Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Holy Cross
Men's Lacrosse Opens PL Play vs. Holy Cross at Christy Saturday
2/29/2024 4:53:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Bucknell (1-3, 0-0 PL) vs. Holy Cross (2-2, 0-0 PL)
When: Saturday, March 2 – 12 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX
Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell opens Patriot League play when Holy Cross pays a visit to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The Bison are seeking their first 1-0 start to league action since the 2018 campaign. With a win, the Bison would also improve to 2-0 in home games this year.
• Bucknell is 15-17 in all-time Patriot League openers. Its all-time Patriot League record sits at 121-43. Bucknell was picked to finish seventh in the 2024 Patriot League Preseason Poll, coming in ahead of Colgate and Holy Cross. The Bison went 2-6 against the league in 2023.
• Bucknell fell to 1-3 on the season last weekend with a 13-12 loss to Harvard, which was ranked 20th in the latest Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Bucknell, which met the Crimson for a neutral-site game at Staples High School in Westport, Conn. on Saturday, jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the second quarter. Harvard came storming back, however, and outscored the Bison 12-4 the rest of the way to remain unbeaten on the season. Harvard put together a 4-0 run between the second and third quarters and then scored six of the last seven goals in the fourth to pull off the comeback.
• Freshman Peter Grandolfo registered his second hat trick of the season in the Harvard game and earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors for his efforts. He's currently third on the Bison roster in goals (7) and tied for third in total points (8).
• Bucknell goalie Max Nolan played all 60 minutes in the cage on Saturday and recorded a career-high 14 saves. The 13 goals are the fewest scored this season by the 4-0 Crimson, wh0 currently rank fourth in the nation in scoring offense (18.25 gpg).
• Will Hopkins is Bucknell's other Patriot League weekly award winner this season. He garnered Offensive Player of the Week recognition after tallying five goals in Bucknell's win over Dartmouth.
• As a team, Bucknell ranks fourth in the country in clearing percentage, making good on just over 95 percent of its attempts. The Bison are also 19th in caused turnovers per game (9.5).
• Within the Patriot League, Bucknell's Connor Davis ranks fifth with 2.75 goals per game, Michael Meyer is fifth with 1.5 assists per game, and Brendan Coyle ranks third with 6.3 ground balls per game.
• 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 148-109 career record and is just the second head coach in the program's 57-year history.
Category Leaders
• Goals: Connor Davis (11)
• Assists: Michael Meyer (6)
• Points: Connor Davis (12)
• Shots: Connor Davis (32)
• Ground Balls: Brendan Coyle (25)
• Caused Turnovers: John Young (6)
• Faceoff Wins: Brendan Coyle (48)
• Faceoff Percentage: Brendan Coyle (.511)
• Save Percentage: Max Nolan (.449)
• Goals Against Average: Max Nolan (13.88)
• Saves: Max Nolan (35)
Milestone Watch
• Connor Davis: Needs 6 points to reach 100 in his career
Holy Cross at a Glance/Series History
• Holy Cross dropped to 2-2 with a 14-8 loss at Dartmouth last Saturday. Holy Cross' other loss was to Providence in the season opener, and it earned wins over UMass Lowell and Sacred Heart.
• The Crusaders rank in the upper half of the Patriot League in scoring defense, having allowed just nine goals in two of their games. They're second in the nation in caused turnovers per game (11.75) and 12th in man-down defense. Meanwhile, Holy Cross' offense is averaging 10 goals per game.
• Sophomore William Stahl leads the Crusaders with eight goals and 11 points on the season. Senior Dawson Friers has started all four games at goalie and possesses a 10.76 goals-against average and a .478 save percentage.
• The Crusaders were picked to finish ninth in the 2024 Patriot League Preseason Poll. They went 1-13 (0-8 PL) in 2023.
• Bucknell leads 31-1 in the all-time series with Holy Cross, which dates back to 1991. Holy Cross' lone win over the Bison was in 2017, and Bucknell has won four matchups since.
• The Bison defeated the Crusaders 18-12 on the road on April 15 of last season. Bucknell jumped out to a 7-1 lead and more than doubled Holy Cross' shots (63-30) in the victory. The Crusaders made a third-quarter push to cut the deficit to a single goal at 11-10, but the Bison responded with a 5-0 run in the fourth and outscored the hosting Crusaders 7-2 in the final frame. Jack Feda led the Bison with six goals, Will Hopkins registered a hat trick, and 12 Bison in total tallied points in Worcester.
A Look Ahead
• Bucknell goes back on the road to face Boston U. on Saturday, March 9. The Terriers (3-1) are one of three Patriot League teams with three wins through the first four weeks.
