Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
4-1
Rider
1-4
Bucknell Notches Second 20+ Goal Game in 21-7 Win Over Rider
2/25/2026 4:51:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
LEWISBURG, Pa. — Bucknell women's lacrosse used its strong second quarter scoring to take a lead that it would carry throughout the game as it defeated Rider 21-7 on Wednesday afternoon in Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. With the win, the Bison remain undefeated at home and move to 4-1 overall on the season. This is Bucknell's second 20+ goal game of 2026.
The first quarter was close as the teams were tied at two apiece with 4:12 remaining before Katie Browne ended the stanza with a man-up goal to give the Bison the lead. Bucknell then dominated the second quarter out-scoring Rider 8-2 to take a seven goal lead at halftime. The third quarter was close throughout with the Bison narrowly out-scoring the Broncs 4-3 to maintain its lead. Bucknell dominated the final ten-minutes of play as it blanked the Broncs while putting up five goals to take the 21-7 win.
Bucknell out-shot Rider 39-21 in the contest and edged out the Broncs in draw controls having 15 to Rider's 13. The Bison created a lot of their offense off of caused turnovers as they recorded 13 to the Broncs four. Bucknell also generated offense off of successful clears as they went 13-for-15 compared to Rider's 9-for-14. The Bison dominated the ground balls as well as they had 21 to the Broncs nine.
Bison sticks were hot as seven Bucknell student-athletes found goals in the game. Megan Krestinski and Katie Browne paced the team in goals with five apiece. Krestinski also notched two assists, two ground balls, one draw control and one caused turnover. Browne added one ground ball, four draw controls and one caused turnover.
Caroline Sheridan was next up in scoring with four goals and she paced the team in assists with five. The attacker also had two ground balls and one caused turnover. Caleigh Cummiskey ended the game with a hat-trick and four assists. She also recorded two ground balls and one caused turnover.
Gigi Abernethy recorded her first collegiate goal in the contest as she led the team in draw controls with six and notched two ground balls and one caused turnover. Alex Macutek scored two goals and had one assist, one draw control and one caused turnover. Alex Nesbitt rounded out the Bison scoring with one goal, one assist, one ground ball and one caused turnover.
Eleven Bison notched caused turnovers in the contest with Nesbitt and Jess Leon leading the bunch with two each. Leon also led the team in ground balls with four.
Megan Krestinski opened the scoring with a wrap-around goal just a minute into the game and then a couple of minutes later, Caroline Sheridan doubled the score with a free-position goal. With 9:38 left in the first quarter, Merklinger found Riders first goal ahead of the media timeout. Out of the break, five minutes went by scoreless before Merklinger got her second of the game on a man-up free-position shot to tie the game 2-2. Katie Browne broke the tie with 2:54 remaining in the quarter on a man-up rocket of a shot to head into the second quarter with a 3-2 lead.
Krestinski opened the second quarter the same as the first as she banked one in to extend Bucknell's lead to two. Rider answered back a minute later with a goal from Eollo, her first of the season, on a free-position shot. Bucknell then notched three straight goals from Alex Macutek, Krestinski and Caleigh Cummiskey. Cummiskey's goal was a breakaway off of a turnover in Bucknell's zone after the draw. With 8:37 left in the half, Colleary notched a goal on a tough angle shot to close Rider's gap to four. Three minutes of scoreless play later, the Bison scored three straight to take an 11-8 lead at the end of the first half. The three final goals came from Browne, Krestinski and Macutek.
Alex Nesbitt and Katie Browne opened the third quarter with back-to-back goals in under a minute to make it a nine goal game. With 11:58 left in the quarter, Sheridan got a one-touch goal as the shot-clock expired to give Bucknell a 14-4 lead with 7:29 remaining in the third. Out of the break, Rider finally broke Bucknell's six-goal streak as it scored back-to-back goals, cutting the Broncs deficit to eight. Sheridan then found her third of the game off of Cummiskey's fourth assist of the contest to make it 15-6 with four minutes left in the quarter, which would go scoreless.
The fourth quarter opened scoreless for four minutes before the Bison scored five straight from Cummiskey (two) Krestinski, Browne and Abernethy. Abernethy's goal was her first collegiate goal. The Bison defense held Rider scoreless in the fourth to earn Bucknell its second 20+ goal game of the season.
Bucknell will have a bit of a break before it heads on its spring break trip to face Arizona on the road on Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m. ET.
