Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Colgate
Men's Lacrosse Resumes PL Play at Home Saturday vs. Raiders
3/14/2024 1:41:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Bucknell (2-5, 1-1 PL) vs. Colgate (5-3, 2-0 PL)
When: Saturday, March 16 – 4 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 resumes Patriot League action when it hosts Colgate at Christ Saturday afternoon. It's Bucknell first time playing back-to-back home games this season. The Bison would jump to 2-1 in league play with a victory and would knock off one of only two 2-0 teams in the standings.
• Bucknell is coming off a tough loss to No. 16/17 Richmond on Tuesday. The Spiders, who rank atop the country in scoring defense, limited the Bison to just five goals and scored 17 themselves. Turnovers and faceoffs were even in the contest, and the Bison led in ground balls, but they were just 13 of 19 on clears compared to Richmond's 21-of-24. Bucknell also led 35-31 in shots, but it placed just 17 on target. Richmond scored 17 goals on its 24 on-target attempts.
• Five different Bison scored one goal each against the Spiders, while Duncan Hill and Ethan Gyllenhaal registered three caused turnovers apiece. Freshman Colin McLoy went 8 for 13 on faceoffs and collected a team-high six ground balls.
• Connor Davis was held without a goal for just the third time in his career and for the first time this season. He's now fourth in the Patriot League with 19 scored this year and 2.71 per game.
• With 14 more caused turnovers on Tuesday, Bucknell sits fifth in the country with 10.43 per game. John Young and Duncan Hill are tied for the team lead in the category with nine each.
• Bucknell has garnered two Patriot League weekly awards this season. Both Peter Grandolfo and Hans Huber have been named Patriot League Rookies of the Week. Bucknell's rookie class has accounted for 28 percent of the team's scoring.
• 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 149-111 career record and is just the second head coach in the program's 57-year history.
Category Leaders
• Goals: Connor Davis (19)
• Assists: Michael Meyer (9)
• Points: Connor Davis (20)
• Shots: Connor Davis (57)
• Ground Balls: Brendan Coyle (38)
• Caused Turnovers: Young, Hill (9)
• Faceoff Wins: Brendan Coyle (70)
• Faceoff Percentage: McLoy, Concepcion (.500)
• Save Percentage: Max Nolan (.411)
• Goals Against Average: Jaz Zanelli (12.73)
• Saves: Max Nolan (39)
Colgate at a Glance/Series History
• Colgate is coming off back-to-back wins over Lafayette and Loyola to start Patriot League play 2-0. It joins Army as the only other team without a league loss yet. Colgate's losses have been to No. 10 Yale, No. 9 Syracuse and Villanova. The Raiders also have a big upset victory over then-fourth ranked Penn State in the season opener.
• The Raiders are fourth in the Patriot League with 12.5 goals per game and eighth in scoring defense with 13.5 allowed per game.
• Colgate goalie Matt LaCombe ranks fifth in the nation with 14.12 saves per game. He's facing 42.3 shots per contest.
• Colgate went 2-9 (2-6 PL) in 2023 and finished tied for eighth in the Patriot League standings. It graduated its lone All-League honoree from a year ago, Donny Gayhardt. The Raiders were picked to finish eight in the 2024 Patriot League Preseason Poll.
• Bucknell leads 25-19 in the all-time series with Colgate, which dates back to 1979. The Bison have won two in a row in the series and four of the last five.
• The Bison won 14-10 on the road at Colgate last March. Bucknell fell behind 3-1 before scoring eight unanswered to grow a 9-3 lead by halftime. Connor Davis scored five goals with one assist in the win.
A Look Ahead
• Bucknell goes on the road to face Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa. at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 23.
