Bucknell University
4-9 (2-5PL)
#12 Army
10-2 (5-2PL)
Men's Lacrosse Falls to No. 12 Army in Home Finale
4/19/2024 10:20:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Connor Davis scored four goals, and Sean Berrigan posted his first career hat trick, but the No. 12 Army Black Knights sailed to a 19-11 win over the Bucknell men's lacrosse team at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium Friday night.
Army scored the first four goals of the game and never relinquished the lead. A 3-0 Army run in the second quarter put the visitors up 14-4, which was the biggest deficit the Bison faced on the evening. Bucknell's best stretch came at the end of the third quarter when it scored four out of five goals over a six-minute stretch to cut the Army lead to 15-8. The Bison also scored three of the final four in the fourth quarter, but they never got closer than seven in the second half.
The Black Knights posted a 44-32 advantage in shots and a 43-33 edge in ground balls. Army, which entered the game ranked third in the country in faceoff winning percentage, won 20 of 33 draws. Brendan Coyle led Bucknell's efforts at the faceoff x, winning eight of 19 draws and scooping six ground balls.
It was the fourth time this season Davis has scored four or more goals in a game. He tallied Bucknell's only two goals of the second quarter, added another in the third and one in the fourth. He jumped to first in the Patriot League with 37 scored on the season. Berrigan scored two of his in the third quarter and one in the fourth.
Along with Berrigan, fellow freshman Luke Brunner added a pair of goals for the Bison, and senior Patrick Ciquera and sophomore defenseman John Young scored one each. Defensively, Will Pickering led the Bison with three caused turnovers and five ground balls. Bucknell tallied 13 caused turnovers for the game, marking the eighth time this season it has reached double figures in the category.
Three Black Knights posted hat tricks, including a five-goal, one-assist performance by Reese Burek. Jackson Eicher also recorded six points on four goals and two assists.
Jaz Zanelli and George Herron split time in goal for Bucknell and combined to make six stops on the evening.
With the loss, the Bison's chances of earning a spot in the Patriot League Tournament were dashed, as they fell to 2-5 in conference play and 4-9 overall. Army, meanwhile, improved to 5-2 in the league and currently sits in a tie for first place with Loyola.
Bucknell travels to Annapolis, Md. next Friday, April 26 to face Navy in the season finale.
