Field Hockey Heads to Washington, D.C. Thursday to Face Top-Seeded Terriers in Patriot League Semifinal

#4 Bucknell (5-12, 3-3 PL) vs. #1 Boston U. (9-8, 5-1 PL)
When: Thursday, Nov. 3 at 11 a.m.
Where: Jacobs Recreational Complex – Washington, D.C.
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: AUEagles.com

Game Notes

Ticket Information:

Tickets are on sale now for both Patriot League Tournament semifinal games and Saturday's Championship online at AUEagles.com/Tickets.
Tickets are priced at $8 for adults, and $5 for youth and seniors.
Students of participating schools get in FREE.

Parking Information:

Parking is only permitted in the School of International Service (SIS) or The Katzen Art Center Garage during work hours (8 a.m. - 5 p.m. on weekdays).
Guests using these locations must utilize the hourly rate pay boxes inside each respective garage.

About Bucknell

The Bucknell field hockey team is back in the Patriot League tournament for a 15th consecutive season. The Bison have now made the tournament 25 times, which is a Patriot League record.
Bucknell will play as the No. 4 seed after finishing 3-3 in league play. The Bison will take on top-seeded Boston U. in the semifinal round Thursday morning. The 2022 tournament will be hosted by American in Washington, D.C. The Eagles are playing as the No. 2 seed, and Lehigh is seeded third.
Bucknell went 0-3 against the other three teams in the tournament during the regular season, but all three were decided by a single goal. Bucknell's game against the Mountain Hawks went to overtime, and the Bison nearly pulled out a win against the Terriers on Sunday in the regular-season finale.
In Patriot League play, Bucknell finished the regular season third in goals per game (2.5) and sixth in goals against per game (2.1). The Bison were tied for first in the league with 2.3 assists per game.
The Patriot League announced major award winners and All-Patriot League teams on Tuesday, and the Bison were well-represented once again. Sophomore Lily Neilson, who led the league in goals (14) for a second straight season, was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. She's the first Bison to earn the award since its creation in 1994 and Bucknell's first major award winner since Olivia Harris took home Goalkeeper of the Year in 2019. Senior Kayla Kisthardt joined Neilson on the First Team, while senior Mackenzie Kile and freshman Kira Leclercq both earned Second Team recognition. Bucknell has had at least four All-Patriot League honorees in six straight seasons.
Neilson's 0.82 goals per game rank 12th in NCAA Division I. She now has 29 goals in her career and is tied for sixth in the Bucknell record book.
Kile is also climbing the record book and is three assists shy of tying Bucknell's all-time record of 34. Kile has led the league in the category two years in a row with 12 in each of the last two seasons.
Kisthardt was one of 38 student-athletes named to the 2022 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I Senior Team last week. She joins Kaelyn Long '21 and Erin Zielinski '22 as recent Bucknell field hockey players to receive the honor.
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 Boston U.

Boston wrapped up the 2022 regular-season title with a 5-1 league record and a 9-8 mark overall. Boston's only loss in league play was to Lafayette on Oct. 15.
The Terriers were picked fifth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll after going 4-14 (2-4 PL) last season. It was just the second time Boston had missed the Patriot League tournament since it entered the league in 2013.
Boston faced two ranked opponents this season. Most recently, the Terriers fell 3-1 at No. 21 Boston College. Before that, they won 5-2 over No. 23 Maine.
The Terriers averaged 2.3 goals per game against league opponents this season, which ranks fourth, and they tied for the league lead with 1.17 goals allowed per game.
Boston sophomore Payton Anderson was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday, and freshman Martu Coulo was voted the Rookie of the Year. The Terriers had five players overall make All-League teams.
Head coach Sally Starr is in her 42nd season with the Terriers and has a record of 486-324 with the program. She's guided her teams to 14 NCAA tournament appearances and 12 conference titles. She was named the 2022 Patriot League Coach of the Year on Tuesday.
Starr served as Bucknell's head coach during the 1979 and 1980 seasons, posting a 19-14-2 record with the Orange & Blue.

Series History with the Terriers

Boston leads the all-time series 12-4 since the two teams first met in 2011, but Bucknell has won three of the last four matchups.
The Terriers defeated Bucknell in Lewisburg last Sunday to close out the regular season. The Terriers scored in the 38th minute to break a 1-1 tie, and Bucknell was unable to find another equalizer. Bucknell led 9-6 in shots and 7-4 in penalty corners.
The Bison won 2-1 in overtime in Boston last season.

Bucknell in the Patriot League Tournament

Bucknell has qualified for the Patriot League tournament 25 times, which leads all other programs. It is 9-23 all-time in tournament games.
The Bison have advanced to the championship game eight times, and they won their first league title during the spring 2020-21 season, defeating Boston U. in overtime in Boston.
Nine of Bucknell's 32 Patriot League tournament games have gone past regulation, including last year's loss to Lafayette.
Bucknell is 1-5 all-time in Patriot League tournament games against Boston U.

Up Next

With a win on Thursday, Bucknell would advance to the Patriot League championship game and face either second-seeded American or third-seeded Lehigh on Saturday, Nov. 5.