Four From Bison Women’s Lax Earn Weekly Honors after Big Win over Army

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Four members of the Bucknell women's lacrosse team who played starring roles in Saturday's 18-12 win over first-place Army have received weekly honors. Seniors Emma Cashwell and Abby Neff along with freshman Allie Boyce were all recognized by the Patriot League, and sophomore Taylor Kopan was selected as the Bison Athlete of the Week.

Army came into the game with a 10-3 overall record and a perfect 5-0 mark in Patriot League play. The Black Knights were also the highest-scoring team in the league, averaging 15.8 goals in all games and 19.0 in Patriot League contests. But the Bison held that potent offense in check, limiting Army to 12 goals, three of which came in the final three minutes after Bucknell had already built a commanding 18-9 lead.

Neff and Cashwell were two of the catalysts of that defensive effort. Neff was rewarded with her third Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season, and Cashwell was named Patriot League Midfielder of the Week for the first time.

Neff led all players with three caused turnovers and collected a pair of ground balls while contributing to a team defensive effort that kept Patriot League goal-scoring leader Jolie Riedell off the board. Riedell had 41 goals coming into the game. Neff ranks third in the league in caused turnovers at 1.50 per game and fourth in ground balls at 2.25 per game.

Cashwell's presence was felt all over the field against Army. She picked up a game-high eight draw controls, a new career high for her, and also chipped in offensively with three goals. Cashwell now has 21 goals, 10 assists, and 44 draw controls on the season, and she has 12 goals in her last four games.

Boyce and Kopan paced the attack with a combined seven goals and three assists. It was Kopan leading the way early in the game, as she scored Bucknell's first three goals of the day to give her a first-quarter natural hat trick. She later assisted on Katie Wendell's transition goal with just 12 seconds left in the half, which gave the Bison a three-goal cushion at intermission. Kopan was inserted into the starting lineup against Lafayette on March 26, and in the four games since she has tallied eight goals while helping the Bison to a 3-1 record.

While Kopan set the tone early, it was Boyce who acted as the finisher, and she was honored with her third Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor of the season. Boyce had a hand in all four of Bucknell's fourth-quarter goals, scoring three in a row in one stretch and then assisting on a fourth to give the Bison that 18-9 advantage. She finished the game with four goals and two assists and now has a team-leading 29 goals on the season. Boyce ranks 10th in the league in goals per game (2.42) and fourth in shooting percentage (.547).

She did what? Taylor Kopan somehow keeps control in the midst of a swarm of black jerseys. It's a natural hat trick for Taylor and the Bison have the early lead. #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/uu57yGhIYM
— Bucknell Women's Lax (@Bucknell_WLAX) April 9, 2022

Bucknell is 6-6 overall and 3-2 in Patriot League play. With four games remaining in the regular season, the Bison are currently in fifth place, just percentage points behind fourth-place American. The top six teams qualify for the Patriot League Tournament.