bison really began to gain footing as one of the better teams in the East after World War II. The team captured Middle Atlantic Conference titles in 1947 and 1948, and then it had quite a run of success under Hall-of-Fame coach Craig Reynolds with a 10-1-2 season and MAC title in 1969, followed by the first three NCAA Tournament appearances in program history in succession from 1974-76. Amazingly, the Bucknell men's soccer program has featured only two head coaches since 1967. That's when Reynolds took over, and then when he retired after the 1998 season, he handed the reins to current mentor Brendan Nash. who has led the Bison to four more conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. Bucknell Men's Soccer has placed 11 players and one coach into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame, including the most recent addition in Conor O'Brien '10, who will be inducted this year. The Bison play their home games in a first-class facility in Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium, and they continue to play a brand of soccer that is befitting of a long and proud history. We hope you enjoy this series of conversations with many of the alumni who helped shape that success. Special thanks to Geisinger for sponsoring the series.

1960s
The decade of the 1960s started and finished with some terrific squads. The very first match of the decade was a 6-2 win over Penn State -- that team scored 39 goals in 10 games -- and the first three teams of the decade combined for a 15-6-1 record in the Middle Atlantic Conference. After a few down seasons and some coaching turnover in the middle part of the decade, the program's fortunes changed with the hiring of Craig Reynolds in 1967. Reynolds' first team went 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the MAC, just one year after a 2-10-1 campaign. The 1968 squad repeated the 8-4 season, and then in 1969 the Bison went 10-1-2 overall and 5-1 in league play. The only loss that season came at West Chester, and Bucknell avenged that defeat with a wild 4-3 comeback win in the MAC Championship game at West Chester. Hall-of-Famer and MAC MVP Dave Rath, whose 23 goals that season remain a team record, recorded a hat trick in the title game. Down 3-2 entering the fourth quarter, Rath scored the tying goal, and then Jon Apgar won it late in regulation. Rath was one of two Bucknell Hall-of-Famers to play in the '60s, along with Lyman Ott '62, who was the program's all-time scoring leader until Rath came along. While this will be the final installment of the Men's Soccer Through the Decades series, it is worth noting that Bucknell produced many top players prior the 1960s. Among them are Hall-of-Famers Art Raynor '50 and Dick Roush '51, who were part of those title-winning teams in the 1940s. Roush was a fullback, while Raynor was a high-scoring forward who became the first player in team history to record a four-goal game against Delaware in 1948. Stephen Flamhaft '60, who went on to represent Team USA in the 1963 Pan American games and later became general counsel for the U.S. Soccer Federation. Bill Lane '45, a member of the inaugural Bucknell Hall of Fame Class in 1979, captained the football, basketball and baseball teams during his undergraduate days, but he also returned to coach the soccer team in 1947 in its inaugural season in the MAC. He was succeeded from 1948-51 by the legendary Joe Diblin, who remains well-known locally as a big Bison sports fan and a newspaper columnist at the age of 103. Diblin was a fighter pilot in World War II and writes about his experiences in the military. Joining us on today's episode are Bill Dahl '63, Arthur Kurz '69 and Bill Roberts '70. Dahl captained the 1962 squad, and his 29 points that season still rank ninth in team history, while his 14 goals rank T-5th. Even 57 years after he graduated, Dahl remains in the top 10 in team history in goals and points. He was a two-time All-MAC selection and is also in the record books with a pair of four-goal games. Kurz was a two-year team captain and was a First Team All-MAC honoree three times. He was also an NSCA Regional All-American in 1968, and he was a member of Bucknell's first varsity lacrosse team in '68. Roberts was a two-year letterman as a goalkeeper, and a half-century after his graduation his 129 saves in 1967 rank fifth on Bucknell's single-season list.

