Saturday, September 16
Hamilton, N.Y.
3 p.m.
Bucknell University
at
Colgate
Photo by: Jon Lambert
Women's Soccer Begins Patriot League Play Saturday at Colgate
9/14/2023 2:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Bucknell (5-2-1, 0-0-0 PL) at Colgate (1-6-1, 0-0-0 PL)
When:Â Saturday, Sept. 16, 3 p.m.Â
Where:Â Beyer-Small '76 Field, Hamilton, N.Y.
Streaming:Â ESPN+
Live Stats:Â ColgateAthletics.com
Bucknell at a Glance
- Round one of Patriot League play gets going this weekend with one game on Friday and four more on Saturday. Bucknell and Colgate meet up in Hamilton in the last of those five fixtures, with kickoff slated for 3 p.m. on Saturday.
- The Bison went 5-2-1 in eight matches leading up to the conference opener. The only two losses came in succession to top-25 sides Georgetown and Pittsburgh, but since then they have a 1-1 draw against a good Villanova team that is still unbeaten at 3-0-3, followed by three straight wins over La Salle (3-1), Colorado College (5-2), and Air Force (2-1).
- Saturday's game will mark a homecoming for Bison head coach Kelly Cook, who is a 2006 Colgate graduate. 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.
- Bucknell will be in action for the first time since Sunday's wild 2-1 home win over Air Force. Hannah Stuck's header in the second minute of the match gave the Bison the early lead, and the 1-0 margin held up well into the second half as Jenna Hall made a spectacular save on a penalty kick. The Falcons did even things up in the 77th minute on a Hailey Ramos shot through heavy traffic, but then the Bison were awarded a penalty kick in the 84th minute after a hand ball in the box. Meghan White's spot kick was saved, as was Paige Temple's point-blank attempt on the rebound, but Reese Evans made the third try count, and the Bison finished off a good win.
- Bucknell has scored 17 goals in its five wins this season, with a high of five in last Thursday's come-from-behind 5-2 verdict over Colorado College. The Bison trailed 2-1 in the second half before surging ahead on an own goal and a White penalty kick, and then Teresa Deda tacked on two big insurance goals in the final 10 minutes.
- Deda earned her second Patriot League Midfielder of the Week citation of the season and the fourth of her career on Monday. Deda, the reigning PL Midfielder of the Year, is tied for the league lead in both goals (4) and points (12). Loyola's Baylee DeSmit also has 12 points on four goals and four assists, and Holy Cross' Cerys Balmer joins Deda and DeSmit with four goals.
- Evans and Henna Andican have three goals apiece, and Andican also has four assists to give her 10 points, two behind Deda and DeSmit for the league lead. White and Temple both have a goal and three assists for five points.
- Bucknell's 18 goals on the season are the most in the Patriot League, two more than Navy. The 18 goals also rank 39th among all 336 Division I teams.
- The Bison also lead the league with 123 shot attempts. Army ranks second with 98.
- Hall's 48 saves are the most in the league and 11th-most nationally. That total is boosted by a career-high 16-save game at No. 21 Pittsburgh. Her .800 save percentage is third-best in the conference.
- Bucknell is the two-time defending Patriot League champion. Last season, the second-seeded Bison won penalty-kick shootouts against Boston University and Army in the Patriot League Tournament, and then dropped a 1-0 overtime decision at Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament.
- Seniors Jenna Hall, Hannah Stuck, and Brooke Tracey are this year's team captains.
- 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 a 76-57-20 (.562) overall record at Bucknell, including a 40-17-11 (.669) mark in Patriot League play.
- Cook has two new assistant coaches in 2023, as former Clarion head coach Alexa Ream and goalkeepers coach PJ Steiner have joined the program.
- The Raiders began the season with a 4-0 rout at Canisius and a 1-1 draw at Kent State, but they have dropped six straight since then, including two in state of Colorado last weekend.
- After being held off the scoreboard in five straight matches, Ari Bezanson ended Colgate's scoreless string with a 55th-minute penalty kick last Sunday at Colorado. That tied the match at 1-1, but the Buffaloes scored less than two minutes later and went on to win 2-1.
- Bezanson had a brace in the 4-0 win over Canisius in the season opener, and she leads the team with three goals. Ana Schremp has two, coming against Canisius and Kent State. Ellie Stokes has a goal and an assist, and Cara Schmidlein has a pair of assists.
- Alli Popham has started every game in goal and has played all but 45 minutes on the season. She has 20 saves with 15 goals allowed.
- Colgate went 3-10-4 overall and 3-4-2 in the Patriot League last season. The Raiders returned 23 players from that squad including Third Team All-Patriot League forward Ally Giovino. The senior is coming off a five-goal season in 2022.
- Bucknell is 10-24-2 all-time against Colgate in a series that dates back to 1991.
- Colgate won all four years in which Kelly Cook was a player with the Raiders, outscoring the Bison 7-0 in that span from 2002-05. Bucknell's 2005 team bounced back from that loss to win the Patriot League title.
- Bucknell won last year's meeting 3-0 at Emmitt Field. Abby Gearhart, Henna Andican, and Reese Evans all scored in the first 37 minutes of the match, and Jenna Hall and Kaylee Donnelly each played a half in goal and combined for the shutout.
- Bucknell's last trip to Hamilton resulted in a 3-0 loss in 2021. The Bison then went 6-1-2 over their next nine league matches, including the Patriot League Tournament, and won their first of two straight league titles.
- Bucknell has a two-game week on the horizon. American visits Emmitt Field on Wednesday at 6 p.m., and the Bison head to West Point on Saturday evening for a rematch of last year's Patriot League Tournament final.
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