Bucknell University
#12 Army
Men's Lacrosse Challenges No. 12 Army on Senior Night in Home Finale
4/17/2024 9:58:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Bucknell (4-8, 2-4 PL) vs. #12 Army (9-2, 4-2 PL)
When:Â Friday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium – Lewisburg, Pa.
Watch:Â ESPN+
Live Stats:Â BucknellBison.com
Follow on Twitter:Â @Bucknell_MLAX
Bucknell at a Glance
• Bucknell faces a tall task Friday evening when it plays host to the 12th-ranked Army Black Knights for the final game at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium this season. With Bucknell's playoff chances still alive, the Bison face two must-win games against the service academies to conclude the regular season. At 2-4 in league play, Bucknell would need to defeat both Army and Navy in its final two games, and the Bison will rely on Loyola to hand the Mids a loss this weekend.
• The Bison will celebrate Senior Night 30 minutes before Friday's game begins. Bucknell will recognize seven graduating student-athletes that have dedicated the last four seasons to the Bucknell men's lacrosse program: Brett Callahan, Patrick Ciquera, Brendan Coyle, Ethan Gyllenhaal, Duncan Hill, Rich O'Halloran and Richie Striano.
• Bucknell will also host a dedication ceremony for the newly-completed Pascucci Team Center, which will house the men's lacrosse team's new locker room, a strength and conditioning center, team meeting and event space, at 3 p.m. on Friday.
• Bucknell is coming off a 7-5 win over Le Moyne in non-Patriot League action last Friday. The Bison limited the Dolphins to just two goals through the first 44 minutes of the game and held them to their lowest scoring total of the season. Jaz Zanelli registered a career-high 18 saves in the victory. With the win, Bucknell improved to 4-2 in home games this season.
• Bucknell's rookie class scored five of the team's seven goals in Friday's win and contributed eight of the team's 12 points. For the season, the Bison freshmen have accounted for 38 (31%) of the team's goals and 59 (32%) of its 187 points. Freshmen Peter Grandolfo and Hans Huber are tied for third on the roster with 12 goals each. Huber has been named Patriot League Rookie of the Week two times this season, and Granfolfo earned the honor once. Bucknell has claimed 17 of the 37 PL Rookie of the Week awards handed out since the start of the 2022 season.
• Connor Davis scored twice in the Le Moyne win to tally his ninth multi-goal game of the season. Davis has six hat tricks this spring, topping out at a career-high seven goals in the team's win over Lafayette. The junior moved into a tie for fifth all-time in the Bucknell record book with 103 career goals, and his 33 goals this season currently rank second in the Patriot League behind Boston's Louis Perfetto (34).
• As a team, Bucknell ranks seventh in the nation in caused turnovers per game (10.0). The Bison have caused double-digit turnovers seven times this season, including a season-best 15 against Merrimack and Richmond. Hill leads the Bison in the category with 15 caused turnovers this season, and John Young is just behind him with 14.
• 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 27 returners and 13 newcomers. It graduated 2023 All-Patriot League defensemen Hank Bethel and Andrew Stanzel.
• Dutch Furlong, Davis, Gyllenhaal and Striano were voted team captains ahead of the 2024 season.
• Bucknell head coach Frank Fedorjaka is in his 19th season leading the program. He achieved his 150th career win earlier in the year and is just the second head coach in the program's 57-year history.
Category Leaders
• Goals: Connor Davis (33)
• Assists: Michael Meyer (10)
• Points: Connor Davis (37)
• Shots: Connor Davis (89)
• Ground Balls: Brendan Coyle (59)
• Caused Turnovers: Duncan Hill (15)
• Faceoff Wins: Brendan Coyle (107)
• Faceoff Percentage: Ben Concepcion (.500)
• Save Percentage: George Herron (.485)
• Goals Against Average: Jaz Zanelli (10.67)
• Saves: Jaz Zanelli (60)
Milestone Watch
• Jaz Zanelli is one save away from 200 in his career.
• Connor Davis is eight goals away from moving to fourth on Bucknell's all-time scoring list.
• Brendan Coyle is 14 ground balls away from 10th place on Bucknell's single-season list.
Scouting Army/Series History
• The Black Knights enter Friday's game ranked 12th in the nation by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association and the Inside Lacrosse media poll. Army sits at 9-2 overall and 4-2 in Patriot League play following a 13-8 win over Navy last Saturday. Army is one of six teams tied for first place in the Patriot League standings.
• Army at one point this season was ranked No. 1 overall in the national polls after starting the campaign 7-0 with wins over No. 11/12 Rutgers and No. 7/9 Syracuse. The Black Knights have dropped two of their last four games to Boston U. and Colgate.
• The Black Knights currently rank top five in the country in clearing percentage (.913), faceoff winning percentage (.611) and ground balls per game (35.82). They're ninth in points per game (22.45) and 10th in scoring offense (14.18).
• Junior Jackson Eicher leads the team and ranks fifth in the Patriot League with 2.55 goals per game. Three other Black Knights have found the back of the net more than 20 times this year.
• Faceoff specialist Will Coletti ranks third in the nation in faceoff winning percentage (.635) and is second in ground balls per game (9.45).
• Goalie Matt Chess started the first six games for the Black Knights, but Sean Byrne has been the man in the cage over the last three weeks. Byrne, a sophomore, owns a 10.83 goals against average and a .560 save percentage.
• Army, which won the 2023 Patriot League Championship and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals last spring, was picked to repeat in the 2024 preseason poll. The Black Knights landed five on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team, including Preseason Defensive Player of the Year AJ Pilate and Preseason Faceoff Specialist of the Year Coletti.
• Bucknell is 14-32 in the all-time series with Army, which dates back to 1979. The Black Knights have captured three in a row in the series, with Bucknell last winning in 2018. The Bison lost by just a single goal in 2022, and they trailed by just one late in the third quarter before falling 12-7 to the No. 8 Black Knights in last year's meeting.
• During the 2023 meeting in West Point, Bucknell jumped out to a 5-3 lead late in the first half, but a 4-0 Army run in the second half proved too much to overcome. Michael Meyer led the Bison with three points, and Cam Doolan added two.
A Look Ahead
 • Bucknell wraps up the regular season at Navy in Annapolis, Md. on Friday, April 26. The Bison and the Mids are set to square off at 7 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
