Men's Soccer Hosts Saint Francis Saturday Night as Part of 1970s-Era Celebration Weekend

Saturday, September 7

Lewisburg, Pa.

7 p.m.

Bucknell University

Saint Francis

Photo by: Lauren Medeiros

Men's Soccer Hosts Saint Francis Saturday Night as Part of 1970s-Era Celebration Weekend

9/5/2024 2:39:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Saint Francis (1-3) at Bucknell (2-1)
When: Saturday, Sept. 7, 7 p.m.
Where: Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com

Bucknell at a Glance

The Bison return home on Saturday to face in-state rival Saint Francis. Bucknell is looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season on Tuesday at George Mason, while the Red Flash are looking to shake a three-game losing streak.
This will be a special weekend for the men's soccer program, as nearly two-dozen alumni from the great 1970s-era teams will be back on campus. The stretch from the late 1960s throughout much of the 1970s is one of the most successful in Bucknell history in any sport. Hall-of-Fame coach Craig Reynolds took over the program in 1967, and over the next 10 years, his teams compiled a record of 94-35-10. They won two conference championships and made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances – the first three in team history.
At the epicenter of that Era of Success was the 1974 team. Fifty years ago this fall, Bucknell went unbeaten all the way into the second round of the NCAA Tournament. After defeating La Salle in the East Coast Conference championship game, the Bison upset Penn State 1-0 on the road for their first-ever NCAA win. A heartbreaking double-overtime loss to Philadelphia Textile ended the run, but not before the team finished 12-1-2 with only five goals allowed all season and a final national ranking of 14.
This year's edition started with a pair of 2-0 wins over Robert Morris and Mount St. Mary's, and then the Bison controlled most of the action on Tuesday at George Mason but suffered a harsh 1-0 defeat. James Eliuda's goal in the 15th minute was the first allowed by Bucknell this season, and it came on the Patriots' only shot on frame all night. The Bison later celebrated a tying goal in the 64th minute when Cade Whitmire headed in David Krumov's free kick, but a controversial offsides call took the goal off the board.
Bucknell was a 2-0 winner over Mount St. Mary's in its home opener last Saturday. The Bison received a goal in each half from Jack Lucas and Ben Sheffield. Lucas scored on a penalty kick in the 26th minute after Mason Lillis stole the ball and was taken down in the box. Lucas then set up Sheffield's header in the 66th minute on a nice cross off a short corner kick.
Drew Roskos and Cade McGrath scored the goals in the season-opening win at Robert Morris. Lucas also had an assist in that game, and he leads the team with four points on a goal and two assists.
Bucknell outshot Mount St. Mary's 20-6 and has a 39-27 shot advantage on the season.
Roskos became the first Bucknell freshman to score in a season opener since Eddie Perez-Palaez against FDU in 2019.
The 2024 Bison have plenty of new faces with seven freshmen and four transfers on the roster. The freshman Roskos and transfers Cohen Weaver (Penn State), Jimmy Pombor (Lock Haven), and Winston Oziri (Northumbria in U.K.) all started the first two games. Transfer Cade Whitmire (Tulsa) and freshmen Gianluca Marroni, Matt McLeod, and Noah Handzel have seen action off the bench.
Bucknell's most experience comes in the back, where the junior Lapworth backs up a defensive trio of senior Aidan Lawlor and juniors Ben Sheffield and Jackson Sullivan. McGrath, a junior, and sophomore Jack Lucas bring experience to the two wing back positions, and seniors Jack Roberto and Nick Prime are also veterans in the defensive third.
The Bison finished 2-10-4 last season, when they seemed to be punished for every little mistake in the back. There were a number of games where Bucknell controlled the bulk of the possession, only to fall a goal short. The Bison held the opposition to single-digit shot attempts nine times but went just 1-5-3 in those games. Seven of the 10 losses came by one goal, including heartbreakers against Patriot League rivals Navy, Holy Cross, and Boston University where the deciding tally came in the 87th minute or later.
Dave Brandt is Bucknell's 14th full-time head coach and just the third dating back to 1967. Brandt, who is now in his third season at Bucknell, brought with him a remarkable career record of 354-86-40 in stints at Messiah, Navy, and Hope. Brandt won six Division III national championships at Messiah and led Navy to the 2013 Patriot League title and an NCAA Tournament first-round win.

Saint Francis at a Glance

The Red Flash blanked St. Bonaventure 3-0 on the road on opening night, but since then they have dropped games to No. 3 West Virginia (4-0), Wright State (3-1), and Robert Morris (2-1).
Joschi Schelb scored twice and Fabian Wagner once in the win over St. Bonaventure. Schelb also scored in the Wright State game and has three goals on the season, while Wagner now has two after his tally against Robert Morris. The two German sophomores have accounted for all five of the team's goals this season.
Goalkeepers Niclas Becker and Milo Risenhoover have started two games each.
When Saint Francis fell to West Virginia on Aug. 26, it was the team's first loss in more than a year. The Red Flash went unbeaten in 2023, finishing 7-0-8 overall and 5-0-3 in the Northeast Conference. They were the No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament but were eliminated by Sacred Heart in a penalty kick shootout in the semifinals.
The Red Flash conceded only 12 goals all of last season. Schelb was the team's top scorer with 13 points from three goals and seven assists.
Saint Francis was picked as the favorite in the 2024 NEC preseason poll, just ahead of LIU and FDU.

The Bucknell-Saint Francis Series

Bucknell holds a 12-11-2 lead in a series that dates back to 1997.
Saint Francis has won the last three meetings, including a 1-0 verdict last season in Loretto. Fabian Wagner's acrobatic overhead kick in the 72nd minute was the only goal of the game.
Bucknell's last win was a 3-0 decision at home in 2019. Nick King, Trevor Wiggins, and Matt Thorsheim all scored in the second half in that one.

Next Up

Following the Saint Francis game, the Bison will turn their attention to Patriot League play as Navy comes to Emmitt Field for a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday, Sept. 14. The Midshipmen are 1-1-2 on the season after beating Niagara 3-0 on Monday.