Bucknell University
Army
Men's Lacrosse Challenges No. 8 Army West Point on the Road Saturday
3/30/2023 11:08:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Bucknell (2-6, 1-2 PL) at No. 8/8 Army (7-1, 4-0 PL)
When: Saturday, April 1 – 12 p.m.
Where: Michie Stadium – West Point, N.Y.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoArmyWestPoint.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX
Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell challenges its second ranked opponent of the season on Saturday when it pays a visit to No. 8 Army.
• The Bison are coming off their first Patriot League win of the season and snapped a six-game losing skid with a 14-10 defeat of Colgate. It was the team's second-highest scoring output of the year.
• The Bison are currently in a tie for fifth place in the Patriot League. They have already faced two of the top three teams, and the Black Knights are currently in first place.
• Bucknell freshman Jaz Zanelli was named an honorable mention for Patriot League Goalie of the Week on Monday. The Bison have collected five Patriot League weekly awards this season and 10 of the last 21 PL Rookie of the Week awards dating back to last year.
• Junior Dutch Furlong was among the 11 student-athletes to appear on the second round of additions to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List on Thursday. The prestigious award honors the top college lacrosse player in the United States. Furlong currently ranks second in NCAA Division I in points per game (5.71) and third in assists per game (3.29). He's registered at least one point in 27 consecutive games.
• Bucknell posted a 9-6 (3-5 PL) record in 2022 and was back in the Patriot League Tournament after missing during the abbreviated 2021 season. The Bison have missed the tournament just three times since 2005. Bucknell fell to third-seeded Loyola in the 2022 PL quarterfinals.
• Bucknell got off to a 5-0 start last season and finished first in the Patriot League in assists per game, ground balls per game and points per game. They were second in goals per game and shots per game.
• Bucknell set program records for goals (203), assists (127) and points (330), as well as a host of individual records.
• Bucknell was picked sixth in the 2023 Patriot League preseason poll. Additionally, sophomore Connor Davis was one of 16 student-athletes named to the 2023 Preseason All-Patriot League Team. Davis, who earned PL Rookie of the Year last season, scored 45 goals to tie for second in program history and was named PL Rookie of the Week six times.
• Bucknell lost 12 seniors to graduation, including 2022 All-League defenseman Drew Wellington and standout faceoff specialist Nick Crovatto. The Bison welcomed 15 newcomers this year, including 13 freshmen.
• Along with Davis, Bucknell brought back second-leading scorer Furlong, who finished sixth in the Patriot League in both shots per game and goals per game.
• Midfielders Cam Doolan and Furlong are the two returning Bison that started all 15 games last season.
• Seniors C.J. Baroni, Jack Feda, Conor McCusker, Andrew Stanzel and Danny Striano were voted team captains for the 2023 season.
• Head coach Frank Fedorjaka is in his 18th season leading the Bison. He possesses a 146-102 career record and is a three-time Patriot League Coach of the Year selection.
Category Leaders
• Goals: Connor Davis (18)
• Assists: Dutch Furlong (23) – 3rd in NCAA in assists/game (3.29)
• Points: Dutch Furlong (40) – 2nd in NCAA in points/game (5.71)
• Shots: Connor Davis (55)
• Ground Balls: Danny Striano (39)
• Caused Turnovers: Andrew Stanzel (18) – 5th in NCAA in caused turnovers/game (2.25)
• Face-Off Wins: Conor McCusker (49)
• Face-Off Percentage: Griffin Shaffer (.500)
• Save Percentage: Jaz Zanelli (.462)
• Goals Against Average: Rich O'Halloran (6.53)
• Saves: Jaz Zanelli (78)
Milestone Watch
• Danny Striano: Needs 16 ground balls to reach 146 and crack Bucknell's all-time career top 10.
• Cam Doolan: Needs four points to reach 50 for his career.
• Conor McCusker: Needs 15 faceoff wins to reach 100 for his career.
• Dutch Furlong: Needs 11 assists to reach 59 for his career and crack Bucknell's all-time top 10.
Inside the Colgate Box Score
• An 8-0 run, including seven unanswered goals in the second quarter, lifted Bucknell to a 14-10 win over Colgate. Bucknell trailed 3-1 early in the game, but its offense looked outstanding in the second quarter as it scored on seven of its 16 shots in the frame. The Bison held Colgate scoreless for nearly 24 minutes during the run.
• Connor Davis matched his season high with five goals, and Cam Doolan added a hat trick. Jaz Zanelli came up with 13 crucial saves, and Bucknell took advantage of 19 Colgate turnivers.
• The Bison finished 27 for 32 in the clears department. Bucknell also held Colgate to 0 for 3 on extra man opportunities, while the Raiders held the edge on faceoffs.
• Colgate kept the pressure on, outscoring Bucknell 7-5 in the second half, but the Bison were able to keep their distance. With 13:44 to play in the game, Colgate began a 5-1 run the cut Bucknell's lead to 13-10 with three minutes left.
Army at a Glance
• Army enters the weekend 7-1 (4-0 PL) following a 10-5 victory over No. 10/9 Loyola last Saturday. It was the Black Knights' second win over a ranked opponent this season, as they defeated top-10 team Rutgers back on Feb. 18. The Black Knights have not lost since opening the season with a 10-8 defeat at the hands of UMass.
• Army was ranked No. 8 by both the USILA Coaches' Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll this week.
• The Black Knights were picked fourth in the 2023 Patriot League Preseason Poll, with midfielder Jake Morin and defenseman AJ Pilate being named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team. Both were All-Patriot League Second Team honorees last season, and Morin was added to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List on Thursday.
• Army posted a 12-4 (6-2 PL) record last year and reached the Patriot League Championship Game before falling to Boston U. Army lost 2022 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Brendan Nichtern to graduation along with All-League selections Bobby Abshire and James Pryor.
• The Black Knights currently lead the Patriot League in scoring margin (5.8) and rank fourth in the nation. Its scoring defense (8.0 pg) is first in the nation.
• Bucknell is 14-31 in the all-time series with Army dating back to 1979. The Black Knights won the last two meetings, while the Bison earned a win in West Point in 2018.
• Army, ranked No. 13 at the time, scored three goals in the final four minutes to rally past Bucknell at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium last April. The Bison led 9-7 with 4:06 remaining in the fourth quarter. Dutch Furlong scored four goals for Bucknell, and Rich O'Halloran tallied 16 saves. Meanwhile, Army's Will Coletti won 19 of 23 faceoffs, collected 12 ground balls and netted a goal.
Up Next
• Bucknell returns to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium to host Lehigh at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 8.
