Saturday, October 2
Washington, D.C.
11 a.m.
Bucknell University
at
American
Photo by: Lianne Garrahan
Bucknell Field Hockey Visits No. 25 American on Saturday
9/30/2021 9:21:00 AM | Field Hockey
Bucknell (6-3, 2-0 PL) at #25 American (5-3, 1-0 PL)
When: Saturday, Oct. 2 at 11 a.m.
Where: Jacobs Recreational Complex – Washington, D.C.
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: AUEagles.com
About Bucknell
- Bucknell plays at 25th ranked American on Saturday in the team's only game this weekend. It's Bucknell's third consecutive road game and its third Patriot League contest of the season. Saturday will be a rematch of last season's Patriot League semifinal game, which the Bison won in a shootout.
- Bucknell moved to 6-3 (2-0 PL) last weekend with a 2-1 overtime win at Boston U. and a 4-1 loss at Harvard. The Bison maintained their first-place position in the Patriot League and are tied with Lehigh.
- The Bison had won five in a row prior to the Harvard loss, defeating their opponents by a combined 17-6 score over that stretch. Bucknell has scored a goal in every match since falling 3-0 to James Madison in the season opener. The team is tied for second with 21 goals on the season, is first in assists (26), and is first in penalty corners (78).
- First-year defender Lily Neilson continued her outstanding rookie season with two more goals over the weekend. The Armidale, New South Wales, Australia native scored the game-winner in overtime against the Terriers and scored the lone goal for the Bison at Harvard. She leads the Patriot League in goals (9) and points (19) and sports a .409 shot percentage. Neilson was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week for a second week in a row on Monday and for a third time this season. She also earned Offensive Player of the Week honors last week following her record-breaking five-goal performance vs. Holy Cross.
- Junior forward Maddie Rehak was an honorable mention for PL Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after tallying three points over the weekend. Rehak broke the scoring open in the Boston game with her second goal of the season on Saturday. She added an assist on Sunday and ranks second on the roster with five on the year.
- The Patriot League's leader in assists in senior defender Erin Zielinski, who was the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Zielinski boasts seven assists after tying a Bucknell record with three in the Holy Cross victory. She's played every minute in seven games this fall.
- Sophomore forward Rachel Apa also supplied an assist over the weekend. She's posted points in three of the last four contests.
- Bucknell has had eight different goal-scorers this season, and four have multiple scores. 10 different players have contributed assists.
- Goalkeeper Clara McCormick possesses a 1.88 goals against average and has totaled 30 saves through the first nine games.
- The Bison went 3-3 in Patriot League play and 5-3 against league opponents overall last season. Bucknell has won its last seven games against league opponents and is 13-7 in league play over the last three seasons.
- 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. 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 126-119 career record, Cook is two 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 American
- The Eagles are 5-3 (1-0 PL), sitting in third place in the Patriot League standings entering this weekend. The Eagles won four in a row before falling to No. 9 Maryland on Sunday. One of the Eagles' wins was a 3-0 victory over LIU on Friday, which Bucknell defeated in overtime earlier in the season. American was ranked 25th in the latest NFHCA Coaches Poll.
- American was picked first in the Patriot League preseason poll, receiving eight first-place votes after going 4-2 in the spring and reaching the Patriot League semifinal round. The Eagles captured a league title in 2019.
- American has allowed just 13 goals to opponents this season, ranking second in the Patriot League. Sophomore Bryn Underwood was the Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year last season and ranks second in goals against average (1.57) and saves per game (5.37) this fall. She's been named Goalkeeper of the Week twice this season.
- Fifth-year senior and two-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Noor Coenen is leading American with five goals. She's sixth in the league in overall points (12) and second in shot attempts (4.0/G). She's also provided two assists and is tied with three other Eagles in the category. Junior midfielder Merel Dupont is the only other player on the roster with multiple goals.
- American is led by head coach Steve Jennings, who is in his 23rd season with the program. Jennings is 276-149 in his career, including a 96-17 mark in Patriot League play. He's led the Eagles to 11 Patriot League titles.
Series History with American
- American leads 27-9 in the all-time series, which dates back to 1990. Five of the last nine meetings have gone past regulation, including two overtime games, one double-overtime game and two shootouts.
- The two teams met three times last season, with Bucknell going 2-1 in those games. The Eagles claimed a 4-0 win at home in the first meeting. Bucknell responded by winning 2-1 in double-overtime in Lewisburg, and then capturing a 2-1 shootout victory in Boston, Mass. during the Patriot League semifinals.
- Current Bison Olivia Bush, Noor Kaur and Rachel Apa all registered points against the Eagles in the two wins last season.
Up Next
Bucknell visits Penn State for a 2 p.m. matchup on Saturday, Oct. 9. The Bison then return home to host Cornell at Graham Field on Sunday, Oct. 10.
Players Mentioned
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