1970s
The Bison men's soccer program had certainly seen its share of success in its first 40 or so years of existence, but the program went to another level in the last few years of the 1960s and into the '70s. Craig Reynolds, who was named head coach at Bucknell in 1967 only two years removed from his own All-America career at West Chester, found immediate success, going 8-4 in his first season on the heels of a 2-10-1 campaign the year before. In 1974 the program transitioned from the Middle Atlantic Conference to the East Coast Conference, and that first season in the ECC was perhaps the finest in team history. The Bison -- or Bisons, as they were known then -- went 12-1-2 overall and 4-0-0 in their new league. They beat La Salle 2-1 in the ECC championship then blanked Penn State 1-0 in the first NCAA Tournament contest in team history. A double-overtime loss to fourth-ranked Philadelphia Textile six days later was the team's only loss of the season, and Bucknell finished the season ranked 14th in the final national poll. In 1975 the Bison, again nationally ranked, fell to Rider in the ECC championship but still qualified for the NCAA Tournament, where they came up one short in a penalty kick shootout against Fairleigh Dickinson. Bucknell made it three straight NCAA appearances in 1976. That year the Bison finished 10-4 but just could not solve the undefeated Temple Owls. Temple edged the Bison 2-1 in three overtime periods in the ECC title match, then the two teams met again four days later in the first round of NCAAs. Not many Bucknell teams in any sport have experienced a three-year run like that, with three NCAA appearances and a 32-8-4 combined record. Two of the catalysts of those great teams of the '70s were Bruce '75 and Scott '77 Strasburg, the only brother combo in the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame. Scott was an All-American in 1976, and after graduation he was a member of the New York Cosmos 1977 NASL championship team. Bruce Strasburg joins us on today's call, along with Larry Greenwood '72, Peter Christian '81, Mark Schiowitz '79, Lee Schwartz '76 and Hall-of-Famer Gary Toubman '76. Greenwood captained the 1971 team and was a two-time All-Middle Atlantic Conference First Team selection. Strasburg ranks third on Bucknell's career points and goals lists with 88 and 38, respectively. He was the MAC MVP in 1973 and was an All-ECC pick in 1974. Christian was a two-year captain in 1979 and 1980 and was an All-ECC pick in both of those seasons. Schiowitz was a team captain and All-ECC choice as a senior in 1978. Schwartz was a three-year letterman on those great teams, and Toubman was an outstanding defender who spearheaded 30 shutouts in his 54 career appearances. He was a two-time All-ECC choice and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.

1980s
The decade of the 1980s represents one of the more underrated eras in the history of the Bison men's soccer program. While there weren't any NCAA Tournament appearances, such as the three straight from the previous decade, the Bison posted five winning seasons and six campaigns with .500 or better records in the East Coast Conference in the '80s. That includes a three-year stretch from 1981-83 when the team combined for a 31-14-4 record, with the 1982 squad tying a then-school record with 12 victories. Two Bucknell Athletics Hall-of-Famers came out of the 1980s, and both were deadly scorers. Mark Brotherton '83 logged 21 career goals and was the catalyst of those strong sides of the early '80s, and Dave Domsohn '89 piled up 52 goals and 138 points -- both are still school records by wide margins -- in the latter part of the decade. In this episode, head coach Brendan Nash and current senior Kevin Gulizio chat with Andy Sayles '84, Bob Rhein '85, Rob Ryan '88 and George Trenchard '89. Sayles captained the 1983 team that finished 9-5-2 overall and 3-1-1 in the ECC. Rhein was a terrific two-sport athlete at Bucknell, starring in both soccer and lacrosse. He captained the 1984 soccer team and still ranks sixth in team history with 30 career goals and eighth all-time with 75 career points. He was a two-time All-ECC selection in lax. Ryan was a four-year soccer letterman who has sent three children on to Bucknell, including a current senior and sophomore. Trenchard was a three-year letterman for coach Craig Reynolds

1990s
The decade of the 1990s started out with a bang, as the 1990 Bison posted a 12-5-1 overall record and a 4-1-1 mark in the Patriot League, which was in its very first season as an all-sports affiliation. That squad captured the Patriot League regular season title and hosted the inaugural PL Tournament. Three years later the Bison went 11-5-3 overall and finished third in the regular season, and this time they advanced to the league championship game for the first time, where they lost an overtime heartbreaker to Army. A major program transition occurred following the 1998 season, when Hall-of-Famer Craig Reynolds retired as head coach and handed the reins to his young assistant coach Brendan Nash. In 1999, Nash's first squad posted a 9-7-1 record, and a year later the Bison tied for first place in the regular season, setting up a glory period for the team in the 2000s. Joining Nash and current senior Matt Thorsheim are three outstanding alumni for the '90s: Mark Wrigley '94, Tom Roller '96 and Brian Ruddy '98. Wrigley is another in a long line of talented goalkeepers at Bucknell. He captained the 1992 and 1993 teams, and in the latter season he set a school record with 10 shutouts. Wrigley remains the school record-holder with 431 career saves, and he was a First Team All-Patriot League and Second Team All-Region pick as a senior. Roller was a team captain in 1995, when he earned the second of his two all-conference citations. Roller's 12 assists in 1993 remains the Bucknell single-season record, and his 20 career assists rank T-4th. Ruddy was also a team captain as a senior, and he earned all-league honors as a junior in 1996.

