Wednesday, October 30
Lewisburg, Pa.
7 p.m.
Bucknell University
vs
Lehigh
Photo by: Lianne Garrahan
Women's Soccer Has Eyes on Regular-Season Title as Lehigh Visits Emmitt Field Wednesday Night
10/29/2024 1:27:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Lehigh (3-8-5, 2-5-1 PL) at Bucknell (10-4-2, 6-2 PL)
When:Â Wednesday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m.
Where:Â Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming:Â ESPN+
Live Stats:Â BucknellBison.com
Bucknell at a Glance
Â
When:Â Wednesday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m.
Where:Â Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming:Â ESPN+
Live Stats:Â BucknellBison.com
Bucknell at a Glance
- The combination of Bucknell's 2-1 win at Lafayette and Boston University's 2-2 draw with American on Saturday means the Bison are now alone in first place in the Patriot League heading into the final match day of the regular season on Wednesday. The Bison host an improved Lehigh team that can still nab one of the sixth Patriot League Tournament berths with a win and some help.Â
- The Bison are 6-2 in Patriot League play and their 18 points are two better than Boston University (4-0-4) and Army (5-2-1). The Terriers and Black Knights meet on Wednesday in Boston.
- Bucknell can clinch the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed for the Patriot League Tournament with a win over Lehigh. The Bison can also be the No. 1 seed with a loss or tie, if Boston University and Army finish in a draw. Bucknell is vying for its sixth Patriot League regular-season title.
- Regardless of Wednesday's results, the Bison are guaranteed a top-two seed and a bye into the semifinals.
- Boston University and Army start at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, and the 7 p.m. fixtures are Lehigh at Bucknell, American at Loyola, Navy at Lafayette, and Colgate at Holy Cross. Colgate is currently in fourth place on 11 points, followed by Navy (10), Loyola (9), Lafayette (9), American (8), Lehigh (7), and Holy Cross (7). The top six qualify for the Patriot League Tournament, so expect plenty of drama throughout the table.
- Teresa Deda earned Patriot League Midfielder of the Week honors on Monday after she had a hand in both goals in the 2-1 win at Lafayette. In the 16th minute she broke out of a double team and sent in a cross that was volleyed home by Reese Evans, and then seven minutes into the second half Deda stole a pass and scored on the counter to make it 2-0.
- The assist was the 36th of Deda's career, breaking a tie with Lisa Gibbons for Bucknell's all-time record. Gibbons' mark of 35 had stood since 1994. Deda now has nine goals and seven assists on the season, and she also became the sixth player in team history to reach 80 career points (22G, 36A).
- Deda now leads the Patriot League in assists with seven and ranks third in both goals (9) and points (25). Her five game-winning goals are tied for the most in the league with Baylee DeSmit of Loyola, and that total ranks seventh nationally.
- Bucknell has eight team shutouts this season, and junior goalkeeper Jess Benattar has six solo clean sheets. Benattar has played in 14 games this season, and she leads the Patriot League and ranks 13th nationally in GAA at 0.50. Her .854 save percentage (35 saves, 6 GA) is also the best in the league, and that figure ranks 20th nationally.
- Bucknell has been stout defensively even with the introduction of a new starting goalkeeper (Benattar) and two first-time starters at center back (senior Laura Schmidt and sophomore Julia Palitti). The Bison have used the same back four in every game this season, with outside backs Katie Schiano and Meghan White flanking Schmidt and Palitti. Schiano was the PL Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
- The Bison have paid close mind on the league's top offensive players this season. Bucknell has already faced nine league opponents who have scored five or more goals this season, and none have scored against the Bison. In fact, those nine players combined for only 10 shots. Four of the nine didn't get a single shot, including league-leader Ari Bezanson of Colgate.
- The Bison have scored 11 goals and conceded only four in Patriot League play.
- Deda ranks fifth among all active Division I players in career assists. The only players with more are Texas' Lexi Missimo (60) and Trinity Byars (36), Pitt's Sarah Schupansky (43), and Auburn's Anna Haddock (42). Missimo and Haddock are both in their fifth years.
- The Bison have scored 21 goals in 16 games thus far. Deda leads the way with nine goals and seven assists, and two-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week Katie Connell has four goals. Evans scored her third of the season on Saturday at Lafayette. Henna Andican, who is out with an injury, has two, and Sydney Hess, Kelley Francis, and Presley Sutter have one apiece.
- Bucknell has been shown only four yellow cards all season, with two of them coming at FDU on Sept. 15. The four yellows trail only Fairfield (3) for the fewest in the nation. Northern Arizona and Colgate also have just four.
