Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Loyola
Men's Lacrosse Travels to Baltimore Saturday for Pivotal PL Game at Loyola
4/3/2024 10:40:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Bucknell (3-7, 2-3 PL) at Loyola (4-6, 2-2 PL)
When: Saturday, April 6 at 1 p.m.
Where: Ridley Athletic Complex – Baltimore, Md.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: LoyolaGreyhounds.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_MLAX
Bucknell at a Glance
• The Bison look to build off of last weekend's dominant win over Lafayette when they visit the Loyola Greyhounds Saturday afternoon. The Patriot League game carries massive weight in the standings, as Bucknell currently sits in seventh place with a 2-3 league record behind sixth-place Lehigh (2-2 PL) and the fifth-place Greyhounds (2-2 PL).
• Bucknell snapped a four-game losing skid when it defeated Lafayette 17-8 at a rain-soaked Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium last Saturday. The Bison scored a season-high 17 goals while allowing a season-low eight goals to the Leopards. It was a welcome outcome for the team after they were outscored by a combined 34-9 margin in back-to-back games against Richmond and Colgate and then were narrowly edged 9-8 on the road at Lehigh. The win also lifted Bucknell above .500 (3-2) in home games this season.
• Saturday's victory was the 150th in head coach Frank Fedorjaka's 19-year career at Bucknell. Fedorjaka, who boasts a .570 winning percentage, is just the second Bucknell men's lacrosse head coach since the program was formed in 1968. Fedorjaka has guided the Bison to 13 Patriot League Tournament appearances, three regular-season titles and a tournament championship in 2011.
• Junior Connor Davis was exceptional in Saturday's win over the Leopards, posting career highs in goals scored (7) and points (8). He was an honorable mention for PL Offensive Player of the Week and now ranks second in the league with 28 goals. Davis, who was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year after amassing 45 goals in 2022, is now two goals shy of 100 in his career and is tied for seventh in program history in the category. Only six other Bison have scored 100 career goals.
• Freshman Hans Huber was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week for a second time this season after tallying three points on a pair of goals and an assist against Lafayette. It was Huber's fifth two-goal performance of the season, and his 10 goals have come on just 21 shots. Fellow freshman Peter Grandolfo also has a PL Rookie of the Week award under his belt this season, as Bucknell's freshman class has accounted for 27 percent of the team's points. Bucknell has won 17 of the 35 Rookie of the Week awards dating back to the start of the 2022 season.
• As a team, Bucknell ranks seventh in the nation in caused turnovers per game (10.10). They've caused double-digit turnovers in seven games, including a season-high 15 twice. Duncan Hill leads the team in the category with 15 caused turnovers on the season, which ranks seventh in the Patriot League. John Young is second on the roster with 12.
• 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.
• 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, Ethan Gyllenhaal and Richie Striano were voted team captains ahead of the 2024 season.
Inside the Lafayette Box Score
• Connor Davis scored a career-high seven goals, including five in a big third quarter that helped lift the Bison to a 17-8 win over Lafayette last Saturday. The Bison led wire-to-wire after jumping out a 3-0 lead in the first quarter and holding a 7-3 advantage at halftime.
• Michael Meyer supplied a hat trick, and Hans Huber, Henry Boykin and Sean Berrigan each posted three points as well. Eight different Bison found the back of the net against the Leopards.
• Bucknell went on a 4-0 run in the second quarter and a 5-0 run in the third. Davis scored four of the five goals during the third-quarter run and assisted on the other. He recorded five goals during the third quarter alone.
• Ethan Gyllenhaal recorded three of the team's 12 caused turnovers, and three other Bison had two caused turnovers.
• Jaz Zanelli played 55 minutes in goal and made eight saves, earning his first win of the season.
Category Leaders
• Goals: Connor Davis (28)
• Assists: Michael Meyer (9)
• Points: Connor Davis (31)
• Shots: Connor Davis (80)
• Ground Balls: Brendan Coyle (45)
• Caused Turnovers: Duncan Hill (15)
• Faceoff Wins: Brendan Coyle (86)
• Faceoff Percentage: Ben Concepcion (.500)
• Save Percentage: George Herron (.485)
• Goals Against Average: Jaz Zanelli (10.98)
• Saves: Jaz Zanelli (33)
Milestone Watch
• Connor Davis is two goals away from 100 in his career.
• Cam Doolan is four goals shy of 50 and three assists shy of 30 in his career.
• Duncan Hill recorded the 30th caused turnover of his career last game.
• Frank Fedorjaka earned his 150th career win last game.
Scouting Loyola/Series History
• The Greyhounds improved to 4-6 (2-2 PL) with a 12-10 win over Lehigh last Friday. Loyola has won back-to-back Patriot League games after dropping its first two to Boston and Colgate.
• Loyola has faced five nationally-ranked opponents this season, including No. 11 Georgetown in the season opener which the Greyhounds won 18-10.
• Loyola was picked to finish third in the 2024 Patriot League Preseason Poll after finishing fifth and going 9-8 (4-4 PL) in 2023. The Greyhounds reached the Patriot League Championship game before falling 10-8 to Army. They took down fourth-seeded Navy and top-seeded Boston U. en route to the championship appearance.
• Loyola sophomore Matt Minicus, graduate students Evan James and Mustang Sally, and senior goalie Luke Staudt were each named to the 2024 Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
• Grad student Adam Poitras currently leads the Greyhounds with 24 goals and is tied with James for the team lead in points (32). Staudt has started all 10 games in goal and ranks 10th nationally with 13 saves per game as well as 28th in save percentage with a .524.
• Loyola leads the all-time series 11-3 over the Bison dating back to 1981. The Greyhounds have taken each of the last five meetings, with Bucknell last winning in 2018. Bucknell won back-to-back meetings in 2017 and 2018.
• Loyola won last year's meeting 14-13 in Lewisburg. The Greyhounds, ranked No. 12/11 at the time, jumped out to a 7-4 lead at halftime before the Bison regained the lead at 10-9 in the third quarter. The Greyhounds scored the final two goals of the third quarter and never gave up the lead again. Bucknell held the advantage in shots and faceoffs, but the Bison were just 13 for 22 on clears.
• Minicus scored seven goals for the Greyhounds, while four different Bison scored at least twice in the contest.
A Look Ahead
• Bucknell returns to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium to host its final scheduled non-conference game. Le Moyne comes to town on Friday, April 12 for a 7:30 p.m. game. It will be the first-ever meeting between the Bison and the Dolphins.
