Bucknell Hosts Colgate in Patriot League Championship Saturday

#4 Colgate (8-8-3, 4-3-2 PL) at #2 Bucknell (6-6-6, 4-1-4 PL)
What: 2024 Patriot League Championship Match
When: Saturday, Nov. 16, 6 p.m.
Where: Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com

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Bucknell at a Glance

Bucknell will host Colgate in the 2024 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League title match. The Bison defeated American in penalties to advance to the Championship match for the first time since 2014, when it won 3-2 in overtime on Sebastiaan Blickman's golden goal at Boston University. This is the first time since 2019 that the Bison have been in the Patriot League tournament.
This is Bucknell's 17th overall appearance in the Patriot League tournament with an 8-10-8 record in Patriot League postseason play. The Bison have previously been Patriot League Champions in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2014.
Colgate has won eight Patriot League titles, going unbeaten in Patriot League Championship matches (7-0-1). Colgate's most recent title came in 2018 with a 1-0 victory over Army.
The Bison defeated American in penalty kicks after finishing regulation and overtime 1-1. Jack Lucas won the Bison a penalty in the 18th minute after receiving a great ball from David Krumov. Lucas, who had converted the team's only penalty kick of the season all the way back on Aug. 31 against Mount St. Mary's, did it again from the spot to put the hosts in front. The Eagles leveled the score in the 69th minute with a header from Sam Hershey.
Both teams started 3-for-3 in the shootout – Roskos, the goalkeeper Lapworth, and Lucas for a second time from the spot all fired shots home for Bucknell. Lapworth came up with a big fourth-round save after the Bison missed from the spot. The Bison continued to convert in the later rounds, and a seventh-round miss by American sent Bucknell to the final.
Colgate defeated top-seeded Boston on the road 1-0. Timmy Donovan scored a 26th minute goal, and the Raiders kept the Terriers out of the back of the net over the remaining 64 minutes. Boston out-shot Colgate by a 15-1 margin, but Colgate's only shot of the match found the back of the net.
The Raiders defeated Lehigh 2-1 in overtime to reach the Patriot League semifinal.
The Bison were the 2024 regular season co-champions with Boston after both teams finished with a 4-1-4 record and 16 points in the Patriot League. The Bison won its first Patriot-League title since 2009 after finishing the 2023 season in last place with a 1-6-2 record in the PL.
The only other team to finish this season with a regular-season conference title after finishing in last place in its previous season was North Florida in the Atlantic Sun Conference. North Florida went 4-2-1 with 13 points this season after finishing 0-6-1 with one point in 2023. North Florida defeated FGCU 3-0 on Monday to reach the ASUN Championship.
The Bison clinched a top-two seed and a first-round bye in the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Lafayette on November 1. Jack Lucas scored a second-half equalizer in the 65th minute to put the Bison on level terms and clinch a postseason berth.
Bucknell is unbeaten in its previous five matches, going 2-0-3 in that span. The Bison have been for late dramatics, scoring three of its four goals in those matches in the 65th minute or later. The Bison defeated Army and Colgate with 1-0 victories, scoring a match-winning goal in the final 10 minutes in each of those matches.
Freddie Lapworth and the Bison have a league-leading seven shutouts this season. Bucknell's 1.06 team goals-against average is the best in the Patriot League and ranks 48th among Division I. The Bison have given up just six goals in Patriot League action, and five of its seven shutouts came against Patriot League teams.
Lapworth became Bucknell's third Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year, and earned his first All-Patriot League First Team selection. Lapworth started and played every minute of all 18 games this season after making 17 total starts in his first two collegiate seasons. Last year, an injury kept Lapworth sidelined midway through the season.
Lapworth's seven shutouts rank 16th in Division I. Lapworth ranked second in the league with a 1.06 goals-against average (GAA) and a .766 save percentage. Only Lafayette's Griffin Hunt held a better GAA at 1.00 in four fewer matches played, and only Holy Cross's Josh Tubbs had a higher save percentage at .800 in eight fewer matches played. Lapworth is just two shutouts away from tying Paul Sinnenburg in 10th on Bucknell's all-time shutouts list.
Lapworth smashed home Bucknell's second penalty kick in the shootout against American in the semifinal before making a big save a couple rounds later.
Senior defender Aidan Lawlor also notched his first Patriot League honor with a First Team selection. The senior center back made 15 starts in his first three seasons as a Bison before making 12 starts and 15 appearances this season. Lawlor provided the assist for Waldemar Kattrup's late match-winning goal over Army on October 20.
Lawlor played a big role in Bucknell's defensive performance throughout the season. The Bison led the Patriot League, allowing just 18 goals in its 17 regular-season matches for a 1.06 GAA. In Patriot League action, the Bison allowed just five goals for a 0.56 GAA. Only Lehigh, Cornell, St. Francis, and St. Bonaventure scored multiple goals against the Bison this season.
Junior midfielder Pombor was also named to the All-Patriot League First Team in his first season for the Bison after transferring from Lock Haven. Pombor settled in nicely, playing as a holding midfielder.
Pombor came up with one of Bucknell's biggest moments of the season. Deadlocked with Colgate, Pombor combined with Drew Roskos for a sweet goal in the 83rd minute to give the Bison a 1-0 victory. The win put the Bison in first place in the Patriot League at the time and played a big role in helping Bucknell secure a top-two seed in the tournament.
Lapworth, Lawler and Pombor were the first Bucknell players to be named to the First Team since Matt Thorsheim in the 2021 Spring season.
The Bison have scored 15 goals in 18 games this season, with the tallies spread among 11 different players. Jack Lucas leads the Bison with three goals, scoring his third goal in the Patriot League semifinal against American. Drew Roskos, and Ben Sheffield have two goals each, and Kattrup, Whitmire, Krumov, Cohen Weaver, Mason Lillis, Cade McGrath, and Pombor all have one each. The Bison ranked last in the league in goals scored, three goals behind the next-closest team.
Krumov, Lucas, and Whitmire are all tied for seventh in the Patriot League with three assists.
Roskos ranks sixth in the league in shots per game with 1.94 and ranks seventh with 0.75 shots on target per game.
Sheffield leads all Bison field players in minutes played with 1,494 of a possible 1,620. Sheffield, Lapworth, and Jimmy Pombor are the only Bison to have started all 18 games this season. All told, 19 different Bucknell players have made at least one start.
Dave Brandt is the fifth Bucknell men's soccer coach to be named Coach of the Year, and becomes the third different coach in Bison history to be honored. In his third year as head coach, Brandt led the Bison to a Patriot League regular-season co-championship with Boston University and its first winning season in Patriot League play since 2017. This will be Brandt's first Patriot League Championship match with the Bison.
Dave Brandt is Bucknell's 14th full-time head coach and just the third dating back to 1967. Brandt brought with him a remarkable career record of 355-86-41 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.

