Bucknell University
Harvard
Men's Lacrosse to Face Harvard in Neutral-Site Contest in Connecticut
2/22/2024 2:36:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Bucknell (1-2, 0-0 PL) vs. Harvard (2-0, 0-0 IVY)
When: Saturday, Feb. 24 – 1:30 p.m.Â
Where: Staples High School – Westport, Conn.
Watch: YouTube (Limited Broadcast)
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX
Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell seeks its second win in a row over an Ivy League opponent when it challenges 2-0 Harvard in Westport, Conn. on Saturday. The two teams will face in a neutral-site contest hosted at Staples High School.
• Bucknell earned its first win of the season during its home opener against Dartmouth last Saturday. The Bison built an early 5-0 lead and led wire-to-wire in the victory. The Big Green got within a goal of tying on two occasions, but Bucknell held on for a 15-13 win. Bucknell has now claimed 12 consecutive home-opening victories.
• Will Hopkins scored a career-high five goals in the win over Dartmouth, including three in the first five minutes of action, and he was named an honorable mention for Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. Freshman Hans Huber received Patriot League Rookie of the Week honorable mention for scoring his first two career goals in the game.
• Connor Davis notched his second hat trick of the season in the Dartmouth game. He leads the Bison and ranks second in the Patriot League with 3.33 goals per game.
• Faceoff specialist Brendan Coyle is currently second in the Patriot League and 10th in the country with his 8.33 ground balls per game. He registered a season-high of nine against Dartmouth and has been at 50 percent or better on draws in two of Bucknell's first three games.
• Bucknell is coming off a 3-10 (2-6 PL) season in 2023. Seven of the team's losses were by three goals or less, and three of its league losses were by two or fewer.
• Bucknell returned two of its four All-Patriot League honorees from last season. Dutch Furlong and Hopkins both made the 2023 All-Patriot League Second Team, and Furlong was a Tewaaraton Award Watch List member. He led the Bison in points for a second season in a row and ranked fourth in the nation with 2.92 assists per game.
• Bucknell was picked to finish seventh in the 2024 Patriot League Preseason Poll. Bucknell's roster consists of 28 returners and 14 newcomers. It graduated 2023 All-Patriot League defensemen Hank Bethel and Andrew Stanzel.
• Furlong, Davis, Ethan Gyllenhaal and Richie Striano were voted team captains ahead of the 2024 season.
• Bucknell head coach Frank Fedorjaka is in his 19th season leading the program. He owns a 148-108 career record and is just the second head coach in the program's 57-year history.
Category Leaders
• Goals: Connor Davis (10)
• Assists: Three tied (3)
• Points: Connor Davis (11)
• Shots: Connor Davis (26)
• Ground Balls: Brendan Coyle (25)
• Caused Turnovers: John Young (4)
• Faceoff Wins: Brendan Coyle (45)
• Faceoff Percentage: Brendan Coyle (.517)
• Save Percentage: Max Nolan (.412)
• Goals Against Average: Max Nolan (14.30)
• Saves: Max Nolan (21)
Harvard at a Glance/Series History
 • Harvard has earned wins in its first two games of the season, beating Providence 23-7 and Bryant 14-13.
• The Crimson were ranked 17th in the country in Monday's USA Lacrosse poll. They were receiving votes in the USILA poll and the Inside Lacrosse top 20 prior to Tuesday's win over Bryant.
• Through two games, Harvard ranks among the top five in the country in scoring offense (18.5), shot percentage (.440) and assists per game (11.0). It is also ninth in the country in caused turnovers per game (11.5).
• Harvard posted a 5-7 (2-4 IVY) record in 2023, with six of its opponents ranking among the top 20. Harvard landed five on the 2023 All-Ivy League Team, and four are back this season: junior attack Sam King and Owen Gaffney, junior midfielder Andrew Perry and junior defenseman Collin Bergstrom. King was an early-season Tewaaraton Award Watch List member.
• Harvard was picked to finish fifth in the 2024 Ivy League Preseason Poll.
• Harvard leads the all-time series 3-2 over the Bison dating back to 2002. Bucknell's wins came in 2003 and 2004.
• Harvard defeated Bucknell 13-8 in Cambridge last season in the first matchup between the two schools in 18 years. Bucknell trailed 9-3 at halftime, but it used a 5-0 run in the third quarter to get within two of tying at 10-8 heading into the final frame. Harvard outscored the Bison 3-0 the rest of the way. Cam Doolan registered a hat trick in the loss, and Duncan Hill posted three caused turnovers.
A Look Ahead
• Bucknell returns to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium for its Patriot League opener against Holy Cross on Saturday, March 2.
