Wednesday, October 25
Bethlehem, Pa.
7 p.m.
Bucknell University
11-3-4, 5-1-3
2
at
1
Lehigh
7-5-4, 4-4-1
1
2
F
Bucknell
0
2
2
Lehigh
0
1
1
Photo by: Jon Lambert
Hayes’ First Career Goal Caps Comeback Win as Women’s Soccer Secures No. 2 Seed for Patriot League Tournament
10/25/2023 10:22:00 PM | Women's Soccer
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Freshman Riley Hayes could not have picked a better time to score her first collegiate goal. The substitute forward knocked in a rebound in the 72nd minute to give Bucknell a come-from-behind 2-1 win at Lehigh on Wednesday night in the final match of the regular season. Bucknell improved to 11-3-4 overall and 5-1-3 in conference play, and the Bison secured the No. 2 seed and a bye into the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament.
After falling behind 1-0 five minutes into the second half, Bucknell quickly equalized through Henna Andican's sixth goal of the season, and then Hayes won it 17 minutes later. Both goals came as a result of hard shots from Teresa Deda that were saved but not controlled by Lehigh freshman goalkeeper R'Reeyah Mabry-Francis, and Andican and Hayes both pounced on the rebounds.
Lehigh (7-5-4, 4-4-1) came in red-hot with three straight wins and a 10-0-2 record in its last 12 matches at Ulrich Sports Complex dating back almost two full seasons. The Mountain Hawks had a chance to move up to third or fourth place with a win or draw, but instead, they will be the No. 5 seed and travel to No. 4 Boston University for a quarterfinal game on Sunday.
Bucknell entered the final match day of the regular season in second place, even with Loyola and one point behind Army. Loyola won 2-1 at American in the afternoon to temporarily move to the top of the table. Army jumped back ahead with a 2-1 home win over Boston University a few hours later, meaning that the Bison needed all three points in Bethlehem to avoid having to play a quarterfinal game on short rest. They got just what they needed, joining Loyola on 18 points while owning the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to a 1-0 win in Baltimore two weeks ago.
Colgate, which started the day in ninth place, jumped all the way up to sixth with a 3-0 win over Holy Cross and grabbed the final tourney spot. The Raiders will visit Loyola in the other quarterfinal matchup on Sunday.
Bucknell, the two-time defending Patriot League champion, is the No. 2 seed for the second straight year and will host the better of the remaining seeds in the semifinal round next Thursday at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium.
"We knew this was going to be a very difficult game on the road against a Lehigh team that has been playing really well in recent games," said head coach Kelly Cook. "To come back and get a win after falling behind shows this group's mentality. They have been resilient all year. The bye is much-needed for us after playing mid-week games three weeks in a row, but we told the team before the game that more important than seeding or who we play was just to continue to play well and carry some momentum into the postseason."
Since giving up a lead of their own in a loss at Army on Sept. 23, the Bison have gone 5-0-2 since then, including a big non-league road win at Princeton. In each of the last three mid-week fixtures (Loyola, Princeton, Lehigh), Bucknell has beaten a team that had not lost at home all year.
Neither side got much going offensively in the first half in this one, but Deda nearly pulled something out of nothing when her sliding shot from 30 yards out rocked the underside of the crossbar and came out.
In the opening five minutes of the second half, Jenna Hall made a nice save to tip Faith Dobosiewicz's free kick over the bar. But the Mountain Hawks struck on the ensuing corner kick when Ryelle Shuey, the Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, scored on a header that grazed the side of the head of a Bison defender, which turned the ball just inside the right post.
Bucknell needed only 5:03 to draw level. Deda's left-footed screamer from the edge of the box sent Mabry-Francis diving to her left, but Andican was the first to the loose ball for the tap-in goal.
Mabry-Francis made two top-notch saves on Paige Temple and Deda to keep it level, but a little magic in the box from the reigning Patriot League Midfielder of the Year led to the game-winner. Deda collected a loose ball just outside the right edge of the box, faced up the three-time all-league defender Shuey, and then dribbled around her on the end line. Deda's initial shot was saved, she tried to stuff a second shot through the fallen keeper, and then Hayes didn't miss on the third try.
"In the first half we had a chance to follow a shot and we didn't, so that was a point of emphasis at halftime," said Cook. "We ended up scoring on two rebounds, and it was great to see Riley put that one away. What a huge moment for a freshman in that spot."
Bucknell dealt with a couple of scary moments in the final 10 minutes. Ava Schaller got in behind, but Hall came off her line to cut down the shooting angle, forcing the shot to go well wide. Andican nearly added her second with 4:30 to play when she got a half-step on her defender on a long run, but she just missed the near post from the left side of the area. That kept it a one-goal game, and Hall needed to make a good save on Mia Tuckwood's flicked header off a free kick with 3:15 to go.
As the clock ticked inside five seconds, Dobosiewicz unleashed a shot from just inside the midfield line that was headed for the top left corner, but Hall collected it for her seventh save of the night.
Bucknell finished with a 15-11 shot advantage, with Deda taking seven of those. Her two assists on the night give her a league-high nine for the season and 29 for her career. That total is just six shy of Lisa Gibbons' school record.
After falling behind 1-0 five minutes into the second half, Bucknell quickly equalized through Henna Andican's sixth goal of the season, and then Hayes won it 17 minutes later. Both goals came as a result of hard shots from Teresa Deda that were saved but not controlled by Lehigh freshman goalkeeper R'Reeyah Mabry-Francis, and Andican and Hayes both pounced on the rebounds.
