Saturday, September 18
Lewisburg, Pa.
11 a.m.
Bucknell University
vs
Holy Cross
Photo by: Lianne Garrahan
Bison Field Hockey Opens PL Play vs. Holy Cross Saturday, Hosts Sacred Heart Sunday
9/15/2021 3:45:00 PM | Field Hockey
Bucknell (3-2, 0-0 PL) vs. Holy Cross (2-2, 0-0 PL)
When: Saturday, Sept. 18 at 11 a.m.
Where: Graham Field at Holmes Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Bucknell (3-2, 0-0 PL) vs. Sacred Heart (0-4, 0-0 NEC)
When: Sunday, Sept. 19 at 1 p.m.
Where: Graham Field at Holmes Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
About Bucknell
- Bucknell field hockey opens Patriot League play on Saturday when Holy Cross visits Graham Field. The team then hosts Sacred Heart on Sunday, playing on back-to-back days for the first time this season. Sunday will be the Bison's last home game until October 10 as they head off for a four-game road swing. Bucknell is 1-1 at Graham Field this season.
- Bucknell played a league-only schedule during the regular season in the spring but did not see Holy Cross. The Bison went 3-3 in Patriot League play and 5-3 against league opponents overall, capturing their first-ever Patriot League title. Bucknell has won its last five games against league opponents. The Bison are 11-7 in league play over the last three seasons.
- Bucknell improved to 3-2 and won its second consecutive game with a 2-0 victory over Lock Haven on Sunday. Senior Mary Kate Stefanowicz posted both goals in the victory, scoring one in the second quarter and one in the third. It was Bucknell's first shutout of the season.
- Sunday was the second multi-goal game of Stefanowicz' career, adding to her two-goal effort in Bucknell's NCAA quarterfinal win over VCU last season. The Lansdale, Pa. native now leads the team in points (7) and goals (3) this season. She earned an honorable mention for Patriot League Player of the Week with her second game-winner of the season.
- Senior Erin Zielinski and junior Maddie Rehak both supplied assists in the Sunday win. It was Zielinski's team-best third assist of the season and Rehak's second. Zielinski is also tied for second in the Patriot League with her mark.
- Junior Mackenzie Kile and rookie Lily Neilson are tied for second on the team with four points each. Kile provided an assist and scored a goal in Bucknell's win over Temple, and Nielson has two goals this fall. Neilson also ranks second on the roster with nine shots.
- Junior Clara McCormick made her 12th consecutive start on Sunday and is 9-4 as the Bison goalkeeper, picking up the second shutout of her career. McCormick made two saves on Sunday and owns a 1.59 goals against average on the season, putting her third in the league in the category. Bucknell is second in the Patriot League in goals allowed per game this season.
- For the first time in program history, Bucknell entered 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.
- Head coach Jeremy Cook is in his 14th season with the program. With a 123-118 career record, Cook is five 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 overall record or better in each of the last five.
Scouting Holy Cross
- Holy Cross is 2-2 this fall with wins against Saint Francis (Pa.) and Sacred Heart and losses to Vermont and Northeastern. Both of the Crusaders' wins have been shutouts, including the 3-0 win over the Red Flash in the season opener.
- The Crusaders were picked sixth in the Patriot League preseason poll. They finished 2-4 last season and faced Boston U. in the Patriot League semifinals, falling 5-1. Senior Caitlin Little was named to the Preseason All-League Team, finishing with a goal and leading a Holy Cross defense that pitched a pair of shutouts in 2020-21. She has one assist this season.
- Rookie forward Meggan Fourie and junior midfielder Sinead Walsh are leading the Crusaders with two goals apiece this season. Fourie is the team's overall points leader (5) with an assist as well.
- Holy Cross has played two different goalkeepers this season, with sophomore Brooke Ross making three of the four starts. Junior Emma Lauber started the 4-0 loss to Northeastern and has appeared in two other games. Ross sports a 1.29 goals against average while Lauber has a 3.30. Ross played all 60 minutes in the 1-0 shutout against Sacred Heart on Sunday.
- The Crusaders are led by seventh-year head coach Lindsay Jackson. She's 37-63 overall and has guided the team to four Patriot League Tournament appearances.
Series History with Holy Cross
- Bucknell is 15-20 in all-time matchups with Holy Cross, dating back to 1985. Bucknell has won three in a row in the series and 10 of the last 11. The Crusaders' last win was in a 1-0 shootout in 2016.
- The Bison are 10-7 at home in the series and haven't lost to the Crusaders on their home turf since 2007. Bucknell's longest streak in the series in seven wins.
- Bucknell last faced Holy Cross in 2019, winning 2-1 in Lewisburg during the regular season finale. The Bison outshot the Crusaders 14-2, and 2021 graduate Leah Fogelsanger scored both goals for the Orange & Blue.
Scouting Sacred Heart
- Sacred Heart has opened the season 0-4 and has yet to notch a goal, facing tough competition early on. The Pioneers opened the season with a 7-0 loss at Syracuse, fell 3-0 to Vermont, then dropped a pair of 1-0 losses to Georgetown and Holy Cross. The Georgetown loss came in overtime. Sacred Heart will face Hofstra on Friday before visiting the Bison.
- Sacred Heart was picked sixth in the Northeast Conference preseason poll following a 3-5 spring season and a 3-3 record in the conference.
- Sophomore midfielder Isabell Chamberlain is currently leading the Pioneers in shots (11), posting three in each of the last three contests. Chamberlain posted a team-high three points last season on one goal and one assist. The team returned four other goal-scorers from last season.
- Sacred Heart graduated two-time NEC Goalkeeper of the Year Hailey Power in the spring, and the team has split time between sophomore Erin Burgess and rookie Samantha Maresca in the cage this season. Burgess has started all four games, but Maresca has seen time in each one as well.
- Sacred Heart is led by head coach Sydney Van Der Merwe, who owns a 24-63 record in six seasons with the Pioneers.
Series History with Sacred Heart
- Bucknell is 2-1 in the all-time series with Sacred Heart, dating back to 2009. All three meetings have come down to the wire and two have gone past regulation. The Pioneers won the first-ever meeting, 4-3, at home in overtime. Bucknell won the 2010 matchup 4-3 at home in a shootout, and then claimed a 2-1 win over Sacred Heart at Yale in 2019.
- Maddie Rehak broke the game open in the 2019 matchup, scoring in the 27th minute. Bucknell outshot the Pioneers 9-6 and led 5-0 in penalty corners in the win.
Up Next
Bucknell plays its next four games on the road, beginning with Boston U. and Harvard next weekend. The Bison will play at the Terriers on Saturday, Sept. 25 for a rematch of last season's Patriot League Championship game. The team then travels to Harvard on Sunday, Sept. 26.
Players Mentioned
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