Raiders at a Glance

Colgate took fourth in the Patriot League with 14 points and a 4-3-2 overall record. The Raiders finished 8-8-3 overall, facing three ranked opponents in their non-conference schedule.
The Raiders fell to No. 25 Syracuse, 1-0, and No. 20 Cornell, 3-1. Colgate defeated No. 13 Virginia 1-0 in its second match of the season.
Colgate is unbeaten in its last four matches, going 4-0-0 in than span. Its last loss came at the hands of the Bison on October 26.
Timmy Donovan has scored in three consecutive matches for the Raiders. His goals against Army and Boston were match-winning goals and his goal against Lehigh in the Patriot League quarterfinal tied the match 1-1 in the 84th minute.
Patriot League Rookie of the Year Blake Pipkin leads the Raiders and the Patriot League with seven goals this season. Pipkin ranks 10th with 0.63 shots on target per game average and ranks seventh with three assists on the season.
Donovan and Jack Beerling each have three goals on the season. Cason Stafford, Alex St. John and Liam Winograd each have two goals. The Raiders have found 12 different goal scorers this season.
Stafford and Aidan Wright each have three assists this season. Jacob Blackwin, Wade Johnson, Ethan Harris and Collin Hughes all have two assists.
Pipkin, Cason Stafford and Mason Pahule were selected as All-Patriot League players.
Colgate is tied for the most goals scored among Patriot League teams this season. The Raiders have score 25 compared to the Bison's 15 goals. Colgate allowed the third-fewest goals to Patriot League teams, giving up just nine goals.

The Bucknell-Colgate Series

Colgate holds the all-time head-to-head record with an 30-11-10 mark over the Bison dating back to 1963.
The Bison defeated Colgate 1-0 on October 26 when they met earlier this season. Jimmy Pombor scored a late goal in the 83rd minute to give the Bison an important three points.
Bucknell and Colgate have met in the Patriot League Tournament four times, with both teams going 1-1-2. Both teams beat each other in penalties in the two draws to make the history of this postseason bout an even one.
The last time the two met in the Patriot League Tournament, the Raiders defeated the Bison 1-0 back in 2017.

Bucknell Hosts Colgate in Patriot League Championship Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Waldemar Kattrup

David Krumov

Freddie Lapworth

Aidan Lawlor

Mason Lillis

Jack Lucas

Cade McGrath

Jimmy Pombor

Drew Roskos

Ben Sheffield

Cohen Weaver

Bucknell Hosts Colgate in Patriot League Championship Saturday

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Waldemar Kattrup

David Krumov

Freddie Lapworth

Aidan Lawlor

Mason Lillis

Jack Lucas

Cade McGrath

Jimmy Pombor

Drew Roskos

Ben Sheffield

Cohen Weaver

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