Lehigh (7-5-4, 4-4-1) came in red-hot with three straight wins and a 10-0-2 record in its last 12 matches at Ulrich Sports Complex dating back almost two full seasons. The Mountain Hawks had a chance to move up to third or fourth place with a win or draw, but instead, they will be the No. 5 seed and travel to No. 4 Boston University for a quarterfinal game on Sunday.
Bucknell entered the final match day of the regular season in second place, even with Loyola and one point behind Army. Loyola won 2-1 at American in the afternoon to temporarily move to the top of the table. Army jumped back ahead with a 2-1 home win over Boston University a few hours later, meaning that the Bison needed all three points in Bethlehem to avoid having to play a quarterfinal game on short rest. They got just what they needed, joining Loyola on 18 points while owning the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to a 1-0 win in Baltimore two weeks ago.
Colgate, which started the day in ninth place, jumped all the way up to sixth with a 3-0 win over Holy Cross and grabbed the final tourney spot. The Raiders will visit Loyola in the other quarterfinal matchup on Sunday.
Bucknell, the two-time defending Patriot League champion, is the No. 2 seed for the second straight year and will host the better of the remaining seeds in the semifinal round next Thursday at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium.
"We knew this was going to be a very difficult game on the road against a Lehigh team that has been playing really well in recent games," said head coach Kelly Cook. "To come back and get a win after falling behind shows this group's mentality. They have been resilient all year. The bye is much-needed for us after playing mid-week games three weeks in a row, but we told the team before the game that more important than seeding or who we play was just to continue to play well and carry some momentum into the postseason."
Since giving up a lead of their own in a loss at Army on Sept. 23, the Bison have gone 5-0-2 since then, including a big non-league road win at Princeton. In each of the last three mid-week fixtures (Loyola, Princeton, Lehigh), Bucknell has beaten a team that had not lost at home all year.
Neither side got much going offensively in the first half in this one, but Deda nearly pulled something out of nothing when her sliding shot from 30 yards out rocked the underside of the crossbar and came out.
In the opening five minutes of the second half, Jenna Hall made a nice save to tip Faith Dobosiewicz's free kick over the bar. But the Mountain Hawks struck on the ensuing corner kick when Ryelle Shuey, the Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, scored on a header that grazed the side of the head of a Bison defender, which turned the ball just inside the right post.
Bucknell needed only 5:03 to draw level. Deda's left-footed screamer from the edge of the box sent Mabry-Francis diving to her left, but Andican was the first to the loose ball for the tap-in goal.
Here's Henna's goal after a T's rocket was saved. It's 1-1 in the second half in Bethlehem. #rayBucknell
— Bucknell Women's Soccer (@Bucknell_WSOC) October 26, 2023
Watch: https://t.co/paQmuoRPOE@PatriotLeagueTV | @ESPN pic.twitter.com/kACEcZwsFU
Mabry-Francis made two top-notch saves on Paige Temple and Deda to keep it level, but a little magic in the box from the reigning Patriot League Midfielder of the Year led to the game-winner. Deda collected a loose ball just outside the right edge of the box, faced up the three-time all-league defender Shuey, and then dribbled around her on the end line. Deda's initial shot was saved, she tried to stuff a second shot through the fallen keeper, and then Hayes didn't miss on the third try.
Freshman Riley Hayes scores her first collegiate goal to give the Bison the lead! All set up by some wizardry in the box by Teresa Deda. #rayBucknell
— Bucknell Women's Soccer (@Bucknell_WSOC) October 26, 2023
Watch: https://t.co/paQmuoRhZ6@PatriotLeagueTV | @ESPN pic.twitter.com/JE1YAiC6bx
"In the first half we had a chance to follow a shot and we didn't, so that was a point of emphasis at halftime," said Cook. "We ended up scoring on two rebounds, and it was great to see Riley put that one away. What a huge moment for a freshman in that spot."
Bucknell dealt with a couple of scary moments in the final 10 minutes. Ava Schaller got in behind, but Hall came off her line to cut down the shooting angle, forcing the shot to go well wide. Andican nearly added her second with 4:30 to play when she got a half-step on her defender on a long run, but she just missed the near post from the left side of the area. That kept it a one-goal game, and Hall needed to make a good save on Mia Tuckwood's flicked header off a free kick with 3:15 to go.
As the clock ticked inside five seconds, Dobosiewicz unleashed a shot from just inside the midfield line that was headed for the top left corner, but Hall collected it for her seventh save of the night.
Bucknell finished with a 15-11 shot advantage, with Deda taking seven of those. Her two assists on the night give her a league-high nine for the season and 29 for her career. That total is just six shy of Lisa Gibbons' school record.
Team Stats
BUC
LEH
Goals
2
1
Shots
15
11
Shots on Goal
6
8
Saves
7
4
Corners
2
3
Fouls
6
8
Scoring Plays
Ryelle Shuey (5)
Assisted By: Alex Odle
GOAL by LEH Shuey, Ryelle Assist by Odle, Alex.
49:10
Henna Andican (6)
Assisted By: Teresa Deda
GOAL by BUC Andican, Henna Assist by Deda, Teresa.
54:13
Riley Hayes (1)
Assisted By: Teresa Deda
GOAL by BUC Hayes, Riley Assist by Deda, Teresa.
71:11
Game Leaders
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
7
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
2
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's SoccerM
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's SoccerM
/ Women's Soccer
F
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