Saturday, October 22
Lewisburg, Pa.
11 a.m.
Bucknell University
vs
American
Photo by: Cole Cloonan
Field Hockey Seeks PL Tournament Berth with Saturday Home Game vs. American, Hosts Lock Haven Sunday
10/21/2022 11:26:00 AM | Field Hockey
Bucknell (4-10, 3-1 PL) vs. American (7-6, 3-2 PL)
When: Saturday, Oct. 11 at 11 a.m.
Where: Graham Field – Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Bucknell (4-10, 3-1 PL) vs. Lock Haven (11-3, 4-1 A10)
When: Sunday, Oct. 23 at 12 p.m.
Where: Graham Field – Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Play4TheCure Pink Game: Sunday is Bucknell's annual Play4TheCure Pink Game. The event helps support the National Foundation for Cancer Research. Fans can help support the NFCR by purchasing basket raffle tickets at Sunday's game.
About Bucknell
- Bucknell hosts a critical Patriot League game against American on Saturday as the regular season nears its end. The Bison then host their final non-league game against Lock Haven on Sunday. Bucknell, which is currently second in Patriot League standings, could clinch a spot in the tournament with a win over the Eagles. The Bison would also win the regular season and host the tournament by winning its last two league games.
- If Bucknell defeats the Eagles on Saturday it will mark the 15th consecutive season that the team has qualified for the Patriot League tournament.
- The Bison are looking to snap a four-game losing skid. Three of the losses were to non-league teams, but Bucknell hasn't picked up a victory since defeating Colgate 5-3 on Oct. 1. Nine of the team's 10 losses have been against non-league opponents.
- In its last game, Bucknell held a 2-1 halftime lead over Richmond and led in both shots (16-13) and shots on goal (7-6), but it was unable to score after a two-goal first quarter, and the Spiders took the lead with a pair of goals in the third quarter to secure the win at Graham Field.
- Rachel Apa scored both Bucknell goals in last Sunday's game and now has four on the season as well as 10 in her career. Lily Neilson supplied an assist on one of the goals last weekend to give her 21 points on the season, which ranks third in the Patriot League.
- Neilson, who led the league in shots, goals and points through most of the season, has gone four games without finding the back of the cage. She's still tied for the league lead with 10 goals on the year.
- Senior Mackenzie Kile has missed the past two contests, but she ranks fifth in the nation with 0.83 assists per game. Kile has 29 in her career and ranks third in the Bucknell record book.
- Freshman Kira Leclercq added another defensive save last weekend, giving her five on the season. She ranks among the top six in the country in the category.
- Bucknell's Kayla Kisthardt was one of 38 student-athletes named to the 2022 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I Senior Team on Thursday. She joins Kaelyn Long '21 and Erin Zielinski '22 as recent Bucknell field hockey players to receive the honor. Kisthardt, a 2021 Second Team All-Patriot League selection, is one of three PL players voted to the squad this season.
- Bucknell was picked third in the 2022 Patriot League Field Hockey Preseason Poll. American finished first in the poll and was followed by Lafayette, which is how the standings ended up last fall.
- Bucknell is under the direction of first-year head coach Kelsey Kolojejchick. Kolojejchick, a former four-time All-American out of the University of North Carolina and a Junior Pan American Games gold medalist, arrived at Bucknell after spending the past four years as an assistant at Harvard.
Scouting American
- American is 7-6 (3-2 PL) after beating Lehigh 3-1 last weekend. The win over the Mountain Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak. The Eagles previously ranked as high as No. 22 earlier in the season.
- American has league wins over Lafayette, Colgate and Lehigh and losses to Boston U. and Holy Cross. It would clinch a berth in the tournament with a win over Bucknell.
- The Eagles lead the Patriot League in goals per game (2.46) and have allowed a league-low 1.31 goals per game.
- Sophomore Federica Turina Dellamaggiore leads the league in points (1.77) and goals per game (.769).
- American is led by 10-time Patriot League Field Hockey Coach of the Year Steve Jennings. Jennings is 291-156 in his 24 seasons with the Eagles.
Series History with the Eagles
- Bucknell is 9-28 in all-time meetings with American, dating back to 1990, but it has captured two of the last three in the series. American, ranked No. 25 in the country at the time, defeated the Bison 3-2 in Washington, D.C. last season.
- American scored thee goals over the first three quarters in the 2021 meeting before the Bison responded with one in the third and one in the fourth. Then-junior Mackenzie Kile scored one of Bucknell's two goals.
- Bucknell is 3-3 over the last six meetings in Lewisburg, including a 2-1 double-overtime victory in the spring 2021 season.
- Five of the last 10 meetings between the Bison and the Eagles have gone past regulation.
Scouting Lock Haven
- Lock Haven, which is currently second in the Atlantic 10 standings with an 11-3 overall record and a 4-1 mark in A10 play, is coming off a 1-1 weekend that included a 2-1 loss at Cornell and a 1-0 victory vs. Richmond.
- The Bald Eagles are 2-0 against Patriot League teams this fall with victories over Lehigh and Colgate.
- Lock Haven averages 2.07 goals per game and 1.21 goals against. The team is led by 2021 NFHCA All-Mideast Region midfielder Martina Spangenberg, who has 21 points on nine goals and three assists.
- Lock Haven head coach Pat Rudy is in her 27th season with the program. She has a career record of 633-245.
Series History with the Bald Eagles
- Bucknell is 11-27-2 in the all-time series with Lock Haven, dating back to 1980. The Bison have won five in a row against the Bald Eagles, including wins in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
- Bucknell was powered by a two-goal performance from Mary Kate Stefanowicz in last year's 2-0 victory over the Bald Eagles. The Bison dominated 12-3 in shots and 14-6 in penalty corners. Maddie Rehak also provided an assist in the win.
- Lock Haven last knocked off the Bison 2-1 in 2015.
Up Next
Bucknell wraps up the regular season with a home game against first-place Boston U. on Sunday, Oct. 30.
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