Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Hosts Penn State, Travels to Loyola

Penn State (2-5, 0-0 B1G) vs. Bucknell (5-1, 0-1 PL)
When: Tuesday, March 15 – 4 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Internet Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX

Bucknell (5-1, 0-1 PL) vs. No. -/20 Loyola (2-4, 1-0 PL)
When: Saturday, March 19 – 1 p.m.
Where: Ridley Athletic Complex – Baltimore, Md.
Internet Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: LoyolaGreyhounds.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX

Bucknell at a Glance
• For the fourth week in a row, the Bison received votes in the USILA Coaches' and Inside Lacrosse Media Polls.
• Bucknell is currently 5-1 (0-1 PL) following its 12-7 loss to No. 17/16 Boston University on March 12.
• The 2022 team was the fourth to start a season 5-0, joining the 1970, 1996 and 2007 squads. The Bison won their first five games in 2022 and 2007, their first seven tilts in 1970 and all 12 of their contests in 1996.
• At the NCAA Division I level, Bucknell ranks ninth in scoring offense (15.33) and scoring margin (4.83). The Bison are also third in ground balls per game (37.83), fifth in assists per game (9.67) and sixth in points per game (25.00).
• Attackman Connor Davis was added to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List on March 10. Currently, he is the lone freshman be recognized as a contender for this prestigious award, which honors the top college lacrosse player in the United States.
• During the abbreviated 2021 season, Bucknell posted a 2-6 (1-5 PL) record, missing the Patriot League Tournament for only the third time since 2005.
• In 2020, the Bison went 5-1 (0-0 PL). The week their season was canceled due to the COVID-19 public health threat, they were ranked 20th in the USILA Coaches' Poll.
• In 2019, Bucknell logged a 6-9 (4-4 PL) record. The Bison closed the regular season on a four-game winning streak and earned their 13th Patriot League Tournament berth in 15 seasons.
• Bucknell was selected to finish seventh in the 2022 Patriot League preseason poll. Midfielder Harry Wellford represented the Bison on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team for the second-straight season.
• Bucknell returned defenseman Travis Talarico, a 2020 Inside Lacrosse Honorable Mention All-American.
• The Bison lost two-time All-Patriot League defenseman Bryant Boswell to graduation following the 2021 campaign.
• Bucknell will also need to replace four-year starting attackman Tommy Sopko, who finished just three goals shy of cracking the school's all-time career top-10 list; his final stat line read 118 points on 91 goals and 27 assists in 44 career games, all of which were starts.
• The Bison brought back senior attackman Alston Tarry, who led the team in assists in both 2021 (11) and 2020 (14).
• Bucknell also returned junior short-stick defensive midfielder Danny Striano, who paced the team in ground balls (30) a season ago. Striano is a critical faceoff wing for the Bison.
• Talarico, Wellford, senior offensive midfielder Matthew Barkauskas and senior faceoff specialist Nick Crovatto are serving as team captains this year.
• Frank Fedorjaka is in his 17th season as Bucknell's head coach and 22nd campaign as a collegiate head coach. He is just the second head coach in Bison men's lacrosse history.

Category Leaders
• Goals: Connor Davis (28) – 1st in NCAA in goals/game (4.67) (lone freshman in top 10)
• Assists: Cam Doolan and Alston Tarry (10)
• Points: Connor Davis (30) – 14th in NCAA in points/game (5.00) (lone freshman in top 35)
• Shots: Connor Davis (66)
• Ground Balls: Nick Crovatto (46) – t-14th in NCAA in ground balls/game (7.67)
• Caused Turnovers: Frankie Higgins and Travis Talarico (8)
• Face-Off Wins: Nick Crovatto (78)
• Face-Off Percentage: Nick Crovatto (.605) – 14th in NCAA
• Save Percentage: Max Nolan (.436)
• Goals Against Average: Max Nolan (10.76)
• Saves: Max Nolan (44)

School Record Holders on the 2022 Roster
• Nick Crovatto: Single-Game Ground Balls (14 vs. St. John's in 2022)
• Connor Davis: Single-Game Goals by Freshman (6 vs. Mercer, St. John's & Binghamton in 2022)

Patriot League Record Holders on the 2022 Roster
• Connor Davis: Overall Rookie of the Week awards (5) (tied with fellow Bison Charlie Streep, 2009)
• Connor Davis: Consecutive Rookie of the Week awards (3)

Milestone Watch
• Nick Crovatto: Needs six faceoff wins to reach 250 in his career; already the fourth Bison to surpass 200 career wins
• Nick Crovatto: Needs 26 ground balls to crack Bucknell's single-season top 10 with 72
• Nick Crovatto: Needs one Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Week nod to match single-season school record of four
• Connor Davis: Needs 10 goals to crack Bucknell's single-season top 10 with 38
• Connor Davis: Needs one Patriot League Rookie of the Week award to set new league and school records with six

