Women's Soccer Hosts Unbeaten Delaware Thursday, Visits Towson Sunday

Thursday, September 3

Lewisburg, Pa.

7 p.m.

Bucknell University

Delaware

Photo by: Steven Schoenfelder

Women's Soccer Hosts Unbeaten Delaware Thursday, Visits Towson Sunday

9/2/2026 12:53:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Delaware (2-0-3) at Bucknell (3-3)
When: Thursday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m.
Where: Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Happenings: Faculty Appreciation Night

Bucknell (3-3) at Towson (1-1-2)
When: Sunday, Sept. 6, 1 p.m.
Where: Tiger Field, Towson, Md.
Streaming: FloSports
Live Stats: TowsonTigers.com

About the Bison

Bucknell looks to get back in the win column this week with a pair of contests against Delaware and Towson. Thursday's home game against the Blue Hens will be Faculty Appreciation Night at Emmitt Field and will mark the team's second straight game against an unbeaten opponent.
The Bison improved to 3-1 after one-sided wins over Mount St. Mary's (8-1) and La Salle (4-0), but last week they ran into two tough foes and fell 5-0 at Penn State and 1-0 at home to Saint Joseph's.
Bucknell played a strong first half at Penn State, but a goal off a corner kick in the final minute of the half doubled the Nittany Lions' lead to 2-0, and then the hosts controlled the second half and put three more goals on the board.
It was the opposite story in Sunday's game against Saint Joe's. The well-rested Hawks were on the front foot for most of the first half and put a goal on the board in the 12th minute. The Bison responded with a 17-2 shot advantage in the second half but could not find the back of the net.
Bucknell's 13 goals have come from eight different players, and 15 players have registered a point or an assist so far. Freshman Ingrid Murphy leads the way with seven points on three goals and an assist. She tallied the lone goal in a 1-0 win at Montana in the season opener and then logged a brace in a 4-0 win over La Salle.
Murphy and Presley Sutter have both been honored by the Patriot League early in the season. Murphy was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week after the Montana game, and Presley Sutter was last week's PL Forward of the Week after scoring twice against Mount St. Mary's and picking up an assist against La Salle.
Bucknell's freshman class has made an immediate impact. Murphy, goalkeeper Sarah McFarland, and outside back Clare Nemsick have started all six games, and Tennessee Murphy (no relation to Ingrid) scored goals in her first two games off the bench after missing the first two contests due to injury. Tennessee Murphy became the first Bison to score in her first two career games since Jackie Ham tallied against Hofstra and Monmouth to start the 2014 season.
Gaby Parker leads the Patriot League in assists with three, and she tallied her first goal of the season against Mount St. Mary's. Parker registered three goals and two assists as a freshman in 2025. Her 21 total shots and nine on goal are also the most in the league.
Preseason All-Patriot League selection Katie Connell scored her first goal of the season to put the Bison in front early against La Salle. Connell, whose twin sister Bella comes off the bench in the midfield, is the team's top returning scorer after posting five goals and two assists a year ago.
Bucknell returned nine starters from last year's squad, including the entire back four. Senior captain Julia Palitti anchors the back line in her third year as a starting center back. Six of the eight players who scored goals in 2025 are back this season, although the Bison did graduate top scorer Henna Andican (6G).
The Mount St. Mary's win was career victory No. 100 for head coach Kelly Cook, who is now in her 12th season on the Bison sideline. Six of her previous 11 have resulted in a Patriot League regular-season or tournament championship. With a 101-74-33 career record, Cook is Bucknell's winningest women's soccer coach.

