Patriot League Women's Soccer Championship Preview: Bison, Black Knights Meet in Final for Second Straight Year

#2 Bucknell (12-3-4, 5-1-3 PL) at #1 Army West Point (9-6-3, 6-2-1 PL)
What: Patriot League Tournament Championship
When: Sunday, Nov. 5, 12 p.m.
Where: Malek Stadium at Clinton Field
TV: CBS Sports Network
Live Stats: GoArmyWestPoint.com
Admission: Free

About Sunday's Game

It's déjà vu all over again for Bucknell and Army West Point, as the same two teams with the same two seeds will be meeting in the Patriot League Tournament final for the second year in a row.
Bucknell is aiming for a third straight Patriot League crown, which would be a rarity in league history. The most recent to do it was Boston University, which won titles in its first three seasons as a member of the league in 2013-15. Prior to that, it was Colgate winning six in a row from 1994-99 and three straight from 1990-92 during the league's infancy.
Bucknell and Army played 110 scoreless minutes in last season's final at Clinton Field, and then the Bison prevailed 3-1 in the penalty kick shootout. Bucknell missed its first two attempts in the shootout, but Army missed its last three, with Jenna Hall making a terrific diving save on one of them. Teresa Deda and Meghan White converted from the spot, setting up Tournament MVP Rylee Donaldson for the clincher.
Both teams come in red hot, with Army winning six straight and Bucknell unbeaten in its last eight (6-0-2). Bucknell's last loss came at West Point back on Sept. 23, as the Black Knights erased a 1-0 halftime deficit with three second-half goals.
Army (19) finished one point higher than Bucknell (18) in the final Patriot League table to earn the top seed for the second straight year. The Black Knights scored a late goal to beat sixth-seeded Colgate 1-0 in the semifinals on Thursday, and then later in the evening, the Bison put together one of their best performances of the season in a 3-1 win over fourth-seeded Boston University.

How the Bison Got Here

It's been another stellar season for Kelly Cook's team, as the Bison bring a 12-3-4 overall record into Sunday's final. Bucknell has an RPI of 56 out of 347 Division I teams, and the 12 wins are tied for second-most in team history, trailing only the 2016 championship squad that finished 16-2-2.
Bucknell was particularly tough to beat at home this season. The Bison went 8-0-2 at Emmitt Field and are unbeaten in their last 15 home matches (9-0-6) dating back to a loss to Princeton last season. Bucknell's senior class lost only one home game to a Patriot League opponent in their careers. Over the last four seasons, the Bison went 11-1-7 at Emmitt Field against league foes, with the only loss a 1-0 defeat to Navy in the COVID-modified 2021 spring season.
Bucknell went 6-2-1 in non-league games, highlighted by a dramatic 1-0 win at Ivy League power Princeton on Oct. 17. The Tigers were No. 8 in the RPI and unbeaten at home at the time. Bucknell's only two non-league losses came consecutively on the road against top-25 teams Georgetown (1-0) and Pittsburgh (5-0).
The Bison started just 1-1-2 in league play. A rough second half at West Point led to a 3-1 loss, and it was compounded by star midfielder Teresa Deda collecting a second yellow card. Without Deda's services the following game at Holy Cross, the Bison settled for a 0-0 draw, but a 2-0 home win against Navy got them going again.
Following the Navy win, the Bison had a difficult two-game week against then-first-place Loyola and then-second-place Boston University. Bucknell handed the Greyhounds their first home loss of the season, and then played a wild 3-3 tie with the Terriers in a monsoon at Emmitt Field.
After the successful non-league interlude at Princeton, Bucknell closed out the regular season with back-to-back wins over Lafayette and Lehigh to secure the No. 2 seed.
The away win at Lehigh on the final night of the regular season featured some high drama. The Bison fell behind 1-0 on a Ryelle Shuey deflected header in the 50th minute, but Henna Andican equalized on a rebound five minutes later. In the 72nd minute, Deda maneuvered around a defender and had two close-range shots saved, but freshman Riley Hayes scored on the third try for her first collegiate goal. She became the first Bison freshman to score this season.

