Sunday, April 10
Bethlehem, Pa.
1 p.m.
Bucknell University
at
#19 Lehigh
Photo by: Noel Gyllenhaal
Bucknell Men's Lacrosse Travels to No. 19 Lehigh for CBS Sports Network Game
4/5/2022 12:15:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Bucknell (7-3, 1-3 PL) vs. No. 19 Lehigh (6-3, 4-0 PL)
When: Sunday, April 10 – 1 p.m.Â
Where: Ulrich Sports Complex – Bethlehem, Pa.
Television: CBS Sports Network
Internet Video: CBSSports.com
Live Stats: LehighSports.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX
Media Notes: BucknellBison.com
Bucknell at a Glance
• For the seventh week in a row, the Bison received votes in the USILA Coaches' Poll.
• Bucknell is currently 7-3 (1-3 PL) following its tight 10-9 loss to then No. 13 Army West Point on April 2.
• 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 16th in scoring margin (3.30) and 18th in both scoring offense (13.60) and scoring defense (10.30). The Bison are also sixth in ground balls per game (36.50), eighth in caused turnovers per game (10.00), tied for 13th in assists per game (8.30) and 15th in points per game (21.90).
• 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 (35) – 7th in NCAA in goals/game (3.50) (lone freshman in top 15)
• Assists: Cam Doolan (13)
• Points: Connor Davis (40) – t-1st among NCAA freshmen in points/game (4.00) (one of two freshmen in overall top 65)
• Shots: Connor Davis (90)
• Ground Balls: Nick Crovatto (68)
• Caused Turnovers: Reid Delanois (15)
• Face-Off Wins: Nick Crovatto (110)
• Face-Off Percentage: Nick Crovatto (.531)
• Save Percentage: Rich O'Halloran (.586)
• Goals Against Average: Rich O'Halloran (9.57)
• Saves: Rich O'Halloran (58)
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 two ground balls to crack Bucknell's career top 10 with 144
• Nick Crovatto: Needs four ground balls to crack Bucknell's single-season top 10 with 72
• Nick Crovatto: Needs 14 ground balls to crack Bucknell's single-season top five with 82
• Nick Crovatto: Needs 24 ground balls to crack Bucknell's career top five with 166
• Nick Crovatto: Needs 20 faceoff wins to crack Bucknell's single-season top 10 with 130
• Nick Crovatto: Needs 24 faceoff wins to become the fourth Bison to win at least 300 in career
• Nick Crovatto: Needs one Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Week nod to match single-season school record of four
• Connor Davis: Needs three goals to crack Bucknell's single-season top 10 with 38
• Connor Davis: Needs five goals to become the seventh Bison to score at least 40 in a single campaign
• Connor Davis: Needs 15 goals to become the second Bison to score at least 50 in a single campaign
• Connor Davis: Needs 20 shots to crack Bucknell's single-season top five with 110
• Connor Davis: Needs one Patriot League Rookie of the Week award to set new league and school records with six
Inside the Army West Point Box Score
• No. 13 Army West Point scored three goals in the final four minutes of regulation to rally past Bucknell, 10-9, on April 2.
• The Bison fell to the Black Knights despite Rich O'Halloran's career-best 16-save performance and Dutch Furlong and Alston Tarry's four-goal outings in a fast, physical game marked by momentum swings and scoring flurries.
• For Army West Point, Will Coletti was the difference maker; the standout freshman won 19 of 23 faceoffs, collected a game-high 12 ground balls and netted the goal that kicked off his team's game-deciding three-strike run.
• The game was a back-and-forth affair, with the teams trading five runs of three or more goals. Bucknell held the Black Knights without a goal for a 20:05 stretch from the second quarter's 14:15 mark to the third frame's 9:10 mark; Army West Point turned around and held the Bison off the board for a 20:25 span from the second quarter's 3:05 mark to the final frame's 12:40 mark.
• Reid Delanois covered reigning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Brendan Nichtern, helping hold him to just two goals against six turnovers. He finished the contest with two caused turnovers and a ground ball.
• Travis Talarico and Danny Striano were also key to Bucknell's defensive success. Talarico logged three ground balls and two caused turnovers while Striano caused a game-high three turnovers and also collected two ground balls.
• Of O'Halloran's 16 saves, 11 came in the first half. Overall, he turned aside five Nichtern bids. For his efforts, he was recognized as the Patriot League Rookie of the Week for the first time in his career.
• The Black Knights led in shots (42-37), shots on goal (26-21), ground balls (37-30) and faceoffs (19-4). The Bison went 3-6 on the man advantage while holding Army West Point to 0-1.Â
• The Black Knights handed Bucknell its first home loss of the 2022 campaign; entering the game, the Bison were 4-0 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
No. 19 Lehigh at a Glance
• This week, the Mountain Hawks are ranked 19th in the USILA Coaches' Poll and in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
• Lehigh will be Bucknell's fourth nationally ranked opponent of the 2022 campaign; all three of the Bison's losses came to such foes.
