Nov. 4, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The third-seeded Bucknell field hockey team will make its third consecutive Patriot League Tournament appearance on Friday when it faces off against No. 2 Lafayette at 1:45 p.m. in Washington, D.C. The Bison and Leopards have met in the semifinals each of the last two years with each team claiming one victory. Both teams will be looking to tip the scale in 2010 and advance to another Patriot League Championship game at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Live streaming video for both contests will be available on Patriot League All-Access at patriotleague.org.
ABOUT THE NO. 3 BISON
- Bucknell has been collecting some major hardware over the last few days. Rachel Misko (Morristown, N.J./Madison) was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, and she and four others were selected to All-Patriot League Teams on Tuesday. Kelly Bruvik (Skillman, N.J./Stuart Country Day) and Christine Weiss (Bethlehem, Pa./Southern Lehigh) received first-team accolades. Misko, Morgan Kauffman (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor) and Tayler Siegrist (Madison, N.J./Madison) were second-team honorees.
- Weiss claimed her second award in as many days when she was chosen as the Patriot League Field Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday. Weiss, along with Siegrist and Sarah Zargarpour (North Vancouver, Canada/Handsworth Secondary), were also named to the inaugural Academic All-Patriot League Team.
- Bucknell secured the third seed in the Patriot League Tournament with a 3-2 overtime win over Colgate last Saturday. Bruvik tallied three points, including the game-winner with :04 remaining, as the Bison outshot the Raiders 38-8 in the contest. Misko and Katie Durkin (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) also scored.
- Corinne Raczek (Ocean Township, N.J./Ocean Township) drew the assist on Bruvik’s game-winning goal last weekend. That assist turned out to be one of the biggest of her career as it also tied the all-time program record. Raczek is now tied with former teammate Amanda Faust with 34 assists in the Orange and Blue.
- Bucknell has been the third seed seven times since the Patriot League began hosting a tournament in 1994. The last time the Bison were slotted third in the postseason was in 2008 when they upset Lafayette in the semifinals before falling 5-2 to American in the championship round.
- The Bison have gone to extra periods three times this season and are 2-1 in those games. In addition to Saturday’s win over Colgate, Bucknell also defeated Sacred Heart 4-3 in a stroke off. The lone loss came against Indiana one day after playing the Pioneers. Bucknell fell 2-1 in strokes against the Hoosiers.
- Bucknell finished its regular season 7-11 overall and 3-2 in the Patriot League. The Bison also closed out the year 5-4 at Graham Field at Holmes Stadium, giving them their fifth straight winning record on their home turf.
- Six different Bison tallied goals in Patriot League play this year. Bruvik leads the group with three goals, while Durkin has two. Misko, Siegrist, Weiss and Marci Richard (Oley, Pa./Oley Valley) also scored once each.
- After failing to tally a point in her freshman campaign, Durkin has five this season. All five of those points have come in Patriot League action, including a goal against Lafayette and Colgate as well as an assist at Holy Cross.
- Bruvik has been one of Bucknell’s most consistent contributors on the field during her senior year. The forward has at least one point in 12 of the team’s 18 games this fall. Bruvik posted her highest marks of the season when she tallied three points on a goal and an assist opposite both Towson and Colgate.
- Bucknell earned the win over Colgate last weekend, but it was unable to secure victories over the other two teams in the Patriot League Tournament field when they met during the regular season. Lafayette defeated the Bison 4-2 despite a pair of second-half goals from Siegrist and Durkin. Bucknell struggled against American, which was ranked seventh in the country at the time, falling 6-0.
- Bucknell is 4-12 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament. The team’s first win came in 1995 when they defeated Colgate 2-1. The 1999 and 2000 seasons included 2-1 victories over Fairfield, and 2008 brought a 4-2 win over Lafayette.
- The Bison are 1-5 against Lafayette in Patriot League Tournament games, but 1-1 in the last two years. Bucknell has not beaten American in either of their two tournament meetings, but the Bison are 1-0 over Colgate in the postseason.
ABOUT THE NO. 1 EAGLES
- American finished the regular season 15-3 overall and 5-0 in the Patriot League to earn the top seed and the right to host the league tournament for yet another year. The only team in the league with a winning record, American outscored Patriot League opponents 26-2 this fall. The Eagles defeated Lehigh (9-0), Holy Cross (2-0), Colgate (6-1), Bucknell (6-0) and Lafayette (3-1) on their way to the regular-season title.
- Christine Fingerhuth, who leads the team with 32 points, was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year on Tuesday. Joining Fingerhuth as a first team all-league selection were Anne van Erp, Gina Hoffman and Kirstin Gebhart. The Eagles also had four second-team honorees in Tatum Dyer, Shelly Montgomery, Lotte van de Mierop and Constanza Palma. Their eight selections led the league.
- American has qualified for the Patriot League Tournament every year since joining the league in 2001 and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last seven years.
- At last year’s Patriot League Tournament, the Eagles defeated fourth-seeded Lehigh, 7-1. They then went on to win 2-0 over Lafayette in the championship game. American’s postseason run eventually ended at the hands of NCAA finalists Maryland, 6-1.
ABOUT THE NO. 2 LEOPARDS
- At the end of the regular season, Lafayette had an 8-9 overall record. The Leopards’ bid for a perfect Patriot League slate ended last Saturday when they fell by a pair of goals to American, giving them the second seed with a 4-1 mark. Prior to its loss to the Eagles, Lafayette defeated Colgate (5-0), Bucknell (4-2), Holy Cross (8-0) and Lehigh (5-0).
- Meghan Cicchi led Lafayette when the Patriot League honors were announced on Tuesday. The senior was named the Defensive Player of the Year and was one of three Leopards named to the First Team All-Patriot League, joining Carolyn Cabrey and Deanna DiCroce. Cicchi leads the team in goals (13), while DiCroce is tops in points (32). Kelsey Andersen, Emily Valeo and Cara Lyons were second-team selections.
- Lafayette is making its fifth straight Patriot League Tournament appearance. The Leopards have also advanced to a pair of championship games during that stretch.
- Lafayette opened last year’s tournament with a 3-2 overtime victory over Bucknell. American ended the Leopards’ season in the final, 2-0.
ABOUT THE NO. 4 RAIDERS
- Colgate dropped to the No. 4 seed after losing in overtime to Bucknell last weekend. With the loss, the Raiders ended their regular season at 5-11 overall and 2-3 in the Patriot League. Before coming to Lewisburg, Colgate defeated Lehigh (5-1) and Holy Cross (1-0) but dropped decisions to Lafayette (5-0) and American (6-1).
- Kirsten Lalli was voted the Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week on Tuesday. She and the team’s leading scorer Laura Denenga were also first-team selections, while Allison Waugh was a second-team honoree.
- Lalli has been busy in goal this fall. Colgate’s opponents are averaging 20.1 shots per game, while Raiders are firing off just 9.3.
- Colgate is making its third Patriot League Tournament appearance in four years. The Raiders missed the postseason last year after going winless in league play during the regular season.
LOOKING AHEAD
Should the Bison win the Patriot League Championship, they will head to the NCAA Play-In game scheduled for 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 9. The first round of the NCAA Tournament begins Nov. 13.