Delaware at a Glance/Series History

Delaware is 3-0-2 to start the season and is currently ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches South Region poll. The Blue Hens started with wins over George Washington (3-2) and VCU (3-1) and have since tied their last three against Navy (2-2), Towson (0-0), and UMBC (0-0). They scored eight goals in their first three games of the campaign but, like Bucknell, have been kept scoreless in their last two.
Maggie Groh is off to a hot start with four goals and an assist in five contests. Groh scored five goals all of last season, including one against Bucknell. Already in 2026 she has recorded a brace against VCU and also scored against GW and Navy.
Olivia Bley, Willa Pratt, Taisiya Reid, and Gabby Riley have one goal each. Bley's goal was an 86th-minute game-winner in the season opener against George Washington.
Sophomore Sophia Hall has played every minute in goal this season and has started all 23 games in her career. She has 26 saves with only five goals allowed in 2026, with a high of nine saves against VCU.
Last season, Delaware finished 10-2-6 overall and 3-2-3 in its first season as a member of Conference USA. The Blue Hens fell in penalty kicks to Sam Houston State in the CUSA Tournament quarterfinals. This year's squad was picked third in the CUSA preseason poll, with midfielder Gabby Riley and forward Adiat Olaogun-Dickson named to the preseason all-conference team. Riley, a junior, was a teammate of Bucknell freshman goalkeeper Sarah McFarland at Middletown (Del.) High School.
Delaware has a local product in junior Sarah Fritz, who played at nearby Mifflinburg Area High School.
This will be just the fifth all-time meeting between Bucknell and Delaware, with the Blue Hens holding a 3-0-1 series lead. The two teams met in Lewisburg in each of Bucknell's first two varsity seasons in 1990 and 1991, with Delaware winning 3-1 and 2-1. The Bison and Blue Hens renewed the series two seasons ago with a 1-1 draw at Emmitt Field, and then Delaware won 2-1 at home last season.
In last year's game in Newark, Groh scored in the 22nd minute for Delaware. Katie Connell equalized off an assist from Riley Hayes in the 78th minute, but Reid won it for the Blue Hens in the 86th.
Two seasons ago in Lewisburg, Connell scored her first career goal less than two minutes into the second half, but Paige Kenton stole a point for Delaware with a goal with just 2:04 left in the match. The game was delayed by lightning for more than two hours late in the first half. Play resumed with 2:53 remaining in the half, and after a quick break to switch ends, Connell put the Bison in front.
Bucknell's third-ever varsity game was a 3-1 home loss to Delaware in 1990. Amy Krause scored the Bison goal in the 21st minute, and Kim Fekel made 18 saves in goal.

Towson at a Glance/Series History

The Tigers are off to a solid start in 2026 with a 1-1-2 record heading into Thursday's away match at UMBC. Towson opening with a 2-0 win over Mount St. Mary's, fell 2-1 at St. John's, and then posted back-to-back draws with George Washington (2-2) and Delaware (0-0).
Goalkeeper Teagan Gardner is coming off a six-save shutout against Delaware, and she has 12 saves with only four goals allowed through four games.
Kale'a Perry and Sofia Rosenblatt have two goals and Meron Koro one to account for Towson's five goals this season. Perry was selected as the Coastal Athletic Association Preseason Player of the Year and was joined on the Preseason All-CAA Team by honorable mentions Sophie Thibeault and Emely Rubio.
Thibeault, a Second Team All-CAA selection last season, leads the team with 13 shots.
Towson finished 5-5-6 overall and 3-3-3 in the CAA last season. One of those draws was a 1-1 verdict at Emmitt Field early in the season. Henna Andican scored 1:45 into the second half for Bucknell, but Thibeault scored in the 83rd minute to help the Tigers earn a tie.
Bucknell is 7-5-2 all-time against Towson in a series that dates back to 1996.
This will be Bucknell's first trip to Towson since 2022, when the Tigers prevailed 2-0.

The Road Ahead

Following this week's games, Bucknell will have only one non-league fixture remaining on the schedule. The Bison visit Villanova on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 4 p.m., and will be tasked with slowing down the highest-scoring team in the nation. The Wildcats currently lead all of Division I women's soccer with 5.5 goals per game. They have outscored their first four opponents 22-0, with their goal total boosted by a 9-0 win over Lehigh and an 11-0 rout of Iona.
Bucknell opens up Patriot League play at home against Lehigh on Saturday, Sept. 19.