Bucknell University
James Madison
Bucknell Field Hockey Opens 2021 Season with Home Games vs. James Madison, LIU
8/25/2021 11:08:00 AM | Field Hockey
#24 James Madison (0-0, 0-0 CAA) at Bucknell (0-0, 0-0 PL)
When:Â Friday, Aug. 27, 4 p.m.Â
Where:Â Graham Field at Holmes Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming:Â ESPN+Â
Live Stats:Â BucknellBison.com
LIU (0-0, 0-0 NEC) at Bucknell (0-0, 0-0 PL)
When:Â Sunday, Aug. 29, NoonÂ
Where: Graham Field at Holmes Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming:Â ESPN+Â
Live Stats:Â BucknellBison.com
In-Depth Season Preview
Bucknell at a Glance
- Bucknell field hockey opens the 2021 season with home games against #24 James Madison and LIU this weekend. The Bison will take on the Dukes at Graham Field on Friday before hosting the Sharks on Sunday.
- For the first time in program history, Bucknell enters the 2021 field hockey season as reigning champions after collecting a Patriot League title in the spring and posting a first-round win over VCU in the NCAA tournament. Bucknell finished the 2020-21 season with a 6-4 overall record and a 3-3 mark in Patriot League play.
- After dropping their first three games of the spring season by a combined score of 10-1, the Bison turned things around and won six in a row to reach the NCAA quarterfinals. Bucknell limited opponents to 1.0 goals per game during the winning streak, and four of the victories went past regulation.
- This preseason the Bison were picked to finish second behind American in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. Bucknell is set to play a full 17-game schedule, including 11 non-conference games and six league games.
- Bucknell graduated five seniors in the spring, including three All-Patriot League players. Notably, the Bison lost 2021 NFHCA All-American defender Kaelyn Long.
- Two Bison received 2021 Patriot League preseason honors. Senior defender Erin Zielinski was voted the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, and junior midfielder Kayla Kisthardt was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
- Bucknell welcomed an eight-player rookie class this season, which is the largest since 2015.
- Returning starting goalkeeper Clara McCormick sported a 1.22 goals against average and an .807 save percentage in nine appearances last season. She was twice named the Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week and landed on the All-Tournament Team.
- Head coach Jeremy Cook is entering his 14th season with the program. With a 120-116 career record, Cook is eight victories shy of matching the program's all-time wins record. Cook has guided the Bison to the Patriot League Tournament every season and has posted a .500 record or better in each of the last five. Cook was the 2014 Patriot League Coach of the Year. He and assistant coach Alexa Ostoich were recognized as the NFHCA Division I Mideast Region Coaching Staff of the Year in the spring. Bucknell added assistant coach Ali Campbell to this year's staff.
Scouting James Madison
- James Madison enters the 2021 campaign ranked 24th in the NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll.
- The Dukes are coming off a 6-2 (5-0 CAA) spring season where they secured the No. 1 seed in the CAA tournament and made their first appearance in the CAA Championship game since 2016. They fell to Delaware 3-2 in overtime of the title match.Â
- The Dukes were among Division I national leaders in a number of stat categories during the spring 2021 season, ranking 10th in scoring (2.67), sixth in penalty corners (7.5), 11th in points (7.5), and 15th in both scoring margin (+1.09) and assists (2.0).
- James Madison was picked as the favorite to win the CAA title this season, receiving four of seven first-place votes.
- Three James Madison players – junior forward Eveline Zwager, redshirt junior midfielder Caroline Cahill, and senior midfielder Kara McClure – landed on the Preseason All-CAA Team. Additionally, redshirt senior midfielder Rachel Yeager was named an honorable mention.
- Zwager, who was named the 2020-21 CAA Player of the Year, led the Dukes in goals, assists and points last season. The Netherlands native also led the CAA in points per game (2.0).
- Harrisburg, Pa. native Brandelynn Heinbaugh started all eight games for James Madison as a rookie last season. She registered a 1.58 goals against average with a 0.581 save percentage, posting three shutouts.
- Head coach Christy Morgan is in the eighth season of her second stint with the Dukes. She previously led the team from 1991-99. Morgan is a four-time CAA Coach of the Year and a one-time CFHCA Coach of the Year.
- The Dukes were 2-1 in road contests last season.
 The Bucknell-James Madison Series
- Bucknell and James Madison have met three times, with the Dukes claiming all three matchups. The series began in October 2000.
- The Bison and the Dukes last met in 2019, with Bucknell falling 3-2 in the season opener at Graham Field.
- In the 2019 game, then-sophomore Emily Doyle scored in the 35th minute to tie the contest at 1-1. After the Dukes tacked on two more goals, then-rookie Mackenzie Kile assisted on a goal with under five minutes to go that cut the deficit to one.
