Women's Soccer Heads to Iowa Looking for NCAA Tournament Breakthrough

Bucknell (12-3-5, 5-1-3 PL) at #5 Iowa (12-4-4, 3-4-3 Big Ten)
What: NCAA Tournament First Round | BRACKET
When: Friday, Nov. 10, 7 p.m. (ET)
Where: Iowa Soccer Complex
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: HawkeyeSports.com
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Bucknell is back in the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row and for the seventh time in program history, and the Bison will also be taking on a Big Ten side in the first round for the third straight season. The Bison are fresh off a Patriot League Tournament title, and they bring a nine-game unbeaten streak (6-0-3) to Iowa City. Bucknell was the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League after finishing one point behind regular-season champion Army West Point. Last week, Bucknell scored the first three goals in a convincing 3-1 win over No. 4 Boston University in the semifinals, and then for the second year in a row the Bison downed top-seeded Army in penalty kicks after a scoreless 110 minutes of play. Iowa is hosting an NCAA Tournament match for the first time after winning the Big Ten Tournament title as a No. 8 seed. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Bison and Hawkeyes, and the winner will advance to play either Georgia or Liberty in round two.

How the Bison Got Here

It's been another stellar season for Kelly Cook's team, as the Bison bring a 12-3-5 overall record into Friday's NCAA first-round matchup at Iowa. Bucknell has an RPI of 58 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.
Second-seeded Bucknell turned in a dominant performance in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals, beating No. 4 seed Boston University 3-1 at Emmitt Field. Teresa Deda sandwiched two goals around one from Meghan White, and the Bison led 3-0 early in the second half. The Terriers broke up the shutout with a goal with 12 seconds remaining in the match.
In the Patriot League Tournament final at West Point on Sunday, the league's top two seeds played 110 scoreless minutes, even though a combined 48 shots were attempted in the game. Army took 30 of those shots, but Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year and Tournament MVP Jenna Hall stood on her head once again, making 13 saves. Hall then came up with three more saves in the penalty-kick shootout, as the Bison prevailed 4-3 in six rounds. Deda, White, Reese Evans, and Kalli Wethern converted from the spot for Bucknell.
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, and they are an at-large entry in the NCAA Tournament. 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 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.
Bucknell has now played in the Patriot League championship match nine times and has prevailed in seven of them.

Bucknell in Patriot League Championship Matches:

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 advances 3-1 in PKs) — Rylee Donaldson hits clinching PK

2023: #2 Bucknell 0, #1 Army 0 (2OT) (Bucknell advances 4-3 in PKs) — Jenna Hall stops three in shootout

Bison Make it a Three-Peat

Bucknell just claimed a third straight Patriot League crown, which is 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.
All three of Bucknell's championship-game results during this run came on the road as the lower seed. The Bison were a No. 4 seed in 2021 and defeated No. 1 Boston University 1-0 in the final. In each of the last two seasons, they were seeded No. 2 and downed No. 1 Army in penalty kicks.
Bucknell played seven Patriot League Tournament matches over the last three seasons and conceded a total of only one goal over 693:09 of play. And the lone goal came from Boston University with 12 seconds remaining in a game the Bison led 3-0 in this year's semifinals.
Bucknell is one of only seven Division I teams that have won at least their last three league titles. The other six are Memphis (AAC), Florida State (ACC), Saint Louis (A10), Georgetown (Big East), UC Irvine (Big West), and Milwaukee (Horizon).

The Bison in the NCAA Tournament

The Bison are back in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season and seventh time overall.

