Men's Soccer Looks to Keep Hold on PL Lead Saturday at Defending-Champ Boston University

Saturday, October 12

Boston, Mass.

1 p.m.

Bucknell University

Boston University

Photo by: Lianne Garrahan

Men's Soccer Looks to Keep Hold on PL Lead Saturday at Defending-Champ Boston University

10/10/2024 1:23:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Bucknell (4-4-3, 2-0-2 PL) at Boston University (1-3-8, 1-1-2 PL)
When: Saturday, Oct. 12, 1 p.m.
Where: Nickerson Field, Boston, Mass.
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoTerriers.com

Bucknell at a Glance

Bucknell and Boston University get together on Saturday at Nickerson Field in a key Patriot League clash. The Bison share the top spot in the Patriot League with Colgate with eight points from 2-0-2 records. The Terriers, who are the defending league champions, are in sixth place but only three points off the lead at 1-1-2.
The Bison have played well of late, with wins over Navy and American and ties with Holy Cross and Lehigh in Patriot League play. Mixed into that stretch was a hard-fought 1-0 home loss to No. 7 West Virginia and a 1-1 away draw at Binghamton in the most recent outing on Tuesday.
Comebacks have been a theme over the last week. The Bison erased a pair of deficits in the 2-2 draw with Lehigh on Saturday. Both tying goals came on corner kicks, with Ben Sheffield scoring late in the first half and Drew Roskos equalizing again off an assist from Sheffield in the 65th.
On Tuesday at Binghamton, the Bison fell behind on a second-half penalty kick, but Zane Domsohn scored off a Roskos feed in the 83rd minute to salvage the 1-1 draw.
The Patriot League table is jammed up heading into a pivotal Match Day No. 5. Just behind Bucknell and Colgate are Lehigh, American, and Navy, all on seven points with 2-1-1 records. The Bison have played all three of those teams and are 2-0-1 against the group.
Bucknell is the top-ranked defensive team in the Patriot League with 12 goals allowed in 11 matches for a 1.09 goals-against average. Junior goalkeeper Freddie Lapworth has been a steadying presence in the box, as the Bison have seen some flux in the back line throughout the season. Lapworth has played every minute in goal and leads the league with a 1.09 GAA and four shutouts. He is second in the PL in save percentage at .786, just behind Holy Cross' Josh Tubbs (.791).
Sheffield, a junior defender, was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. He leads all Bison field players in minutes played with 910 of a possible 990. Sheffield, Lapworth, Jack Lucas, and Jimmy Pombor are the only Bison to have started all 11 games this season. All told, 18 different Bucknell players have made at least one start.
Domsohn made his first start of the season on Tuesday at Binghamton, and he subbed back on with about nine minutes left and the Bison trailing 1-0. Only 90 seconds later, he found the back of the net. Domsohn leads all active Bison with seven career goals.
Roskos earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors on Monday after he scored the tying goal against Lehigh. It was his second tally of the season, with the other coming on opening day in a win at Robert Morris.
Bucknell's 10 goals this season have come from eight different players. Roskos and Sheffield have two each, and Lucas, Domsohn, David Krumov, Cade Whitmire, Cohen Weaver, and Cade McGrath have one apiece.
Dave Brandt is Bucknell's 14th full-time head coach and just the third dating back to 1967. Brandt, who is now in his third season at Bucknell, brought with him a remarkable career record of 354-86-40 in stints at Messiah, Navy, and Hope. Brandt won six Division III national championships at Messiah and led Navy to the 2013 Patriot League title and an NCAA Tournament first-round win.

Boston University at a Glance

The Terriers captured both the Patriot League regular-season and tournament titles last season, when they finished 12-4-4 overall and 7-1-1 in league play. Boston University defeated third-seeded Lafayette 1-0 in the tournament final before falling 3-1 at Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament.
Draws have been the theme for the Terriers this season, as their eight ties in 12 matches are the most in the nation, two ahead of Northeastern and Northern Kentucky.
Boston University's lone win was a 3-2 home verdict against Army on Sept. 14, but the Terriers have gotten at least a point out of 9 of their 12 fixtures this season. In league play, Boston University also has a 3-1 loss to Lehigh and draws with Loyola (2-2) and Lafayette (1-1).
Like Bucknell, Boston University played a non-conference game this week and scored a late goal to swipe a 1-1 draw. This one came at home against Harvard, with Aidan Bone scoring the equalizer in the 84th minute.
Boston University has been outscored 20-14 in 12 games this season. Bone, Quin DeLaMater, Andrea Di Blasio, and Damola Salami lead the way with two goals each. Both of Di Blasio's goals came in the win over Army.
The Terriers have rotated goalkeepers this season, with Andrew Wike (5), Ben Alexander (4), and Sheraz Saadat (3) all starting at least three games. Saadat, a junior, has been in favor recently, with starts against Boston College, Lehigh, and Harvard. The trio has combined for a .677 save percentage and a 1.67 GAA.

The Bucknell-Boston University Series

Bucknell is 3-3-6 all-time against Boston University in a series that dates back to 2013.
Incredibly, the first eight series meetings and nine of the first 10 all went to overtime.
That OT streak ended in 2019, when Bucknell won 3-0 at Emmitt Field. The two teams did not see each other during the COVID-modified 2021 spring season, and then they went right back to their OT ways with a scoreless draw in Lewisburg in 2021.
The NCAA eliminated overtime in regular-season games prior to the 2022 season, but the Terriers got the job done in regulation, winning 2-0 in Boston on two goals in a 3:27 span in the first half. Colin Innes and Griffin Roach were the goal-scorers.
The Bison dropped a heartbreaker to the Terriers last season, falling 1-0 on Eitan Rosen's goal with 3:55 left in the match. Bucknell allowed only seven total shots and just three on target all day, but for the third time during Patriot League play in 2023, the Bison dropped a one-goal result when the winning goal was scored in the 87th minute or later.
Bucknell is 1-1-4 at home against the Terriers and 2-2-2 in Boston.
Bucknell and Boston University have met twice in the postseason. In the 2016 Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals, the Bison advanced in penalty kicks after the two teams drew 1-1 after 110 minutes.
Bucknell's most memorable series win was a dramatic 3-2 overtime verdict in the 2014 Patriot League championship game in Boston. Lincoln, Massachusetts native Sebastiaan Blickman scored twice for the Bison, including the golden goal off an assist from Jack Zollicoffer.

Next Up

Bucknell plays its final non-conference game of the regular season on Tuesday at St. Bonaventure, and then the Bison wrap up a four-game road stretch at Army West Point on Sunday, Oct. 20.