Women's Soccer Home vs. Lafayette Saturday

Lafayette (2-8-0, 0-4-0 PL) at Bucknell (6-6-1, 3-1-0 PL)
When: Saturday, Oct. 9, 1 p.m.
Where: Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com

Bucknell at a Glance

The Bison shook off a two-game losing streak with a 2-0 road win at Holy Cross on Sunday. The three points moved Bucknell into a first-place tie in the Patriot League standings alongside Boston University.
The Bison and Terriers have a two-point lead over the third-place quartet of Colgate, American, Loyola and Lehigh. Lafayette sits bottom of the table with an 0-4 league record.
Claire Mensi and Rylee Donaldson scored the goals against Holy Cross, both coming in the second half. Mensi, who put headers off the crossbar twice in the first half, scored on a penalty kick early in the second. Teresa Deda stole a pass at the edge of the box, which led to a Holy Cross hand ball and the awarding of the penalty.
Donaldson's goal was one of the team's prettiest of the year. Kenar Gelman hooked a perfect lead pass down the right flank onto the path of Donaldson, who ripped a shot inside the far post for her Patriot League-leading seventh goal of the season.
Donaldson's seven goals are one more than Navy's Caitlin Doran for the league lead. Donaldson also has an assist this season, and her 15 points are the most in the league by one over Boston University's Jenna Oldham.
Deda earned her second Patriot League Midfielder of the Week award on Monday. She had a hand in both goals at Holy Cross. In addition to drawing the penalty early in the first half, she ignited the counter attack on the insurance goal and was credited with a secondary assist. Deda now leads the Patriot League and ranks 12th nationally with seven assists on the season.
Deda's seven assists are tied for fifth-most in a season in Bucknell history. Only four players have registered more. Lisa Gibbons had a whopping 19 assists to go along with 19 goals during her jaw-dropping senior season in 1994. Maddie Mulford (2016), Caitlin Holtz (2008) and Gibbons (1992) all tallied eight assists in a season.
With 20 goals in 13 games, the Bison are the second-highest scoring team in the Patriot League. Only Navy, with 22 in 13, has scored more. No other team has more than 16 goals.
Bucknell also ranks second in the league in shots per game (14.8) and first in corner kicks (6.3).
In addition to Donaldson's seven goals, Abby Gearhart, Paige Temple, Kelly Francis and Mensi all have three apiece. Midfielders Deda (7), Gelman (5) and Gearhart (4) all rank among the Patriot League assist leaders.
Bucknell was picked ninth in the Patriot League preseason poll, ahead of American and behind Navy, Boston University, Colgate, Army, Loyola, Lehigh, Lafayette and Holy Cross.
Kelly Cook is in her seventh season on the Bison sideline. Cook owns a 58-47-11 (.547) overall record at Bucknell, including a 33-15-6 (.667) mark in Patriot League play. Cook knows the Patriot League very well, as she was a two-year captain and three-time Second Team All-Patriot League selection at Colgate, where she recorded 27 goals and 23 assists in her career. She ranked in the top 10 in program history in career points (77) and assists. As a junior in 2004, Cook (then Kelly Kuss) was named Patriot League Tournament MVP after leading the Raiders to the league title, and then her team knocked off Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, marking the first NCAA win in school and league history.

Lafayette at a Glance

The Leopards are 2-8 overall, with the two victories coming in succession over Saint Peters (2-1) and NJIT (1-0) in early September. Lafayette has dropped four straight since then, but three of those four losses are by one goal, and the Leopards scored at least one goal in three of the four.
Lafayette has been outscored 21-9 on the season, with four players accounting for those nine goals. Melissa Lamanna, a Second Team All-Patriot League selection last spring, has four goals, followed by Gretchen Waechter with three and Katie Butler and Sara Oswald with one apiece.
After splitting games with Lindsay Dewar early in the season, Natalie Neumann has played the full 90 minutes in goal in each of the last five games. She has 28 saves with 14 goals against on the season.
Mick Statham is in his 16th year as head coach at Lafayette. His team finished 7-6-5 overall and 3-2-4 in the Patriot League in 2019, which was good enough to earn a spot in the Patriot League Tournament field.
The Leopards went 1-1-2 in the abbreviated spring 2021 season. Two All-Patriot Leaguers graduated from that team: First Team selection Sophie Saldivar and Second Team honoree Krista Kissell. Kissell was the 2019 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year.
Lafayette was picked seventh in this fall's Patriot League preseason poll, two spots ahead of Bucknell.

The Bucknell-Lafayette Series

Bucknell holds a 22-7-3 record in a series that dates back to 1990.
The Bison have had the better of the recent series, going 15-1-2 in the last 18 meetings. That run includes an 11-match winning streak from 2004-14.
Lafayette did win the most recent meeting in Lewisburg, however, a 2-0 verdict in 2018. The Bison rebounded with a 2-1 win in Easton in 2019, and then the two teams kicked off the spring 2021 slate with a scoreless draw in a game that was hosted by Lafayette at the United Sports complex in Downingtown.
Abby Gearhart had a goal and an assist in the win at Lafayette in 2019. She converted a penalty kick in the 18th minute, and then just 70 seconds later her free kick was headed home by Chloe Christakos.
Even though these two teams have squared off in every one of Bucknell's 31 varsity seasons, they have met just once in the postseason. That was a 2-0 Bison win at Emmitt Field in the 2016 Patriot League Tournament semifinals. The Bison would go on to defeat Boston University two days later to claim the championship.

Next Up

Bucknell has a two-game week next week, with a road game at Loyola on Wednesday night before Patriot League co-leader Boston University comes to Lewisburg on Saturday, Oct. 16.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Chloe Christakos

Teresa Deda

Rylee Donaldson

Abby Gearhart

Kenar Gelman

Claire Mensi

Paige Temple