• The Mountain Hawks are currently 6-3 (4-0 PL) following their 14-7 victory over Lafayette on April 2. They are one of two remaining unbeaten teams in Patriot League action, joining No. 13 Boston University (5-0).
• At the NCAA Division I level, Lehigh ranks second in faceoff winning percentage (.654), sixth in scoring defense (9.22) and 15th in ground balls per game (34.11).
• The Mountain Hawks' signature win came by a 11-10 decision at then No. 9 Army West Point on March 19. Cole Kirst scored a game-high four goals while Teddy Leggett held Brendan Nichtern, the reigning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, to just one goal.
• Lehigh was selected to finish second in the 2022 Patriot League preseason poll, also receiving a pair of first-place votes.
• The Mountain Hawks placed Leggett, Tommy Schelling and Mike Sisselberger on the 2022 Preseason All-Patriot League Team. Sisselberger was also recognized as the Preseason Faceoff Specialist of the Year.
• Sisselberger was sensational in 2021, winning 225-of-283 faceoffs for an NCAA record .795 percentage. This season, the First Team All-American has won 141-of-214 faceoffs for a .659 percentage, good for third nationally.
• With 81, Sisselberger is also on his way to eclipsing 100 ground balls for the second-straight season; he ranks second among NCAA Division I players in ground balls per game (9.00).
• This will be the 56th meeting between Bucknell and Lehigh; the teams have met all but three years since 1968, the Bison's first season of varsity men's lacrosse. Â
• Lehigh and Lafayette (53) are the only foes Bucknell has faced off against more than 50 times.
• While the Bison lead the all-time series with the Mountain Hawks, 38-17, the teams are tied at 5-5 in their past 10 meetings.
• Bucknell and Lehigh squared off twice during the 2021 campaign. The then No. 11 Mountain Hawks cruised to an 18-6 victory at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium on March 14; later in the season, on April 24, then No. 7/6 Lehigh dispatched the Bison, 18-12, on its home turf.
• Bucknell's last win in the series came in 2019. That season, Christian Klipstein made 15 saves, and Tommy Sopko and Will Yorke each posted five points on a hat trick and two assists, to lift the Bison to a 12-10 road victory over the then first-place Mountain Hawks.
• The 2019 upset kept the Bison alive in the Patriot League Tournament race; they ultimately clinched the sixth seed with a 10-8 victory over Colgate the following week.
A Look Ahead
• The Bison host Holy Cross on Sunday, April 17 at 12 p.m.
Note for NCAA rankings: Statistical rankings as of Monday, April 4 (through games played on Sunday, April 3)
When: Sunday, April 10 – 1 p.m.Â
Where: Ulrich Sports Complex – Bethlehem, Pa.
Television: CBS Sports Network
Internet Video: CBSSports.com
Live Stats: LehighSports.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX
Media Notes: BucknellBison.com
Bucknell at a Glance
• For the seventh week in a row, the Bison received votes in the USILA Coaches' Poll.
• Bucknell is currently 7-3 (1-3 PL) following its tight 10-9 loss to then No. 13 Army West Point on April 2.
• 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 16th in scoring margin (3.30) and 18th in both scoring offense (13.60) and scoring defense (10.30). The Bison are also sixth in ground balls per game (36.50), eighth in caused turnovers per game (10.00), tied for 13th in assists per game (8.30) and 15th in points per game (21.90).
• 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 (35) – 7th in NCAA in goals/game (3.50) (lone freshman in top 15)
• Assists: Cam Doolan (13)
• Points: Connor Davis (40) – t-1st among NCAA freshmen in points/game (4.00) (one of two freshmen in overall top 65)
• Shots: Connor Davis (90)
• Ground Balls: Nick Crovatto (68)
• Caused Turnovers: Reid Delanois (15)
• Face-Off Wins: Nick Crovatto (110)
• Face-Off Percentage: Nick Crovatto (.531)
• Save Percentage: Rich O'Halloran (.586)
• Goals Against Average: Rich O'Halloran (9.57)
• Saves: Rich O'Halloran (58)
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 two ground balls to crack Bucknell's career top 10 with 144
• Nick Crovatto: Needs four ground balls to crack Bucknell's single-season top 10 with 72
• Nick Crovatto: Needs 14 ground balls to crack Bucknell's single-season top five with 82
• Nick Crovatto: Needs 24 ground balls to crack Bucknell's career top five with 166
• Nick Crovatto: Needs 20 faceoff wins to crack Bucknell's single-season top 10 with 130
• Nick Crovatto: Needs 24 faceoff wins to become the fourth Bison to win at least 300 in career
• Nick Crovatto: Needs one Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Week nod to match single-season school record of four
• Connor Davis: Needs three goals to crack Bucknell's single-season top 10 with 38
• Connor Davis: Needs five goals to become the seventh Bison to score at least 40 in a single campaign
• Connor Davis: Needs 15 goals to become the second Bison to score at least 50 in a single campaign
• Connor Davis: Needs 20 shots to crack Bucknell's single-season top five with 110
• Connor Davis: Needs one Patriot League Rookie of the Week award to set new league and school records with six
Inside the Army West Point Box Score
• No. 13 Army West Point scored three goals in the final four minutes of regulation to rally past Bucknell, 10-9, on April 2.
