Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Boston University
Men's Lacrosse Travels to Boston to Face Terriers in Saturday Afternoon PL Game
3/7/2024 10:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Bucknell (2-3, 0-0 PL) at Boston U. (3-2, 0-1 PL)
When: Saturday, March 9 – 1 p.m.
Where: Nickerson Field – Boston, Mass.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoTerriers.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX
Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell hits the road for its second Patriot League game of the season on Saturday. The Bison will be challenging the 2023 regular-season champion Terriers at Nickerson Field. With a win, the Bison would improve to 2-0 in the Patriot League for the first time since 2013. The Bison started the 2013 campaign 8-1 overall and won its first four league games
• Last Saturday, Bucknell won its first Patriot League opener since the 2018 season. The Bison defeated Holy Cross 12-9 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium and improved to 2-0 at home with the win. Bucknell's other win this season was over Dartmouth, while it has two road losses to Merrimack and Marist as well as a neutral-site loss against Harvard.
• Bucknell was one of four teams that won its first Patriot League game of the season, along with Army, Navy and Colgate. Lehigh has yet to play a league game.
• Through the first five games, Bucknell ranks third in the Patriot League in caused turnovers per game, clearing percentage, man-up offense and shot percentage. Its 10.4 caused turnovers per game ranks sixth in the nation, and its .901 clearing percentage is 13th.
• Connor Davis registered his third hat trick and second five-goal game of the season last Saturday. He currently ranks third in the Patriot League and 16th nationally with his 3.2 goals per game. Brendan Coyle is second in the league and 19th in the nation with 6.6 ground balls per game.
• Bucknell has alternated between junior Max Nolan and sophomore Jaz Zanelli in the cage throughout its first five games, with Nolan's full 60 minutes against Harvard and Merrimack being the only complete games by either goalie. Nolan has earned both wins on the season and possesses a 13.22 goals-against average and a .429 save percentage.
• Bucknell's rookie class has made a combined seven starts and registered 20 of the team's 90 points this season. Freshman Peter Grandolfo ranks fifth on the team with eight points, including seven goals, and has tallied two hat tricks. He was voted the Patriot League Rookie of the Week last week.
• 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 149-109 career record and is just the second head coach in the program's 57-year history.
Category Leaders
• Goals: Connor Davis (16)
• Assists: Michael Meyer (7)
• Points: Connor Davis (17)
• Shots: Connor Davis (43)
• Ground Balls: Brendan Coyle (33)
• Caused Turnovers: Hill, Young (6)
• Faceoff Wins: Brendan Coyle (60)
• Faceoff Percentage: Brendan Coyle (.504)
• Save Percentage: Max Nolan (.429)
• Goals Against Average: Max Nolan (13.22)
• Saves: Max Nolan (36)
Milestone Watch
• Connor Davis: Needs 1 point to reach 100 in his career
Inside the Holy Cross Box Score
• Connor Davis and Cam Doolan combined to score nine goals, including two crucial ones in the fourth quarter, to lift the Bison to a 12-9 victory over the visiting Crusaders. A second-half surge by Holy Cross tied the game at 9-9, but Davis and Doolan scored back to-back goals to put an end to Holy Cross' comeback.
• The Bison led by as many as five in the second quarter, but they managed just one goal over the first 23 minutes of the second half. Holy Cross used a 6-1 run to turn an 8-3 deficit into a 9-9 tie.
• Davis and Doolan scored seven of Bucknell's first eight goals in the contest. Bucknell held dominant advantages in faceoff wins, ground balls and shots over the first 30 minutes. Holy Cross scored on four of its five shots on goal in the first half.
• Brendan Coyle led the Bison in ground balls for a fourth time in the first five games, and Duncan Hill was one of four Bison with a pair of caused turnovers. Max Nolan got the start at goalie before being relieved in the second half by Jaz Zanelli, who finished the game with five saves.
Boston U. at a Glance/Series History
• The Terriers fell to 3-2 on the season with a 16-9 loss to Navy on Saturday. Boston's other loss this season was to Bryant, while it captured wins over Saint Joseph's, Vermont and Brown. The Terriers are 1-2 at home this season.
• The Terriers were picked to finish second in the 2024 Patriot League Preseason Poll after going 10-4 (7-1 PL) in 2023 and entering the Patriot League Tournament as the No. 1 seed. Boston fell to Loyola 12-11 in the semifinal round last year. The Terriers won the 2022 Patriot League Championship as the top seed.
• The Terriers landed three players on the 2024 Preseason All-Patriot League Team: long-stick midfielder Roy Meyer, defenseman Patrick Morrison and attack Vince D'Alto. All three are in their graduate seasons, and all three were First Team All-League honorees a year ago.
• Boston currently leads the nation in caused turnovers per game (14.2), ranks 11th in man-down defense (.765), and 15th in ground balls per game (35).
• Graduate student Louis Perfetto leads the Patriot League and ranks seventh in the country with 3.6 goals per game.
• Boston leads the all-time series 6-4 over the Bison since the two teams first met in 2014. Bucknell won four of the first five matchups, but the Terriers have claimed five in a row. Bucknell last defeated the Terriers in 2018.
• Boston won 14-12 in last year's meeting in Lewisburg. The Bison trailed 12-6 late in the third quarter before making a comeback push in the fourth. Bucknell ended the game on a 6-2 run to draw within two of tying but fell short. Dutch Furlong tallied 10 points on two goals and eight assists, and Connor Davis scored five goals.
A Look Ahead
• Bucknell turns around to host Richmond in non-Patriot League action on Tuesday, March 12. The Bison and Spiders are set to square off at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium at 4 p.m.
