Men's Soccer Visits First-Place Holy Cross Saturday

Bucknell (4-7-2, 2-2-1 PL) at Holy Cross (7-3-2, 4-1-0 PL)
When: Saturday, Oct. 16, 12 p.m.
Where: Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium, Worcester, Mass.
Streaming: None
Live Stats: GoHolyCross.com

Bucknell at a Glance

Bucknell played three games in six days against Central New York teams last week and came away with a 1-1-1 ledger. The Bison scored in the 88th minute to salvage an away draw with Binghamton, they used a late Alex Clarke penalty kick to beat Colgate 1-0 in Hamilton, and then on Monday night at Emmitt Field Bucknell dropped a 4-0 decision to Syracuse.
Now the Bison have nothing but Patriot League games remaining in the regular season, starting with Holy Cross on Saturday. Boston University (home), Navy (away) and Loyola (home) also remain on the schedule.
The Bison are content to be finished with Atlantic Coast Conference competition, at least for the regular season. Three of the team's seven losses, and 13 of their 24 goals allowed, have come against ACC foes North Carolina, Wake Forest and Syracuse.
The 4-0 scoreline was not indicative of Bucknell's performance against Syracuse. The Bison were playing without four starters due to injury, rest or red card suspension, and they limited the high-scoring Orange to 13 total shots. Syracuse's final goal came on a penalty kick with 20 seconds left in the match.
Bucknell enters round No. 6 of Patriot League play in a tie for sixth place alongside American. Both teams are 2-2-1 for seven points, although the Eagles own the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to their overtime win in Lewisburg on Oct. 2.
Holy Cross, which was picked eighth in the preseason poll, is tied with Navy atop the table with 4-1 records. Lafayette (3-1-1) is two points back on 10 points, followed by Army and Loyola with nine points from 3-2 records. Bucknell and American are three points clear of eighth-place Boston University (1-3-1).
Jordan Miller continues to lead the Patriot League with his six goals, which includes an OT game-winner at Lehigh on Sept. 29. Five other Bison have one goal apiece: Patrick O'Hara, Eddie Perez-Pelaez, Gabe Dahlin, Alex Clarke and Sebastian Paz.
O'Hara has a team-high three assists and is second to Miller with five points.
Bennett Schwartz ranks fifth in the Patriot League in both goals-against average (1.42) and save percentage (.721). His 3.77 saves per game are fourth-most in the league.
Clarke's penalty kick at Colgate came on Bucknell's first attempt from the spot this season. Clarke earned Patriot League Midfielder of the Week honors on Monday after converting a pressure PK in the 79th minute.
The Bison have been road warriors this season, with nine of the first 12 games coming on the road. This week's trip to Worcester will make it 10 of 14 away from home.
Other than the three ACC games, all of Bucknell's other contests have been decided by one goal or a draw. The Bison have scored at least one goal in nine of the last 11 contests, with the lone exceptions a 0-0 tie at Lafayette on Sept. 18 and Monday's 4-0 loss to Syracuse.
Bucknell has one of its youngest squads in recent memory. The 28-man roster is comprised of four seniors, six juniors, eight sophomores and 10 freshmen. The eight sophomores could really be classified as rookies, as they also went through a full August preseason training camp for the first time.
Bucknell has three captains for the 2021 season: seniors Alex Clarke and Patrick O'Hara, and sophomore MJ Kuczura. Kuczura is the first sophomore captain in team history.

Holy Cross at a Glance

Marco Koolman's side has had a terrific season to date, with a 7-3-2 overall record and a 4-1-0 mark in Patriot League play.
The Crusaders own conference wins over American (2-1), Loyola (1-0), Colgate (3-1) and Lehigh (1-0), with the lone blemish a 3-0 road loss to Patriot League co-leader Navy.
Holy Cross is a perfect 6-0 at home this season, and the Crusaders also won their lone home contest in the abbreviated spring 2021 campaign. That's seven straight home wins, coming off an 0-10 home ledger in 2019.
Holy Cross has outscored its opponents 18-15 on the season.
Freshman Evan Jones ranks third in the Patriot League with 14 points from five goals and four assists. Max Krause has two goals and six assists, and Dylan Scanley has three goals and two assists.
Jimmy Joyce has started all 12 games in goal and has 33 saves with 15 goals allowed.

The Bucknell-Holy Cross Series

Bucknell is 14-10-6 in 30 previous meetings with Holy Cross. The teams first clashed in the Patriot League's inaugural season in 1990.
The Bison and Crusaders squared off once per season – they have never met in the postseason – all the way up through 2019. They were in opposite divisions in the modified spring 2021 season and did not play.
Bucknell has won the last two meetings, 2-1 in Worcester in 2019 and 1-0 at home in 2018, with both results coming in double overtime.
The Bison are 7-1-3 in the last 11 against Holy Cross, with the Crusaders' victory in that stretch coming in Worcester in 2017 (2-1).
Patrick O'Hara's golden goal in the second overtime period gave the Bison the 2-1 victory in 2019. Jameson Railey also scored for Bucknell late in the first half, before Max Krause equalized in the 55th minute for Holy Cross.
Bucknell's 2018 victory also extended well into extra time, with Matt Thorsheim providing the winning goal in the 109th minute off a feed from Alex Clarke.
Bucknell has scored in 16 straight games against Holy Cross, dating back to a 0-0 draw in Lewisburg in 2003.

Next Up

Bucknell returns to Emmitt Field to host Boston University on Saturday, Oct. 23 at noon.
The Bison beat the Terriers 3-0 in the most recent meeting in 2019, ending a run of eight straight games between the two teams that required overtime.

Men's Soccer Visits First-Place Holy Cross Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alex Clarke

Gabe Dahlin

MJ Kuczura

Jordan Miller

Patrick O'Hara

Sebastian Paz

Eddie Perez-Pelaez

Jameson Railey

Bennett Schwartz

Matt Thorsheim

Men's Soccer Visits First-Place Holy Cross Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alex Clarke

Gabe Dahlin

MJ Kuczura

Jordan Miller

Patrick O'Hara

Sebastian Paz

Eddie Perez-Pelaez

Jameson Railey

Bennett Schwartz

Matt Thorsheim

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