- Bucknell has captured three straight Patriot League championships, which is a rarity in the league's history. Before Bucknell, the most recent to do it was Boston University, which won titles in its first three seasons as a league member in 2013-15. Prior to that, it was Colgate winning six in a row from 1994-99 and three straight from 1990-92 during the league's infancy.
- The Bison are one of only seven Division I teams that have won at least their last three league titles. The other six are Memphis (AAC), Florida State (ACC), Saint Louis (A10), Georgetown (Big East), UC Irvine (Big West), and Milwaukee (Horizon).
- Bucknell was picked a close second behind Army West Point in the preseason poll, with third-place Boston University also just a few points back. While Army was the top seed in each of the last two Patriot League Tournaments, the Bison prevailed in penalty-kick shootouts at West Point in the finals both times. Bucknell also won the 2021 championship on the road, clipping Boston University 1-0.
- Bucknell finished 12-4-5 overall and 5-1-3 in the Patriot League last season. Seeded No. 2 in the Patriot League Tournament, the Bison defeated Boston University 3-1 in the semifinals and then outlasted Army in a penalty-kick shootout to claim the title.
- Bucknell faced a Big Ten opponent in the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row, falling to Iowa 2-0 in overtime. It was a similar script as 2022 when the Bison and Ohio State played 90 scoreless minutes before the Buckeyes found the net late in overtime. This time it was the Hawkeyes scoring twice in the extra periods to swipe the first-round verdict.
- Head coach Kelly Cook is in her 10th season at Bucknell, and she has led the Bison to five league titles in her first nine years. Cook owns a career record of 93-63-26 (.582) and a Patriot League mark of 51-20-14 (.682). She has the highest winning percentage of any coach in program history, and she needs one more win to equal Ben Landis for the most in team history.
- Cook knows the Patriot League very well, as 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.      Â
- The Mountain Hawks are tied for ninth place with a 2-5-1 Patriot League record, but they still have a mathematical chance to make the postseason. Lehigh would need to win at Bucknell and have two other results break in their favor to sneak in. The Mountain Hawks will be rooting for a Navy win over Lafayette and a draw between American and Loyola.
- Lehigh lost its first four conference games but is 2-1-1 in its last four. The Mountain Hawks picked up a big 2-1 road win at Loyola on Saturday, with Aminah Baruwa scoring the tiebreaking goal in the 70th minute.
- Lehigh has been outscored 35-16 on the season. Cyndea Labissiere leads the team with three goals, and four others have two apiece. Esther Brossard, a freshman from Montreal, is one of those with two goals, and she leads the squad with 36 shot attempts.
- Maggie Ousouljoglou has started all 16 games in goal and has a 2.20 GAA and a .676 save percentage.
- Bucknell is 19-13-5 all-time against Lehigh, including a 3-0-2 record in the last five meetings.
- Bucknell came from behind to win 2-1 in Bethlehem last season. The victory on the final day of the regular season helped the Bison clinch the No. 2 seed for the Patriot League Tournament. After falling behind 1-0 five minutes into the second half, Henna Andican quickly tied it up, and then-freshman Riley Hayes scored her first collegiate goal to win it in the 72nd minute.
- The last meeting in Lewisburg in 2022 also came on the final day of the regular season. The Bison needed at least a draw to secure a first-round bye, and they got it with a 1-1 deadlock. Ava Schaller scored in the 13th minute for Lehigh, but Meghan White answered with her first career goal in the final minute of the first half.
- The Bison and Mountain Hawks have met four times in postseason play. Bucknell advanced past top-seeded Lehigh in penalty kicks in the 2005 semifinals. The Bison won the title two days later with a 3-1 win over Army in Bethlehem. Lehigh defeated Bucknell 1-0 in the 2010 semifinals at West Point, and 2-1 in overtime in the 2018 quarterfinals at Emmitt Field. Bucknell won 2-0 in the quarterfinal round in 2021. Â Â
- Bucknell will have a bye into the Patriot League semifinals, and the Bison will have a home game on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.
Â
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
F/M
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's SoccerIn The Herd: Bucknell Invitational Preview And Jack Murad Feature
Thursday, September 18
Bucknell Women's Tennis - Bucknell Invitational Recap
Thursday, September 18
In The Herd: Lehigh Game Preview And Sam Milligan Feature
Wednesday, September 17
In The Herd: Patriot League And Home Opener Preview And Cameron Lloyd Feature
Wednesday, September 17