Bucknell University
Lehigh
Men's Lacrosse on the Road for Saturday Game at Lehigh
3/20/2024 12:59:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Bucknell (2-6, 1-2 PL) at Lehigh (3-4, 1-1 PL)
When: Saturday, March 23 – 3:30 p.m.Â
Where: Frank Banko Field – Bethlehem, Pa.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: LehighSports.com
Follow on Twitter:Â @Bucknell_MLAX
Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell looks to get back on track this Saturday afternoon when it visits Lehigh for a Patriot League contest. Bucknell is coming off three straight losses after starting league play 1-0. A win against the Mountain Hawks would get the Bison right back in the mix, as only three Patriot League teams possess more than one win in conference play.
• Bucknell struggled offensively in two games against nationally-ranked opponents last week. The Bison fell 17-5 against No. 16/17 Richmond on Tuesday and then 17-4 on Saturday against Colgate, which came in at No. 19 in the latest USILA Coaches Poll.
• Standing out with two strong performances last week was freshman Sean Berrigan, who scored three of Bucknell's nine goals. Berrigan jumped to sixth on the Bison roster with nine points on the season.
• Bucknell's rookie class has impressed throughout the season, as the group accounts for 32 of the team's 120 points (27%) and 23 of its 78 goals (29%). Freshman Peter Grandolfo is tied for second on the team with 10 goals and joins Hans Huber as a Patriot League Rookie of the Week award winner this season.
• Bucknell remains near the top of the country in caused turnovers, ranking sixth nationally with 10.5 per game. It's been a group effort, as six Bison have caused six or more turnovers per game. Sophomore John Young leads the category with 11, and senior Duncan Hill is right behind him with 10.
• Connor Davis remains the team leader in goals scored with 19, but the junior has been held off the board two games in a row after notching four hat tricks and a pair of five-goal games in the first six weeks of the season. Davis is five goals away from cracking Bucknell's all-time career top 10 list and 11 goals shy of 100.
• 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.Â
• 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.
• Dutch Furlong, Connor 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's one win shy of 150 in his career 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 (21)
• Shots: Connor Davis (64)
• Ground Balls: Brendan Coyle (42)
• Caused Turnovers: John Young (11)
• Faceoff Wins: Brendan Coyle (80)
• Faceoff Percentage: Ben Concepcion (.500)
• Save Percentage: George Herron (.464)
• Goals Against Average: Jaz Zanelli (13.52)
• Saves: Max Nolan (41)
Lehigh at a Glance/Series History
• The Mountain Hawks fell to 3-4 on the season and 1-1 in Patriot League play with an 18-12 loss to No. 1 Army on Saturday. Lehigh has alternated wins and losses throughout the season and won its Patriot League opener 12-10 over Navy on March 9. Its other wins came over Dartmouth and Fairfield.
• Three of Lehigh's games have been decided by two goals or fewer. It lost to 15th-ranked Rutgers by just a two-goal margin and defeated Fairfield by just a single goal.
• Lehigh ranks fifth in the Patriot League in scoring offense (10.86) and fifth in scoring defense (12.29). Its man-down defense (.731) leads the conference and ranks 14th nationally.
• Lehigh senior Scott Cole was named the 2024 Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after earning the postseason award a year ago. He's currently third in the league and 18th in the country with 3.0 goals per game. The Mountain Hawks also returned First Team All-League defenseman Richard Checo.
• The Mountain Hawks went 10-5 (6-2 PL) last season and reached the Patriot League semifinals as the No. 3 seed before falling to Army.
• Lehigh is under the direction of first-year head coach Will Scudder, who previously served as associate head coach for the Mountain Hawks.
• Bucknell leads 38-19 in the all-time series against Lehigh, which began in 1969, but the Mountain Hawks have captured four in a row dating back to 2021. Before that, Bucknell took five out of six from 2015-19.
• Lehigh won 11-8 over Bucknell in Lewisburg last April. After falling behind 8-4 early in the third quarter, the Bison came back to tie the game with four unanswered scores. Lehigh shut the Bison out in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Lehigh won 21 of 22 faceoffs in the game, and Bucknell came up empty on five man-up opportunities.
A Look Ahead
• Bucknell hosts Lafayette at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday, March 30.
