Men's Soccer Takes on Boston University on Senior Day/Youth Day on Saturday

Saturday, October 21

Lewisburg, Pa.

1 p.m.

Bucknell University

Boston University

Men's Soccer Takes on Boston University on Senior Day/Youth Day on Saturday

10/19/2023 3:19:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Boston University (7-3-4, 4-1-1 PL) at Bucknell (1-9-3, 0-5-1 PL)
When: Saturday, Oct. 21, 1 p.m.
Where: Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Happenings: Senior Day, Youth Day

Bucknell at a Glance

The Bison host second-place Boston University on Saturday afternoon, kicking off a stretch of three Patriot League fixtures in an 11-day span to close out the regular season.
It will be Youth Day at Emmitt Field, as kids are encouraged to wear their soccer jerseys and play on the inflatables throughout the day. The 1 p.m. men's game is the first half of a soccer doubleheader, as the women host Lafayette at 4 p.m.
Saturday is also Senior Day, as head coach Dave Brandt and the Bison program will honor its four seniors. Brennan Gac, MJ Kuczura, Collin Murphy, and Matthew Owusu will all be recognized prior to their final home game.
Bucknell is coming off one of its best performances of the season, but as has been typical of this season, the Bison went unrewarded for their efforts. Taking on a good St. Bonaventure team at home on Tuesday, the Bison controlled the run of play but settled for a 0-0 draw despite a 17-5 shot advantage and a 13-2 edge in corner kicks.
Goalkeeper Jake Nicoll earned his first career shutout, and he now has a win and two draws among his five starts this season.
Bucknell currently sits at the bottom of the Patriot League table but has a chance to move up with nine points still up for grabs. The Bison are six points behind Holy Cross for the sixth and final Patriot League Tournament spot.
Loyola (4-0-2, 14 points) has sole possession of first place, but Boston University (4-1-1, 13) and Lafayette (4-1-1, 13) are lurking just one point behind.
Bucknell fell 2-1 in Worcester, Mass., last Saturday, with all three goals coming in the final 14 minutes. After Holy Cross went ahead on an Ethan Gill goal in the 77th minute, the Bison answered just 63 seconds later through Zane Domsohn. But in a season filled with fluky goals going the other way, a blocked clearance from a Bison defender out on the left flank ricocheted into the box, where Evan Jones fed Jon Klein for the game-winning goal with just 1:44 remaining.
Domsohn's goal was his third of the season and tied him with Charlie Holmes for the team lead. Domsohn's three goals have come on only seven total shot attempts, and the sophomore now has six career goals.
Bucknell has 11 goals in 13 matches this season. In addition to the three goals apiece from Domsohn and Holmes, and Brennan Gac, Matthew Owusu, Waldemar Kattrup, Ben Sheffield, and Aidan Kieffer have one each. Nine different Bison have an assist, with Marco Valentic and Jack Roberto leading the way with two each.
Coach Dave Brandt has gone deep into his bench throughout the campaign. The Bison have averaged 20.5 players per game this season, with a high of 24 against Loyola.
It is a young group, as well. Of the 27 players on the roster, 18 are freshmen and sophomores and only four are seniors.
Sophomore center back Jackson Sullivan is the lone Bison to play all 1,170 minutes this season.
Bucknell's win came in the season-opener at Mount St. Mary's, as Kieffer and Holmes found the back of the net in a 2-1 victory. The Bison also picked draws against George Mason (0-0), American (3-3), and St. Bonaventure (0-0).
Dave Brandt is Bucknell's 14th full-time head coach and just the third dating back to 1967. Brandt brought with him a remarkable career record of 354-86-40 in stints at Messiah, Navy, and Hope. His .779 winning percentage was 20th-best in NCAA men's soccer history among coaches from all divisions with a minimum of 10 years. Brandt won six Division III national championships at Messiah and led Navy to the 2013 Patriot League title and an NCAA Tournament first-round win.

Boston University at a Glance

The Terriers are in the midst of a strong season with a 7-3-4 overall record and a 4-1-1 mark in the Patriot League. Their lone Patriot League loss came on Saturday at Lafayette (2-0), and then on Tuesday they tied Northeastern 1-1 at home in a non-conference contest, as Eitan Rosen scored in the 82nd minute to level the match.
Boston University has outscored its opponents 21-14 in 14 games this fall. Rosen leads the team and ranks third in the Patriot League in goals (6) and points (14), and Quinn Matulis and Alex Bonnington have three goals apiece. Five of Rosen's six goals have come against Patriot League opponents, including two against American.
Colin Innes is the Patriot League assists leader with six.
Boston University allows only 9.1 shots per game, and goalkeeper Francesco Montali has only been required for 24 saves in his 12 starts. Montali's 0.92 goals-against average is third-best in the league. The senior was the 2022 Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year and was also this year's Patriot League Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
Griffin Roach was selected as the 2022 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, and he was predicted to repeat that honor in the 2023 preseason polling. Roach and Innes were both Third Team All-Region honorees last season.
The Terriers finished second in the Patriot League with a 4-2-3 record last season and reached the Patriot League Tournament semifinals for the first time in five years. They were picked No. 2 in this year's preseason poll.

The Bucknell-Boston University Series

Bucknell is 3-2-6 all-time against Boston University in a series that dates back to 2013.
Incredibly, nine of the first eight series meetings and nine of the first 10 all went to overtime.
That OT streak ended in 2019, when Bucknell won 3-0 at Emmitt Field. The two teams did not see each other during the COVID-modified 2021 spring season, and then they went right back to their OT ways with a scoreless draw in Lewisburg in 2021.
The NCAA eliminated overtime in regular-season games prior to last season, but the Terriers got the job done in regulation, winning 2-0 in Boston on two goals in a 3:27 span in the first half. Colin Innes and Griffin Roach were the goal-scorers.
Bucknell is 1-0-4 at home against the Terriers and 2-2-2 in Boston.
Bucknell and Boston University have met twice in the postseason. In the 2016 Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals, the Bison advanced in penalty kicks after the two teams drew 1-1 after 110 minutes.
Bucknell's most memorable series win was a dramatic 3-2 overtime verdict in the 2014 Patriot League championship game in Boston. Lincoln, Massachusetts native Sebastiaan Blickman scored twice for the Bison, including the golden goal off an assist from Jack Zollicoffer.

Next Up

Bucknell's final two Patriot League encounters will both come on the road. The Bison visit Lafayette next Saturday and then close the regular season at Lehigh on Wednesday, Nov. 1.