2000s
The decade of the 2000s was one of the most successful and transformational periods in Bucknell Men's Soccer history. When ground broke on the Kenneth Langone Athletics & Recreation Center, the soccer pitch was relocated from adjacent to Davis Gym to the West Fields, where it would soon become the centerpiece of a much-envied athletics complex. In 2005, the Emmitt Field competition pitch was completed, and two years later it was accompanied by the beautiful Holmes Stadium facility, featuring a covered grandstand with chairback seating, team rooms and press/VIP suites. Large crowds flocked to the soccer team's new home, and the fans had plenty to cheer about, as the Bison teams of the 2000s were some of the program's best ever. The Bison won two Patriot League regular-season titles (2003, 2009) and two Patriot League Tournament titles (2006, 2009), and not only did they qualify for the NCAA Tournament on two occasions, but they won first-round games both times. The 2006 postseason will long be remembered for the heroics of goalkeeper Joey Kuterbach, who led the team to penalty shootout wins over 14th-ranked Lehigh and Lafayette in the Patriot League Tournament. He stopped Lehigh's first two attempts, and then finished off the championship with a diving save against Lafayette. The Bison then went on to beat George Mason in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The 2009 squad posted a remarkable 17-6 overall record, with 12 of the wins coming by shutout. That included a pair of 1-0 wins over Lafayette and American in the Patriot League Tournament at Emmitt Field -- who will forget All-American Conor O'Brien's leap over the fence into the parking lot after scoring in overtime against Lafayette in the semifinals -- and then another 1-0 win that featured a mid-game lightning delay at Princeton in the NCAA first round. In this installment of our Through the Decades retrospective, head coach Brendan Nash and current senior Cody Wax are joined by Hall-of-Famer Mike Lookingland '05, Adam Edwards '06, O'Brien '10 and Ross Liberati '11. Lookingland was a two-year team captain who played every minute of every game on the back line for the Bison over his four years, and he played a starring role on the 2003 squad that went 5-0-2 in the Patriot League en route to the regular-season crown. He was the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year in both 2003 and 2004 and he was a three-time all-league and all-region selection. Lookingland was selected by Real Salt Lake in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft, and he had a terrific career playing professional indoor soccer with his hometown Baltimore Blast. Edwards is one of the top goalkeepers in team history. He was the 2002 Patriot League Rookie of the Year and 2005 PL Goalkeeper of the Year. He earned three All-Patriot League citations and two all-region honors, and he was also a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American in 2004. O'Brien was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2020. A brilliant attacking midfielder, O'Brien was the 2008 and 2009 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. He was a three-time all-region selection, and in 2009 he went on to earn Second Team All-America honors, making him Bucknell's first soccer All-American since Scott Strasburg in 1976. O'Brien, who ranks in the top 10 all-time at Bucknell in goals (26), assists (25) and points (77) and once had a school-record 11-game points streak, later played professionally in Denmark and Austria. Liberati captained the 2010 team that repeated as Patriot League champion, and he was named PL Tournament MVP after his two-goal performance in Bucknell's 2-0 win over American in the championship match. Liberati was an all-league and all-region pick as both a junior and senior, he later returned to Bucknell for a stint as an assistant coach, and he is now the head coach at Widener.

2010s
The Bison began the decade of the 2010s trying to repeat one of the most successful seasons in team history. The 2009 squad went 17-6, won the Patriot League Tournament title on home soil, and beat Princeton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual national champion Virginia in the second round. It wasn't an easy task, as a stellar senior class led by All-America midfielder Conor O'Brien had to be replaced, but the Bison qualified for the postseason thanks to a golden goal from All-America fullback Mayowa Alli at Lehigh in the regular-season finale, and then they blanked Colgate and American on championship weekend to win a second straight title. Bucknell got back to the NCAA Tournament again in 2014 thanks to another thrilling overtime win, this one courtesy of a Sebastiaan Blickman volley for a 3-2 win at top-seeded Boston University. Joining coach Brendan Nash and senior defender Eamon O'Connor to talk about the most recent era of success are four standouts from the decade: Alli, Chris Thorsheim '16, Jesse Klug '16 and Tyler Peterson '19. Alli was a force in the back for the Bison, and he also used his superior athleticism to get forward and score a number of spectacular goals. He was the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2010, he was a two-time all-league and all-region selection, and he was a United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-American as a senior in 2013. A terrific central midfielder, Thorsheim was a four-time All-PL pick and a three-time all-region selection, and he was also a USC Scholar All-American. Thorsheim and Alli both went on to play professionally in Europe. Klug was one of the premier finishers of the decade, and he graduated ranked eighth on Bucknell's career goals list with 29 and tied for sixth in points with 77. A two-time All-PL choice, Klug was also prolific off the field, where he was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and a Senior CLASS Award First Team selection in 2015. Peterson was a two-year team captain as a center back, where he earned All-PL honors in 2017 and CoSIDA Academic All-District honors in 2018.

Bison Men's Soccer Through the Decades, Presented by Geisinger

Players Mentioned

Kevin Gulizio

Eamon O'Connor

Matt Thorsheim

Cody Wax

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