More from Thursday's Semifinal Win

Playing for the first time in eight days, the Bison came out flying in Thursday's home semifinal win over Boston University. Teresa Deda cashed in the game's first goal with a left-footed screamer just 4:30 into the match. In the 24th minute, left back Meghan White continued a long run in behind the back line and she got on the end of Paige Temple's through ball for her second goal of the year. Deda completed her brace just 3:38 into the second half after Hannah Stuck did well to head back a service that took her to the end line.
Jenna Hall made seven saves and conceded only a consolation goal to the Terriers' Morgan Fagan on a rebound with 13 seconds left in the match.
Similar to this year's final, the Bucknell-Boston University semifinal was also a rematch from last season. The Bison advanced in penalty kicks at Emmitt Field after a scoreless draw in 2022.
The Bison and Terriers have now met six times in the last three years. Bucknell also defeated Boston University 1-0 in the 2021 championship match.

Bucknell's Patriot League Tournament History

This is Bucknell's 24th Patriot League Tournament appearance. The Bison are 14-15-5 in Patriot League Tournament matches, and they have won six championships (2001, 2005, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022).
Bucknell has played in the Patriot League championship match eight times previously and lifted the trophy after six of them.
- 2001: #2 Bucknell 2, #1 Navy 1 (OT) – Lauren Schwarz wins it with a PK in OT
- 2005: #4 Bucknell 3, #3 Army 1 – Bison score 3 in 2nd half to become first 4 seed to win title
- 2007: #3 Navy 1, #1 Bucknell 0 – Carissa Youker scores game's lone goal late in 1st half
- 2015: #1 Boston U. 1, #2 Bucknell 0 – Chelsea Churchill wins it in 86th minute
- 2016: #1 Bucknell 2, #2 Boston U. 1 (OT) – Cora Climo scores the golden goal
- 2017: #2 Bucknell 3, #1 Navy 2 – Kendall Ham gives Bucknell a 3-0 lead with a hat trick in the game's first 21 minutes.
- 2021: #4 Bucknell 1, #1 Boston U. 0 – Bison take lead on own goal off corner kick in 75th minute.
- 2022: #2 Bucknell 0, #1 Army 0 (2OT) – Bucknell prevails 3-1 in PK shootout, with Rylee Donaldson providing the clincher.
Bucknell is 3-4-2 against Army in the Patriot League Tournament. The Bison have played Army more often in the postseason than any other opponent.
- 1991: Army 4-0 in semifinals
- 1992: Army 5-0 in semifinals
- 1993: Army 3-2 in semifinals
- 1996: Army 5-1 in semifinals
- 2005: Bucknell 3-1 in championship
- 2007: Bucknell 2-1 (OT) in semifinals
- 2008: Tied 0-0 in semifinals (Army 5-4 in PKs)
- 2014: Bucknell 2-1 in quarterfinals
- 2022: Tied 0-0 in championship (Bucknell 3-1 in PKs)
Bucknell did now allow a goal in any of its five tournament games on the way to the 2021 and 2022 championships. The Bison blanked Boston University and Army last season, and they kept clean sheets against Lehigh, Navy, and Boston University in 2021, when they won the title as a No. 4 seed.
Boston University's late goal on Thursday ended Bucknell's streak of 583 straight scoreless minutes (or 9.7 hours) in the Patriot League Tournament.
Bucknell in 2021 became the first team to win three Patriot League Tournament games since the league expanded to a six-team format in 2013. Only teams seeded No. 1 or 2 — and thus earning a bye straight into the semifinals — had ever won the title in that span.
Bucknell was also the only team in the country seeded fourth or lower to win its conference tournament that year. Of the 28 Division I conference tournaments, 25 were won by No. 1 or 2 seeds. Michigan in the Big Ten and Memphis in the AAC won as No. 3 seeds, and Bucknell did it as a No. 4.

