Bucknell University
Lehigh
Men's Lacrosse to Battle Lehigh at Home Saturday
4/5/2023 2:33:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Bucknell (2-7, 1-3 PL) vs. Lehigh (6-3, 3-1 PL)
When: Saturday, April 8 – 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
• The Bison return to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium to host Lehigh on Saturday. Bucknell is 2-7 (1-3 PL) after going 1-1 on the road over the last two weeks. The Bison defeated Colgate on March 25 before falling to No. 8 Army on April 1.
• Bucknell is currently sixth in the Patriot League standings with four games to play. The Bison have already faced three of the five teams ahead of them in the standings.
• Junior Dutch Furlong was among the 11 student-athletes to appear on the second-round additions to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List last week. The prestigious award honors the top college lacrosse player in the United States. Furlong currently ranks fifth in NCAA Division I in assists per game (2.88).
• The Bison have collected five Patriot League weekly awards this season and 10 of the last 22 PL Rookie of the Week awards dating back to last year.
• 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 146-103 career record and is a three-time Patriot League Coach of the Year selection.
Category Leaders
• Goals: Connor Davis (19)
• Assists: Dutch Furlong (23) – 5th in NCAA in assists/game (2.88)
• Points: Dutch Furlong (40) – t-12th in NCAA in points/game (5.00)
• Shots: Connor Davis (60)
• Ground Balls: Danny Striano (42)
• Caused Turnovers: Andrew Stanzel (19) – 5-7th in NCAA in caused turnovers/game (2.11)
• Face-Off Wins: Brendan Coyle (53)
• Face-Off Percentage: Griffin Shaffer (.480)
• Save Percentage: Jaz Zanelli (.474)
• Goals Against Average: Rich O'Halloran (6.53)
• Saves: Jaz Zanelli (93)
Milestone Watch
• Danny Striano: Needs 13 ground balls to reach 146 and crack Bucknell's all-time career top 10.
• Cam Doolan: Needs two 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 Army Box Score
• Army put together a big second half and outscored Bucknell 8-2 over the final 30 minutes to remain unbeaten in Patriot League play with a 12-7 win. Bucknell led 5-3 late in the second quarter before a pair of 4-0 Army runs throughout the middle stages of the game.
• Army maintained an 18-5 advantage in faceoffs, including winning 10 of 11 in the first half, but Bucknell managed to carry a 5-4 lead into the locker rooms. The Bison continued to get shots off in the second half, but goalie Matt Chess turned away 10 over the final 30 minutes.
• Michael Meyer led all Bison with three points on a goal and a pair of assists. Jack Feda scored two goals, and Cam Doolan added a goal and an assist. Bucknell scored on three of its six man-up opportunities.
• Bucknell's Jaz Zanelli finished with 15 saves.
Lehigh at a Glance
• Lehigh is 6-3 (3-1 PL) and in third place in the Patriot League standings. The Mountain Hawks are coming off a 15-9 win over Lafayette. Lehigh was receiving votes in the latest USILA Coaches' Poll.
• The Mountain Hawks were picked to finish fifth in the 2023 Patriot League Preseason Poll after finishing fourth last year and reaching the semifinal round of the Patriot League tournament. Mike Sisselberger was named the 2023 Patriot League Preseason Faceoff Specialist of the Year, and midfielder Scott Cole joined him on the Preseason All-League Team.
• Sisselberger and freshman defenseman Richard Checo were both named Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-Americans last week.
• Lehigh currently leads the Patriot League in goals per game (14.3) and is seventh in the country in points per game (23.1). Senior Christian Mule' is fifth in the country with 5.33 points per game.
• Bucknell leads 38-18 in the all-time series with Lehigh, which dates back to 1969, but the Mountain Hawks have won three in a row. Bucknell's last win in the series was in 2019.
• Lehigh was ranked No. 19 last season when it pulled out a 13-12 win over the Bison in Bethlehem on April 10. The Bison outscored Lehigh 8-5 during the second half and netted four of the game's final five goals to trim their deficit down to one, but it wasn't enough. Dutch Furlong registered a hat trick and four assists in the game.
Up Next
• Bucknell goes back on the road to face Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. on Saturday, April 15.