• The Bison fell to the Black Knights despite Rich O'Halloran's career-best 16-save performance and Dutch Furlong and Alston Tarry's four-goal outings in a fast, physical game marked by momentum swings and scoring flurries.
• For Army West Point, Will Coletti was the difference maker; the standout freshman won 19 of 23 faceoffs, collected a game-high 12 ground balls and netted the goal that kicked off his team's game-deciding three-strike run.
• The game was a back-and-forth affair, with the teams trading five runs of three or more goals. Bucknell held the Black Knights without a goal for a 20:05 stretch from the second quarter's 14:15 mark to the third frame's 9:10 mark; Army West Point turned around and held the Bison off the board for a 20:25 span from the second quarter's 3:05 mark to the final frame's 12:40 mark.
• Reid Delanois covered reigning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Brendan Nichtern, helping hold him to just two goals against six turnovers. He finished the contest with two caused turnovers and a ground ball.
• Travis Talarico and Danny Striano were also key to Bucknell's defensive success. Talarico logged three ground balls and two caused turnovers while Striano caused a game-high three turnovers and also collected two ground balls.
• Of O'Halloran's 16 saves, 11 came in the first half. Overall, he turned aside five Nichtern bids. For his efforts, he was recognized as the Patriot League Rookie of the Week for the first time in his career.
• The Black Knights led in shots (42-37), shots on goal (26-21), ground balls (37-30) and faceoffs (19-4). The Bison went 3-6 on the man advantage while holding Army West Point to 0-1.Â
• The Black Knights handed Bucknell its first home loss of the 2022 campaign; entering the game, the Bison were 4-0 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
No. 19 Lehigh at a Glance
• This week, the Mountain Hawks are ranked 19th in the USILA Coaches' Poll and in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
• Lehigh will be Bucknell's fourth nationally ranked opponent of the 2022 campaign; all three of the Bison's losses came to such foes.
• The Mountain Hawks are currently 6-3 (4-0 PL) following their 14-7 victory over Lafayette on April 2. They are one of two remaining unbeaten teams in Patriot League action, joining No. 13 Boston University (5-0).
• At the NCAA Division I level, Lehigh ranks second in faceoff winning percentage (.654), sixth in scoring defense (9.22) and 15th in ground balls per game (34.11).
• The Mountain Hawks' signature win came by a 11-10 decision at then No. 9 Army West Point on March 19. Cole Kirst scored a game-high four goals while Teddy Leggett held Brendan Nichtern, the reigning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, to just one goal.
• Lehigh was selected to finish second in the 2022 Patriot League preseason poll, also receiving a pair of first-place votes.
• The Mountain Hawks placed Leggett, Tommy Schelling and Mike Sisselberger on the 2022 Preseason All-Patriot League Team. Sisselberger was also recognized as the Preseason Faceoff Specialist of the Year.
• Sisselberger was sensational in 2021, winning 225-of-283 faceoffs for an NCAA record .795 percentage. This season, the First Team All-American has won 141-of-214 faceoffs for a .659 percentage, good for third nationally.
• With 81, Sisselberger is also on his way to eclipsing 100 ground balls for the second-straight season; he ranks second among NCAA Division I players in ground balls per game (9.00).
• This will be the 56th meeting between Bucknell and Lehigh; the teams have met all but three years since 1968, the Bison's first season of varsity men's lacrosse. Â
• Lehigh and Lafayette (53) are the only foes Bucknell has faced off against more than 50 times.
• While the Bison lead the all-time series with the Mountain Hawks, 38-17, the teams are tied at 5-5 in their past 10 meetings.
• Bucknell and Lehigh squared off twice during the 2021 campaign. The then No. 11 Mountain Hawks cruised to an 18-6 victory at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium on March 14; later in the season, on April 24, then No. 7/6 Lehigh dispatched the Bison, 18-12, on its home turf.
• Bucknell's last win in the series came in 2019. That season, Christian Klipstein made 15 saves, and Tommy Sopko and Will Yorke each posted five points on a hat trick and two assists, to lift the Bison to a 12-10 road victory over the then first-place Mountain Hawks.
• The 2019 upset kept the Bison alive in the Patriot League Tournament race; they ultimately clinched the sixth seed with a 10-8 victory over Colgate the following week.
A Look Ahead
• The Bison host Holy Cross on Sunday, April 17 at 12 p.m.
Note for NCAA rankings: Statistical rankings as of Monday, April 4 (through games played on Sunday, April 3)
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