Honors & Awards

The Bison captured three major awards and placed six players on the All-Patriot League Team last week. Jenna Hall won her second straight Goalkeeper of the Year honor, Teresa Deda repeated as the Midfielder of the Year, and Brooke Tracey was selected as the league's Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Deda, Hall, and Tracey were all First Team All-Patriot League selections. Henna Andican and Katie Schiano were Second Team picks, and Brooke Tracey was named to the Third Team.
Deda is the league's first-ever two-time Midfielder of the Year, and she has now earned First Team All-PL honors in each of her first three seasons. She is the first Bucknell player to accomplish that feat.
Hall is also a three-time All-Patriot League pick. She was a Third Teamer as a sophomore and First Team each of the last two seasons.
Tracey moved up to the First Team after capturing Third Team honors last season, and each of the other three were first-time picks.
Tracey, Hall, and Temple were all named to the 11-player Academic All-Patriot League Team. Bucknell was the only team with three selections.

Inside the Numbers

Teresa Deda has been sensational in the midfield once again this season. After her brace on Thursday, she has a career-high nine goals and a league-high nine assists, as she is vying to win the league's assists title for the third year in a row. Her 29 career assists are already second-most in team history, sixth-most in Patriot League history, and 10th-most among all active Division I players. Her 0.5 career assists-per-game average is fourth-best among all active players.
Deda, who assisted on both goals in last week's 2-0 win at Lehigh, ranks second in the league in goals and points (27), trailing only Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Baylee DeSmit of Loyola (10-8-28).
During her three-year career, Bucknell has a 23-1-3 record when Deda records at least one point in a match, including a 10-0-1 mark this season.
Deda is only the second player in Bucknell history with at least nine goals and seven assists in a season. The only other was Hall-of-Famer Lisa Gibbons, who had 19 goals and 19 assists in her jaw-dropping 1994 season.
Deda is one of only seven players in the nation who currently (through Thursday) have at least nine goals and nine assists this season. The others are Lexi Missimo of Texas (22-19-63), Trinity Byars of Texas (17-12-46), Nia Christopher of Towson (13-9-35), Brecken Mozingo of BYU (10-12-32), Jessica Garziano of St. John's (10-11-31), and Mya Jones of Memphis (10-10-30).
Deda has now had a hand in nine of the team's last 12 goals (5G, 4A). She now has 13 goals and 29 assists for 55 career points in less than three collegiate seasons. The 55 points are tied for ninth-most in team history.
Hall has played every minute in goal for the Bison this season and is tied for the Patriot League lead with eight shutouts. She has five clean sheets in her last eight outings, and she has made at least five saves in each of her last nine games.
Hall leads all Patriot League keepers in both total saves (117) and save percentage (.854), and her 6.2 saves per game rank 13th in the nation. Her 329 career saves are 11th-most among all active Division I players, and her 12 wins are now tied for second-most in a season in Bucknell history. Jessica Ratner presided over all 16 wins in 2016, and Katie Dry and Laurie Purse also had 12.
Henna Andican's name can be found near Deda's at the top of the Patriot League leaderboards. The sophomore is having a breakout season with six goals and nine assists. She is tied with Deda for the conference assist lead, and she is also sixth in goals and third in total points (21).
Along with Deda and Andican, Paige Temple (4-4-12), Hannah Stuck (2-5-9), Meghan White (2-4-8), Reese Evans (3-1-7), Kelley Francis (3-0-6), and Katie Schiano (1-4-6) are other top point-producers.