- Senior Grace McEvoy is the only current Bison to appear in the 2018 matchup, a 0-3 loss on the road. James Madison was ranked No. 17 at the time.
- Bucknell is 40-48-5 all-time against current CAA teams.
Scouting LIU
-  LIU went 4-2 (4-1 NEC) in the spring, finishing second in the conference standings and ultimately falling to top-seeded Rider in the NEC semifinals. The Sharks were picked fourth in the 2021 NEC Preseason Poll. They face Lock Haven on Friday before Sunday's matchup in Lewisburg.
- The Sharks ranked 17th nationally in goals against average (1.26) last season.
- The Sharks returned NEC Rookie of the Year Sol Espona, who received NFHCA All-Region honors after leading the team in goals (4), points (8) and shots (18). LIU returned two other goal scorers from last season in Emma Braeckmans and Alexis Ruiz, but graduated All-NEC forward Sammy Bell.
- Goalkeeper Rachel Vellis is also returning as a graduate student. Vellis carries 64 career starts and posted a 0.750 save percentage with two shutouts last season.
- Head coach Raenee Savin is entering her 19th season with the team.
- The Sharks were 2-0 on the road in the spring.
The Bucknell-LIU Series History
- Bucknell has not played the Sharks since the program was formed when Division I LIU Brooklyn and Division II LIU Post merged ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. Bucknell faced LIU Brooklyn in 2017, soaring to an 8-0 victory over the Blackbirds at Graham Field.
- Bucknell is 18-11 all-time against current NEC teams.
Up Next
Bucknell plays its next three games on the road. The Bison visit Villanova on Friday, Sept. 3 and Temple on Sunday, Sept. 5.Â
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The Bucknell field hockey team is set to open the 2021 campaign at Graham Field on Friday, and the anticipation surrounding the new season is unlike any in the program's 49-year history. Not only are the Bison returning to a full 17-game schedule, complete with non-conference opponents, but they also enter the year as defending Patriot League Champions for the first time.
The field hockey team, which played a six-game, league-only regular season schedule this past spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, made history by capturing the program's first league title and a first-round win in the NCAA tournament.
After being outscored 10-1 and dropping its first three games last season, Bucknell turned things around and won six in a row. Four of the final seven games went past regulation, including an overtime win over Boston U. in the championship and a double-overtime thriller against VCU during the Bison's NCAA Field Hockey Tournament debut. Bucknell eventually fell 2-0 to second-seeded Michigan in a valiant quarterfinal effort.
The celebration, while impassioned, was short lived as just four months separated this season and last.
"We had a remarkable spring that lasted a lot longer than any of us thought it would. We were going right up until the end of school basically, and then we went home for the summer without a normal period of transition from season into whatever is next," said head coach Jeremy Cook. "It was such an emotional high, and then you jump right into summer and you kind of let it all go."
Now the Bison are looking to continue their success from last season in an effort to become the fourth Patriot League program to repeat as champions. They were picked to finish second behind American in the Patriot League Preseason Poll.
"We're starting to think about what it looks like to defend a championship, because we've never had that feeling before. One of the things we have to do now is to know we have a bit more of a target on our back. We're the champions of a year that everybody else wants to forget," Cook said.
Cook is entering his 14th season with the team and is eight wins shy of tying the program record of 128 career victories.
Unlike last season, the Bison begin the fall with a full preseason of work, which Cook believes in invaluable as the team looks to replace the leadership of five seniors lost to graduation in the spring. Four starters, three All-Patriot League players and 2020-21 NFHCA All-American Kaelyn Long are among those whose voids will need to be filled.
Cook is relying on his seven-player senior class to help guide the team through the preseason and the grind of a full fall schedule as less than half the roster has experienced a complete collegiate season.
"We're throwing them into a leadership role without much practice at it. That's been a good awakening for them. I think a lot of our competitors this year are bringing back seniors, and so they don't have quite that vacuum that we do," said Cook.
Headlining the Bison seniors is Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Erin Zielinski. Zielinski, who leads all players on the roster with 28 career starts, played nearly every minute last season and was selected to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team. She'll lead a defensive unit that limited opponents to 1.0 goals per game during the six-game winning streak last season.
Fellow senior defender Grace McEvoy also carries a wealth of playing experience, starting seven of eight games last season and 23 total over her career. Seniors Madison Hatcher and Payton Kenney add versatility with the ability to play both in the midfield and at the defensive end.
On offense, senior goal scorers Mary Kate Stefanowicz and Emily Doyle have both proven they can come through in big spots. Stefanowicz was the hero of the NCAA tournament for Bucknell in the spring, scoring both goals in the 2-1 first round win over VCU. She started the final five games of the season, and the four postseason points were the first of her career.
