Bucknell University
Boston University
Men's Lacrosse Opens PL Play at Home Against Boston U. Saturday
3/9/2023 3:19:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Bucknell (1-4, 0-0 PL) vs. Boston U. (3-1, 1-0 PL)
When: Saturday, March 11 – 1 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX
Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell plays its Patriot League opener on Saturday when Boston University visits Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium at the Pascucci Family Athletics Complex. It's the second straight season the Bison have opened league play against the Terriers.
• Bucknell is 119-37 all-time in Patriot League games. The Bison are also 15-16 in all-time Patriot League openers.
• Bucknell moved to 1-4 on the season with its loss to Marist last weekend. Bucknell's lone win was against Mercer at home during the season opener.
• Bucknell has collected three Patriot League weekly awards this season: Will Hopkins (Rookie of the Week, Feb. 13), Dutch Furlong (Offensive Player of the Week, Feb. 6), Michael Meyer (Rookie of the Week, Feb. 6). Bucknell has claimed nine of the last 18 PL Rookie of the Week awards dating back to the start of 2022.
• 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 145-100 career record and is a three-time Patriot League Coach of the Year selection.
Category Leaders
• Goals: Furlong, Meyer (10)
• Assists: Dutch Furlong (12) – t-3rd in NCAA in assists/game (3.00)
• Points: Dutch Furlong (22) – t-8th in NCAA in points/game
• Shots: Dutch Furlong (34)
• Ground Balls: Danny Striano (23)
• Caused Turnovers: Andrew Stanzel (13) – t-4th in NCAA in caused turnovers/game (2.40)
• Face-Off Wins: Conor McCusker (24)
• Face-Off Percentage: Griffin Shaffer (.500)
• Save Percentage: Rich O'Halloran (.429)
• Goals Against Average: Rich O'Halloran (6.53)
• Saves: Jaz Zanelli (39)
Milestone Watch
• Dutch Furlong: Needs 10 points to reach 100 in his career.
• Danny Striano: Needs 32 ground balls to reach 146 and crack Bucknell's all-time top 10.
Inside the Marist Box Score
• Bucknell fought back from a five-goal deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter, but Marist outscored the Bison 4-1 over the final 5:55 to take a 14-11 win.
• Three Bison scored four goals in a 65-second span in the opening quarter to stake the Bison to an early 4-1 lead. But Bucknell wouldn't score again for nearly 30 minutes of game time, and Marist ran off eight straight goals to go up 9-4.
• The Bison rallied back in the fourth quarter to tie things up at 10-10, but they managed just one more goal over the final 10 minutes.
• Marist held a slight 15-13 edge in faceoffs, while the Bison led 44-39 in shots.
• Marist's Jojo Pirreca posted a game-high six goals. Dutch Furlong led the Bison with four points overall, scoring three goals with an assist. Jack Dudas matched Furlong with three goals, and Will Hopkins added two.
• Defensively, Furlong and Hank Bethel caused three turnovers apiece, and Danny Striano matched his season high with six ground balls.
Boston University at a Glance
• The Terriers are 3-1 (1-0 PL) after defeating Colgate 14-8 at home on Saturday. Boston U. has won each of its last three games after opening the season with a loss at Vermont.
• Boston, the reigning Patriot League champion, was receiving votes in the latest Inside Lacrosse media poll and the USILA Coaches' Poll.
• The Terriers finished 12-5 (7-1 PL) last season and defeated Army in the Patriot League Championship game for their first title in the program's nine-year history. They went on to face Princeton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 12-5.
• The Terriers were picked to repeat as league championships this year, earning 15 of the 18 first-place votes. Boston also collected three of the four Patriot League preseason major awards and placed six on the 2023 Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
• Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Vince D'Alto currently leads the league in goals per game (4.33) and is third in points per game (5.33). He's also attempting the most shots per game of any player in the league.
• Graduate student Roy Meyer was named the PL Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, and fellow fifth-year Matt Garber was selected as the PL Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
• This will be the 10th time Bucknell and Boston have played each other since the series began in 2014. Bucknell is 4-5 in previous meetings, and the Terries have won four in a row. Bucknell is 3-1 when facing the Terriers at home.
• Bucknell's last win over Boston was a 16-9 decision at home in 2018.
• In last year's meeting, which took place in Boston on March 12, the Terriers collected a 12-9 win over the Bison. Boston was ranked No. 17/16 at the time, and both teams were unbeaten at 5-0 going into the matchup.
• Bucknell was held without a goal for a 25:45 span that stretched from the second quarter's 5:36 mark to the fourth's 9:51 mark. During that period, the Terriers scored four goals to turn their tight 7-5 advantage into a 11-6 lead. Boston University held edges in shots (47-39) and ground balls (40-39) while Bucknell led in shots on goal (19-18). The Terriers' advantage was most felt in the X, where they went 16 for 23, and in the clearing game, where they forced six failed clears.
Up Next
• The Bison are back at home next weekend to host Loyola on Saturday, March 18. The Greyhounds ended Bucknell's season in the Patriot League quarterfinals last year.
