Bucknell University Athletics
Saturday, March 14
Lewisburg, Pa.
12 p.m.
Bucknell University
6-2, 2-1
14
vs
12
Colgate
1-6, 0-3
1st quarter1
2nd quarter2
3rd quarter3
4th quarter4
FinalF
Colgate
2
3
5
2
12
Bucknell
4
4
2
4
14
Photo by: Steven Schoenfelder
Men’s Lacrosse Regains Control in Fourth Quarter, Holds off Colgate 14-12
3/14/2026 2:50:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Owen Kovacs scored two of his career-high five goals in Bucknell's big fourth quarter, helping the Bison rally past defending-champion Colgate 14-12 in Patriot League men's lacrosse action on Saturday at windswept Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Michael Meyer also had a big day with two goals and a career-high six assists, with three of those helpers coming on Bucknell's four fourth-quarter tallies.
Bucknell improved to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in the Patriot League after regaining control in the fourth quarter. The Bison dominated the first half and led 8-5 at intermission, but the Raiders scored four goals in a five-minute span early in the third quarter to take the lead.
After Colgate went up 9-8 on a Quinn Spillett goal with 7:02 left in the third, a goalie change helped turn the momentum back in Bucknell's favor. Jaz Zanelli came off the bench and made six big saves while the Bison surged back in front, and he threw in an assist on the go-ahead goal to boot.
Hans Huber and Meyer scored tying goals in the final four minutes of the third quarter, and then Jack Tully gave the Bison the lead for good at the 13:15 mark of the fourth. Clearing against Colgate's 10-man ride, Zanelli hit Tully on an outlet, and the short-stick defensive midfielder fired into the empty net from just inside midfield for his first career goal.
Kovacs followed 46 seconds later, and then Meyer fed Sean Murray for a fourth straight Bison goal and a 13-10 lead with 9:21 to go. Kovacs' fifth of the day off yet another Meyer assist made it 14-11 with 3:49 left, but Colgate got one back on Hunter Drouin's fourth goal of the day with 2:51 to play.
Bucknell dumped the ball and took a shot-clock violation with just over a minute left, but a poor outlet pass on the clear gave the Bison the ball right back with the shot clock not a factor. Kovacs wisely turned down a chance at a sixth goal with the net open, and Bucknell drained the rest of the clock.
The Bison outshot Colgate 30-14 in the first half and led by as many as four at 6-2 and 7-3. Meyer snapped a 1-1 tie with a laser off a feed from Peter Grandolfo, igniting 5-1 run that extended into the second period. Grandolfo made it a 7-3 game before Colgate scored two in a row. But after Drouin's goal made it 7-5 with 1:19 left in the half, a Raider was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Bucknell went up a man with no faceoff, and Luke Brunner cashed in off a Huber feed with 56 seconds left to make it 8-5 at the half.
The spread might have been more if not for 11 saves from Andrew Lehrman, but the Raiders made a goalie change coming out of halftime. Freshman Euan McKeever, who had played only one minute all season, stopped three shots and allowed six goals in the second half.
Bucknell finished with a 53-35 shot advantage and won the faceoff battle 18-11. Colin McCloy had another strong game, going 17-for-26 with six ground balls, and Brunner nabbed five GBs on the wing.
In addition to the big offensive afternoons from Kovacs and Murray, Grandolfo logged three points on two goals and an assist, and Murray added two goals. Meyer entered the game ranked third in the Patriot League with 23 goals, but he played a feeder's role in this one with the six assists. Of Bucknell's 14 goals in the game, 12 were assisted.
Drouin paced Colgate with four goals and two assists, while Casey Quinson (3-1-4) and Freddy Fowler (2-2-4) both had four-point games.
Bucknell is back in action next Saturday at Loyola at 3:30 p.m.
Bucknell improved to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in the Patriot League after regaining control in the fourth quarter. The Bison dominated the first half and led 8-5 at intermission, but the Raiders scored four goals in a five-minute span early in the third quarter to take the lead.
After Colgate went up 9-8 on a Quinn Spillett goal with 7:02 left in the third, a goalie change helped turn the momentum back in Bucknell's favor. Jaz Zanelli came off the bench and made six big saves while the Bison surged back in front, and he threw in an assist on the go-ahead goal to boot.
Hans Huber and Meyer scored tying goals in the final four minutes of the third quarter, and then Jack Tully gave the Bison the lead for good at the 13:15 mark of the fourth. Clearing against Colgate's 10-man ride, Zanelli hit Tully on an outlet, and the short-stick defensive midfielder fired into the empty net from just inside midfield for his first career goal.
Jack Tully finds the empty net off the 10-man ride, with the goalie assist from Jaz Zanelli! Kovacs followed with his 4th of the day, and the Bison are back up by two at 12-10 early in the 4th. #rayBucknell
— Bucknell Men's Lax (@Bucknell_MLAX) March 14, 2026
Watch: https://t.co/NX9xnoLmEx@ESPN | @PatriotLeague pic.twitter.com/pWsDNp3AZu
Kovacs followed 46 seconds later, and then Meyer fed Sean Murray for a fourth straight Bison goal and a 13-10 lead with 9:21 to go. Kovacs' fifth of the day off yet another Meyer assist made it 14-11 with 3:49 left, but Colgate got one back on Hunter Drouin's fourth goal of the day with 2:51 to play.
Bucknell dumped the ball and took a shot-clock violation with just over a minute left, but a poor outlet pass on the clear gave the Bison the ball right back with the shot clock not a factor. Kovacs wisely turned down a chance at a sixth goal with the net open, and Bucknell drained the rest of the clock.
The Bison outshot Colgate 30-14 in the first half and led by as many as four at 6-2 and 7-3. Meyer snapped a 1-1 tie with a laser off a feed from Peter Grandolfo, igniting 5-1 run that extended into the second period. Grandolfo made it a 7-3 game before Colgate scored two in a row. But after Drouin's goal made it 7-5 with 1:19 left in the half, a Raider was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Bucknell went up a man with no faceoff, and Luke Brunner cashed in off a Huber feed with 56 seconds left to make it 8-5 at the half.
The spread might have been more if not for 11 saves from Andrew Lehrman, but the Raiders made a goalie change coming out of halftime. Freshman Euan McKeever, who had played only one minute all season, stopped three shots and allowed six goals in the second half.
Bucknell finished with a 53-35 shot advantage and won the faceoff battle 18-11. Colin McCloy had another strong game, going 17-for-26 with six ground balls, and Brunner nabbed five GBs on the wing.
In addition to the big offensive afternoons from Kovacs and Murray, Grandolfo logged three points on two goals and an assist, and Murray added two goals. Meyer entered the game ranked third in the Patriot League with 23 goals, but he played a feeder's role in this one with the six assists. Of Bucknell's 14 goals in the game, 12 were assisted.
Drouin paced Colgate with four goals and two assists, while Casey Quinson (3-1-4) and Freddy Fowler (2-2-4) both had four-point games.
Bucknell is back in action next Saturday at Loyola at 3:30 p.m.
Team Stats
COLGATE
BUCKNELL
Shots
35
53
Turnovers
11
14
Caused Turnovers
3
1
Faceoffs Won
11
18
Extra-Man Opps
0
1
Ground Balls
23
30
Game Leaders
G
5
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
G
2
A
6
FO
-
Pen
1-60
GB
2
CT
0
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
G
2
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
2
CT
0
Players Mentioned
M
/ Men's LacrosseM
/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's LacrosseA
/ Men's LacrosseA
/ Men's LacrosseA
/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's Lacrosse
G
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