Meanwhile, Doyle has been a contributor on offense since she was a rookie, and she's just two years removed from a breakout season in 2019. In 10 starts as a sophomore, Doyle tied for the team lead with seven goals on just 13 total shots, including a pair of game winners. She added to her assist total last year in a win over Lafayette.
Rounding out the senior class is goalkeeper Peyton Fischer, who saw action in the cage in both the regular season and the NCAA quarterfinal game.
Starting the final seven games of last season at goalkeeper for the Bison was junior Clara McCormick.  With a 1.22 goals against average and a .807 save percentage, McCormick earned two Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week awards and received All-Tournament honors. She allowed just five goals over four postseason games and was exceptional in the Bison's shootout victory over American in the Patriot League semifinals.
"Clara was outstanding for us in goal last year, and we expect her to do really well this year as well," said Cook. "She's a good decision maker and she's usually on her angle really well. She just wants to win. She's super competitive, and that's a big thing in her favor."
Another member of last year's All-Tournament Team is junior Kayla Kisthardt. The midfielder joined Zielinski on this year's Preseason All-League Team after proving her value as a key distributor in 10 starts last season. She's joined by fellow junior midfielders Alina Arko and Noor Kaur.
Forwards Mackenzie Kile and Maddie Rehak are both scoring threats from the junior class with 11 and 10 career points, respectively. A strong finisher in the circle, Kile started all 10 games a season ago and scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 triumph over Colgate. Rehak provides speed on the outside and is looking to make a resurgence in the offense similar to her 2019 campaign when she posted four goals and a pair of assists as a rookie.
Bucknell's seven-player sophomore class, which was thrown into the fire of an unconventional rookie season last spring, contributed 14 of Bucknell's 38 points and five of its 12 goals on the season. The group was especially effective as the season progressed and was instrumental in Bucknell's title run.
"They're one-for-one. They've tasted that, and I think they want to get back there. A lot of them worked really hard over the summer," said Cook. "It's a really strong class and we're pumped for them, but they haven't experienced a preseason before. They're in the same boat as the current first-years in the sense that they haven't been through the grind of going hard every day, sometimes twice a day to get better."
Leading the then-freshman class, as well as the entire team in points last season was forward Rachel Apa. The Lewisberry, Pa. native was one of four Bison with a multi-goal season and led the roster with three assists. Apa scored twice in the 3-2 win over Lafayette during the regular season, earning her both Patriot League Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors. She later chipped in during the semifinal victory over American by converting in penalty strokes.
Joining Apa as a Rookie of the Week honoree and a multi-goal scorer was Kari Melberger, who scored the game-tying goal against Boston U. with under six minutes to play in the championship game. After an impressive preseason this fall, Melberger is expected to play a key role in the rotation following seven consecutive starts to end last season.
Sophomore forward Olivia Bush and midfielder Gugulethu Sibanda also supplied points last year, while forward Sydney Panagos and defenders Mia Fields and Reanne Burgess all saw valuable minutes during their first years.
Bucknell welcomed its largest rookie class since 2015 with eight newcomers joining the roster this season. It's a diverse class with forwards, midfielders, defenders and a goalkeeper, hailing from five different states as well as Australia.
"It's a big class with lots of depth in it," said Cook. "That group brings a lot with them in terms of different influences on their hockey, and that adds a lot. We're really excited for them."
The Bison brought in a rookie goalkeeper, Nora Frederick of Shrewsbury, Mass., and defender Lily Neilson of New South Wales, Australia to sure up the defensive side. Bucknell also has first-years Tallulah Fuhs, Hannah Guarente, Hope Davis, Isabella Pavlides and Lindsey Fogelsanger penciled in as midfielders/forwards/defenders. Fogelsanger is the younger sister of 2021 graduate and two-time All-Patriot League selection Leah Fogelsanger. Summit, N.J. native Sara Ma is listed as a pure forward and rounds out the class.
24th ranked James Madison visits Graham Field on Friday to open the season, representing the first of many challenging teams that await the Bison this fall. A non-conference schedule that includes the likes of Penn State and Cornell is sprinkled in with Patriot League opponents that retained large portions of their rosters. Three of the 11 players represented on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team are returning for a fifth year.
"The interesting thing will be to see how we match up. We're basically playing better versions of the teams we played last year. We're trying to rebuild as a new team and we're going to be playing against teams that have played together for four or more years now," said Cook. "We're a team that gets better. We've always been a team that improves from day one to the end of the season. Every game that's the goal – to try to get a little bit better than we were the last game."
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