Women's Lax Back on Road Saturday at No. 17 Navy

Saturday, March 30

Annapolis, Md.

3 p.m.

Bucknell University

Navy

Photo by: Lianne Garrahan

Women's Lax Back on Road Saturday at No. 17 Navy

3/28/2024 3:11:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

Bucknell (3-6, 1-2 PL) at No. 17 Navy (8-3, 2-1 PL)
When: Saturday, Mar. 30, 3 p.m.
Where: Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, Annapolis, Md.
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: NavySports.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_WLAX

Bucknell at a Glance

The Bison head to Annapolis on Saturday for their third road game in a seven-day span against a top-four team in the Patriot League. After falling to Holy Cross and Lehigh earlier in the week, Bucknell is now set to take on No. 17 Navy.
Bucknell defeated Boston University in its Patriot League opener, snapping a nine-game series losing streak to the Terriers. The Bison dug themselves a big early hole in an 18-10 loss at Holy Cross, falling behind 9-1 after one period. On Wednesday in Bethlehem, Bucknell trailed 8-6 late in the third quarter before the Mountain Hawks pulled away for a 15-8 verdict.
Taylor Kopan scored two goals, and Allie Boyce, Phoebe Macleod, Taylor McClain, and Alex Nesbitt all recorded a goal and an assist against Lehigh. The Bison outshot Lehigh 30-21, but all-conference goalie Hayley Hunt made 14 saves for the Mountain Hawks.
Boyce (20-5-25) became the first Bison to hit the 20-goal mark on Wednesday. She now leads the team in goals and points, and her 106 career goals are 10th-most in Bucknell history. Boyce needs one more goal to catch Carol Donohue for the No. 9 spot.
After leading the nation in shot percentage last season, she is currently No. 9 nationally this season at .645. She was No. 1 going into Wednesday's game at Lehigh but dipped a bit after scoring once on four attempts against the Mountain Hawks. Boyce is also hitting a .727 clip on free-position attempts, which leads the Patriot League and ranks 13th nationally.
Freshman Abby Henderson (6-2-8) and sophomore Regan Sansiviero (2-4-6) have seen their playing time increase on the attack unit of late, and both made their first collegiate starts against Lehigh.
Kopan (12-3-15) has recorded two goals in all three Patriot League games, and she has at least one goal in every game this season. Megan Krestinski (12-5-17), who missed the Lehigh game, and Emily Baird (10-4-14) are the only Bison with double-digit goals.
McClain (5-10-15) leads the team in assists, and she is now fifth on Bucknell's career list with 55 assists. She needs one more to catch Meredith Wright for the No. 4 spot.
Freshman Braeden Siverson (9-1-10) has been Bucknell's primary draw specialist this season, and she leads the team with 43 draw controls. Aliza Thir (1-1-2) has 25, and Tatumn Kohlbrenner (7-3-10) has 18. Kohlbrenner, a do-it-all middie, leads Bucknell's field players with 13 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers.
Colleen Kazanjian has started seven of the nine games in goal and has a .349 save percentage and 14.10 goals-against average.
As a team, Bucknell ranks sixth in the Patriot League in scoring with 11.89 goals per game. Navy is No. 1 at 15.36.
Bucknell's 12.56 turnovers per game are second-fewest in the league, behind only Loyola at 12.30. The Bison have a solid .873 clearing percentage, and they have been perfect on clears in three of their last four games: Kent State (17-17), Boston University (19-19), Lehigh (17-17).
Bucknell is looking to improve on last year's 6-10 record. The Bison were picked ninth in the Patriot League preseason poll. The league is loaded with talent this year, with three teams ranked in the IWLCA national poll at times this season.
The Bison returned 195 of their 209 goals (93.3%) from last season. The 209 goals were the team's most since 2016. Boyce led the way with 50, while Kopan, Baird, and Krestinski all tallied 22.
Bucknell's biggest graduation loss was First Team All-Patriot League defender Ella Payer, who departed as the program's all-time leader in draw controls.
Head coach Jackie Dando is in her fifth season as Bucknell's head coach. Lisa Oakley is back for her second season working with the defenders and draw specialists, while Jordan Baerga is in her first year working with the attack unit.

Navy at a Glance/Series History

The Midshipmen are ranked No. 17 in this week's IWLCA poll, although they dropped a 14-13 decision at Saint Joseph's on Wednesday. Navy led 12-7 after three periods, but the Hawks used a 7-1 run to swipe the victory.
Navy's only other losses came against Drexel (13-12) and No. 8 Loyola (17-12). The Mids started the season 5-0, including wins over No. 24 Duke, No. 20 Richmond, Villanova, East Carolina, and Mount St. Mary's.
Navy is 2-1 in Patriot League play, with wins over Colgate (19-7) and Boston University (20-9) in addition to the loss at Loyola.
The Mids are the Patriot League's highest-scoring team with 15.36 goals per game, and their 9.73 team goals-against average is third behind Lehigh and Loyola. Navy also takes the most shots per game (34.4) and ranks eighth nationally in that category.
Navy wins 63.2 percent of its draws, which is fifth-best in the nation. Alyssa Daley ranks eighth nationally with 8.45 DCs per game.
Emily Messinese (40-9-49) is one of only two 40-goal scorers in the Patriot League along with Loyola's Chase Boyle (43). Tori DiCarlo (35-7-42) is not far behind with 35. Messinese is coming off a five-goal game against Saint Joe's, and she has at least three points in every game this season.
Kat McAteer (16-16-32) leads the team in assists, and Mikayla Williams (15-10-25), Lola Leone (19-5-24), and Maggie DeFabio (15-7-22) have also topped the 20-point mark.
Navy has had to play without outstanding sophomore attacker Ava Yovino, who was named to the preseason Tewaaraton Award Watch List. An Honorable Mention All-American as a freshman last season, Yovino suffered a season-ending injury just before Navy's season opener at Duke. Yovino, senior defender Caroline Stefans, and Bucknell's Taylor McClain and Julia Backenstrass are all Floridians and former club teammates with Florida Select, where they were coached by McClain's father, John.
Lily Strohecker, a freshman reserve defender, is the daughter of Russ Strohecker '95, who was an outstanding middle linebacker for the Bucknell football team. He was a two-year captain, and his 370 career tackles are second-most in team history.
Freshman goalie Felicia Giglio has started all 11 games, although junior Emma Richardell has played in nine off the bench. Giglio has a .407 save percentage and 9.33 GAA.
Bucknell is still looking for its first series win against Navy. The Mids have captured the first 15 meetings, including a 21-13 decision in Lewisburg last season.
The 13 goals were the most Bucknell has ever scored against Navy. Allie Boyce and Alex Nesbitt both recorded hat tricks for the Bison, while Leelee Denton and Messinese scored five goals each for the Mids. Bucknell's 13 goals came on only 24 shots, but Navy had a huge edge in time of possession thanks to a 27-11 edge in draw controls.