Bucknell NCAA Tournament Matches:

2001 — at Penn State, L 3-1

2005 — at Penn State, L 6-0

2016 — at Penn State, L 6-0

2017 — at West Virginia, L 3-0

2021 — at Rutgers, L 2-0

2022 — at Ohio State, L 1-0 (2OT)

2023 — at Iowa

Bucknell has played a team from the Big Ten in six of its seven NCAA appearances, including the last three.
The Bison have been getting closer to that elusive first NCAA win, with strong performances in each of the last two. Last season in Columbus, Bucknell's Hannah Stuck had a goal waved off on a controversial foul call late in regulation, and then Ohio State scored in the 107th minute. It was the first time the Bison took an NCAA game past regulation.
The previous year, Bucknell drew top-seeded Rutgers in the first round and turned in its best defensive showing in an NCAA match at that time. Jenna Hall made a career-high 15 saves against a Scarlet Knights side that eventually advanced all the way to the College Cup.
Bucknell's only NCAA Tournament goal was scored by Savannah Rennels in the team's first appearance in 2001. The goal tied the game in the 24th minute, but Penn State scored in the 66th and 68th to win it.

Awards Season

The Bison captured three major awards and placed six players on the All-Patriot League Team.
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 Paige Temple 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.

Deda Data

Junior Teresa Deda has been sensational in the midfield once again this season. After her brace in the PL semifinal match against Boston University, 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 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 nine 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 10 players in the nation who currently have at least nine goals and nine assists this season. The others are Lexi Missimo of Texas (24-19-67), Trinity Byars of Texas (17-13-47), Nia Christopher of Towson (14-9-37), Brecken Mozingo of BYU (11-12-34), Jessica Garziano of St. John's (10-11-31), Mya Jones of Memphis (10-10-30), Sarah Schupansky of Pitt (10-10-30), Phoebe Canoles of Towson (9-10-28), and Courtney Chochol of Quinnipiac (9-9-27).
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 of Honors

Senior goalkeeper Jenna Hall has played every minute in goal for the Bison this season and is tied for the Patriot League lead with nine shutouts. She has six clean sheets in her last nine outings, and she has made at least five saves in each of her last 10 games.
Hall turned in one of the best performances of the year in the Patriot League championship match on Sunday at Army. The Black Knights fired 30 shots, including 13 on frame, and none got past her. To top it off, Hall then made three saves in six rounds of penalty kicks, including a walk-off save to end it.
Hall leads all Patriot League keepers in both total saves (130) and save percentage (.867), and her 6.5 saves per game rank 10th in the nation. She also ranks 16th nationally in goalkeeper minutes played and 17th in save percentage.
Her 342 career saves are seventh-most among all active Division I players, and her 12 wins are 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.
Hall's 26 career shutouts are a Bucknell record.

Notes & Notables

Bucknell sophomore Katie Schiano is the daughter of current Rutgers' head football coach Greg Schiano. Coincidentally, Rutgers will be in Iowa City this weekend to play the Hawkeyes.
Katie has been outstanding at right back in the postseason and was rewarded with All-Tournament honors on Sunday.
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 Schiano (1-4-6) are other top point-producers.
After Sunday's result, Bucknell is now 4-2 all-time in penalty kick shootouts.

Bucknell in Penalty-Kick Shootouts:

2005 PL Semifinals vs. Lehigh: Won 6-5

2008 PL Semifinals vs. Army: Lost 5-4

2013 PL Quarterfinals vs. Colgate: Lost 5-4

2022 PL Semifinals vs. Boston University: Won 4-3

2022 PL Championship vs. Army: Won 3-1

2023 PL Championship vs. Army: Won 4-3

Head Coach Kelly Cook

Kelly Cook is in her ninth season as Bucknell's head coach, and she has led the Bison to five Patriot League championships in her nine years in Lewisburg.
Cook owns an 83-58-24 (.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.

Women's Soccer Heads to Iowa Looking for NCAA Tournament Breakthrough

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Players Mentioned

Henna Andican

Teresa Deda

Rylee Donaldson

Reese Evans

Kelley Francis

Jenna Hall

Riley Hayes

Katie Schiano

Hannah Stuck

Paige Temple

Brooke Tracey

Kalli Wethern

Meghan White

Women's Soccer Heads to Iowa Looking for NCAA Tournament Breakthrough

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Henna Andican

Teresa Deda

Rylee Donaldson

Reese Evans

Kelley Francis

Jenna Hall

Riley Hayes

Katie Schiano

Hannah Stuck

Paige Temple

Brooke Tracey

Kalli Wethern

Meghan White

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