April 20, 2006

LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell men's lacrosse team hosts No. 20 Colgate on Sunday in a game that should feature playoff-style intensity, as both teams have a lot riding on the outcome. The Senior Day contest starts at 1 p.m., and the Bison Sports Network broadcast will be aired live on the internet on BucknellBison.com via SportsJuice.com.

The Raiders (10-2, 4-1 Patriot League) can clinch home-field advantage for the Patriot League Tournament with a victory on Sunday. While the Bison (6-7, 2-3) will not be participating in the Patriot League Tournament for the first time, Wednesday's victory over No. 13 Penn State has put the Bison squarely on the bubble for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. They will need a victory over Colgate in the regular-season finale, however, to reach .500 and become tournament eligible. Bucknell, which also boasts a win over then-No. 1 Maryland, looks to topple a third ranked foe on Sunday.

Wednesday's affair in State College was a wild one. The Bison led 8-5 in the third quarter, only to see the Nittany Lions rally with five straight goals to go up 10-8. But Bucknell tallied the last three of the night, with freshman John Togneri netting the game-winner with 2:49 remaining in the game.

Togneri scored a career-high five points on three goals and two assists, and senior goalie Matt Baran was magnificent. Baran logged a career-high 18 saves, including two big stops in the final minutes with Bucknell nursing the one-goal lead. Baran continues to rank among the national leaders in both goals-against average (7.22) and save percentage (.571).

Offensively, Joe Mele and Kirk Klett rank 2-3 in the Patriot League goal-scoring race with 23 and 21 goals, respectively. They anchor a red-hot extra-man unit that is 6-for-10 over the last three games, including a 3-for-4 showing against Penn State.

Colgate comes in on a five-game winning streak, including last Saturday's 12-5 win over Lafayette. The Raiders have reached double-digit victories for the first time since 1990, and their biggest win of the season was a 6-3 decision over No. 4 Navy on March 18.

Mat Lalli leads the team with 34 points on 20 goals and 14 assists, while Brian Robinson has a team-high 21 goals. A balanced offensive attack averages 10.3 goals per game, while defensively veteran goalie Andrew Jarolimek has a solid 7.69 goals-against average.

Bucknell has won seven straight from the Raiders and lead the all-time series 16-5. A year ago the Bison won 10-8 in Hamilton, and the two previous meetings were both decided by one goal. Colgate's last series win was a 10-6 verdict in 1998.

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