Head Coach Kelly Cook

Kelly Cook is in her ninth season as Bucknell's head coach, and she has led the Bison to four Patriot League championships in her first eight years. Cook owns an 83-58-23 (.576) overall record at Bucknell, including a 45-18-14 (.675) mark in Patriot League play.
Cook knows the Patriot League very well, as she was a two-year captain and three-time Second Team All-Patriot League selection at Colgate, where she recorded 27 goals and 23 assists in her career. She ranked in the top 10 in program history in career points (77) and assists. As a junior in 2004, Cook (then Kelly Kuss) was named Patriot League Tournament MVP after leading the Raiders to the league title, and then her team knocked off Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, marking the first NCAA win in school and league history.
Cook has two new assistant coaches in 2023, as former Clarion head coach Alexa Ream and goalkeepers coach PJ Steiner have joined the program.

Army at a Glance

Winners of six straight, the Black Knights are 10-6-3 overall and 8-1 at home this season. Army went 6-2-1 in Patriot League play to secure the No. 1 seed for the Patriot League Tournament.
Brigid Duffy slotted a shot through the legs of the goalkeeper in the 78th minute to lift Army to a 1-0 win over Colgate in the semifinals on Thursday. The Black Knights finished with an 18-4 shot advantage.
Army's 2-1 win over Boston University on the final day of the regular season clinched the top seed.
The Black Knights have outscored their opponents 29-18 in 19 matches this season. Duffy, who is the niece of Bucknell head athletic trainer Ian Wood, leads the team with seven goals to go along with three assists. Duffy and Kaelan Bradley (5-7-17) are tied for the squad lead with 17 points.
Madison Niebish (3-4-10), Kaitlin Palaian (4-1-9), and Jasmine Talley (4-1-9) also have at least nine points.
Goalkeeper Sage Strohman has played every minute this season and has 69 saves with 18 goals against, good for a .793 save percentage and a 0.95 goals-against average.
Head coach Tracy Chao was named Patriot League Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. Her side placed a league-high eight players on the All-Patriot League Team. Duffy and Bradley were First Team picks; Strohman and defender Sydney Bender were Second Team selections; and Niebish, midfielder Cami Silvestro, and backs Jordan Follenweider and Keira Vesy were Third Team selections.

The Bucknell-Army Series

This has been a tight series through the years, with Army holding a narrow 20-17-4 lead dating back to 1991.
Army won the first six and nine of the first 11 meetings between the teams. Since 1998, the Bison are 15-11-4 against the Black Knights.
Bucknell and Army met twice last season, with both games finishing 0-0.
In the regular-season match at Emmitt Field, Bucknell and Army put their stout defenses on display in a 0-0 draw. The teams were tied for the Patriot League lead at the time. Both teams marked extremely well in the final third, with very few quality chances coming from inside the boxes. The Bison finished with a 14-11 shot advantage. Jenna Hall finished with seven saves and Sage Strohman five.
In the rematch at West Point in the Patriot League Tournament final, Tournament MVP Rylee Donaldson converted the walk-off penalty kick for the second time in three days, sending the Bison to a championship repeat. Hall made a crucial save in the shootout, and Teresa Deda, Meghan White, and Donaldson all scored as Bucknell prevailed 3-1 in PKs.
In this year's regular-season matchup played in a steady rain at West Point on Sept. 23, Henna Andican scored midway through the first half to give Bucknell a 1-0 halftime lead, but Army stormed back with three second-half goals and won 3-1. Brigid Duffy, Madison Niebish, and Jasmine Talley scored for the Black Knights, the latter coming after Bucknell had gone down to 10 players.

Up Next

Sunday's winner will receive the Patriot League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The NCAA Tournament selection show will be held on Monday, Nov. 6 at 4 p.m. and will be streamed on NCAA.com.

Patriot League Women's Soccer Championship Preview: Bison, Black Knights Meet in Final for Second Straight Year

Players Mentioned

Henna Andican

Teresa Deda

Teresa Deda

Rylee Donaldson

Reese Evans

Kelley Francis

Jenna Hall

Jenna Hall

Riley Hayes

Katie Schiano

Katie Schiano

Hannah Stuck

Hannah Stuck

Paige Temple

Brooke Tracey

Meghan White

Meghan White

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