Men's Lax Faces Iona for First Time Tuesday in New Rochelle

Tuesday, February 17

New Rochelle, N.Y.

1 p.m.

Bucknell University

Iona

Photo by: Steven Schoenfelder

Men's Lax Faces Iona for First Time Tuesday in New Rochelle

2/16/2026 12:49:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Bucknell (2-1) at Iona (0-4)
When: Tuesday, Feb. 17, 1 p.m.
Where: Mazzella Field, New Rochelle, N.Y.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: IonaGaels.com

Bucknell at a Glance

After suffering their first loss of the season on Friday at Robert Morris, the Bison turn right back around and travel to Iona on Tuesday for the first-ever meeting between the two teams. This game and Saturday's home game with Hobart are the final tuneups before Patriot League play begins on Feb. 28 at Lehigh.
Defending Northeast Conference champion Robert Morris used two big runs – one early and one late – to turn back Bucknell on Friday in Pittsburgh. The Colonials scored four goals in 21 seconds in the first quarter to take a 4-1 lead, and after the Bison rallied to tie the game twice in the second half, RMU went on a 6-1 run in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Michael Meyer was the offensive star of the game for the Bison. The senior attackman tallied six goals and an assist for a seven-point afternoon. Meyer's six goals matched his career high, set during his freshman year against Mercer.
Meyer has a team-high 10 goals on the season, third-most in the Patriot League. Only Lafayette's Benjamin Dibattista (14) and Lehigh's Finn Morgan (13) have more. Meyer is also tied for fifth in the PL in points with 12 and third in shots with 30.
Luke Brunner leads the team in assists with five, and he also has three goals for eight total points. Peter Grandolfo (8-0-8) and Sean Berrigan (4-4-8) also have eight points, while Owen Kovacs (5-1-6), Sean Murray (1-4-5), Will Hopkins (2-3-5), Anthony Panetti (3-1-4), and Hans Huber (1-2-3) all have multiple points on the season.
Short-stick defensive midfielder Jack Tully and LSM Ollie Hau both made their season debuts on Friday after missing the first two games due to injury. Tully grabbed two ground balls and had an assist against Robert Morris.
Colin McLoy had another strong day facing off, going 13-for-20 against Robert Morris. He is now 20-for-31 (.645) on the season.
Bucknell started the season with wins over Manhattan (14-8) and St. Bonaventure (11-2). The defense was the story against the Bonnies at snowy Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Bucknell pitched a shutout for the last 35 minutes and allowed only one even-strength goal all day. It was a 3-2 game at the half, and then the Bison outscored St. Bonaventure 8-0 in the second half. Goalie Jaz Zanielli made seven saves and the defense forced 22 turnovers on the way to its lowest goals-against total since a 13-1 win over Lafayette on Apr. 11, 2014.
The St. Bonaventure win was the 400th in program history. The team's inaugural season came in 1968.
Bucknell went 3-for-5 with an extra man against Robert Morris. Those were the first EMOs for the Bison all season.
Bucknell returned the bulk of its contributing group from a year ago. Seven of the nine players who recorded double-digit points last season are back, along with three experienced goalies, two starting defensemen, the top long- and short-stick defensive midfielders, and the team's No. 1 returning faceoff man.
Frank Fedorjaka is in his 21st season as head coach at Bucknell, and he is joined on the staff by defensive coordinator Kyle Gallagher, offensive coordinator Matt Kerwick, and new assistant coach Jackson Mumford.

Iona at a Glance

Iona comes in with an 0-4 record against a tough early season schedule. The Gaels have scored exactly seven goals in each game against Hofstra (14-7), Navy (17-7), Lehigh (16-7), and No. 6 North Carolina (23-7).
Cullen Lawry (5-3-8), Carson Turissini (5-2-7), Luke Neary (5-0-5), and Jimmy Kennedy (4-1-5) are the top point-producers for the Gaels.
Iona has struggled at the faceoff X, winning just 32.1% as a team thus far.
Denny Piekutowski has started all four games in goal and has 45 saves with 58 goals against. Noah Perea and Sal Caputo have both seen time in relief.
This is Iona's second season of varsity men's lacrosse. The Gaels went 2-13 in their inaugural season in 2025, with the wins coming against Hampton and Quinnipiac.

Next Up

Bucknell hosts Hobart – the alma mater of coaches Frank Fedorjaka and Matt Kerwick – on Saturday at 11 a.m. That will be the first leg of a lacrosse doubleheader at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, as the Bison women will follow against St. Bonaventure at 3 p.m.