Inside the Boston University Box Score
• No. 17/16 Boston University downed the Bucknell men's lacrosse team, 12-7, on March 12.
• In a battle of two of the nation's seven remaining unbeaten teams entering the weekend, the Terriers used staunch defensive play to hand the Bison their first loss of the 2022 campaign. They entered the contest contest ranked second in the NCAA in scoring defense (7.75).
• Boston University was bolstered by holding Bucknell without a goal for a 25:45 span that stretched from the second quarter's 5:36 mark to the fourth's 9:51 mark. During that period, the Terriers scored four goals to turn their tight 7-5 advantage into a 11-6 lead.
• Connor Davis factored into four goals, registering a hat trick and a helper. He also logged five ground balls and caused a turnover.
• Davis now has 28 goals on the young season, placing him 10 away from cracking the Bison's single-season top-10 list with eight games remaining in the regular season.
• Drew Wellington led the defense with four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Danny Striano added a team-best six ground balls while Frankie Higgins filled the stat sheet with a team-high three caused turnovers, two ground balls and an assist.
• Boston University held edges in shots (47-39) and ground balls (40-39) while Bucknell led in shots on goal (19-18). The Terriers' advantage was most felt in the x, where they went 16 for 23, and in the clearing game, where they forced six failed clears.
• Even though the Bison failed to earn their sixth-straight win, their 5-0 start is tied for their third best in program history. The 2022 team was the fourth to start a season 5-0, joining the 1970, 1996 and 2007 squads; they won their first five games in 2007, their first seven tilts in 1970 and all 12 of their contests in 1996.
• On the strength of his performance, Davis was recognized as the Patriot League Rookie of the Week for the fifth time in six weeks. He matched fellow Bison Charlie Streep's record of overall awards, set in 2009.

Penn State at a Glance
• Penn State received votes in this week's Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
• The Nittany Lions are currently 2-5 (0-0 B1G) following their tight 16-15 loss at then No. 4 Cornell on March 12.
• Penn State has played two other ranked opponents this season, topping then No. 5 Yale, 10-6, and being edged by then No. 6 Penn, 10-9.
• The Nittany Lions were picked to finish sixth in the 2022 Big Ten preseason poll and placed Brayden Peck, Brian Townsend and Jack Traynor on the preseason all-conference team.
• During the truncated 2021 season, Penn State went 4-7 (4-6 B1G) and did not qualify for the Big Ten Tournament.
• In 2019, the Nittany Lions won their first Big Ten Tournament and put together a 16-2 (5-0 B1G) record. They advanced to the NCAA semifinals, where they fell to eventual runner-up Yale by a 21-17 decision.
• Penn State leads the all-time series with Bucknell, 34-12, bolstered by winning streaks of 10 games (1986-95), six games (1970-75) and five games (1980-84).
• The Bison set a number of individual school records against the Nittany Lions, including in points (11 by Pete von Hoffmann in 1979) and saves (34 by Tom Sanders in 1977).
• In their most recent meeting, which took place in 2013, Bucknell fell to then No. 16 Penn State, 11-3.
• The Bison and Nittany Lions squared off every season from 1968 to 2013.

No. -/20 Loyola at a Glance
• This week, the Greyhounds are ranked 20th in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll; Loyola also received votes in the USILA Coaches' Poll, matching Bucknell's 13 points.
• The Greyhounds are currently 2-4 (1-0 PL) following their 12-10 victory over then No. 9 Duke on March 13.
• Three of Loyola's four losses came to nationally ranked teams, two of which were slotted in the top 10 at the time of their game.
• The Greyhounds were selected to win the Patriot League in the 2022 preseason poll, receiving 14 of 18 first-place votes. Six players made the Preseason All-Patriot League Team, headlined by Tewaaraton Award Watch List members Kevin Lindley and Ryan McNulty.
• McNulty was previously recognized as an All-American by Inside Lacrosse and the USILA. Lindley is poised to become Loyola's all-time leading goal scorer this season.
• During the abbreviated 2021 campaign, the Greyhounds went 10-6 (4-3 PL) and advanced to the Patriot League Championship Game, which they ultimately withdrew from due to COVID-19 protocols. They earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, where they knocked off then No. 7 Denver, 14-13, before falling to then No. 2 Duke in overtime, 10-9.
• Loyola leads the all-time series with Bucknell, 8-3. After facing off three times in the 1980s, the teams didn't meet again until the Greyhounds joined the Patriot League in 2014.
• Last season, then No. 12 Loyola cruised past the Bison, 24-10, in Baltimore.
• Entering its 2019 loss, Bucknell had won its past two games against the Greyhounds by one-goal margins. In 2018, the Bison handed then No. 6 Loyola its only Patriot League loss by emerging a 12-11 During the 2017 campaign, they stunned the then No. 17/18 Greyhounds, 9-8, in double overtime. Will Sands led the way with seven points (2g-5a), including the game-winning goal, while Christian Klipstein made 15 saves.

A Look Ahead
• The Bison host Colgate under the lights on March 26 at 7 p.m.

Note for NCAA rankings: Statistical rankings as of Monday, March 14 (through games played on Sunday, March 13)

Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Hosts Penn State, Travels to Loyola

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Players Mentioned

Matthew Barkauskas

Bryant Boswell

Nick Crovatto

Connor Davis

Cam Doolan

Frankie Higgins

Christian Klipstein

Max Nolan

Tommy Sopko

Danny Striano

Travis Talarico

Travis Talarico

Alston Tarry

Harry Wellford

Drew Wellington