Oct. 30, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. -
After playing five straight matches against league competition, the Bucknell women's soccer team will break from Patriot League play for a mid-week contest against Princeton this Wednesday for the squad's home regular season finale, which is set for 7 p.m. on Varsity Soccer Field. The Bison, coming off a 6-0 win over Lafayette that earned them a PL Tournament berth, are currently 9-7-0 overall and 5-1-0 in the Patriot League.
BISON WOMEN'S SOCCER NOTEBOOK
About the Series with Princeton
- Since the series began in 1995, Princeton holds a 5-0-0 advantage all-time in its meetings with Bucknell. The last time the teams faced off, the Tigers picked up a 3-0 victory on Sept. 29, 1999. Last season, the squads were scheduled to play on Oct. 11, in Princeton, N.J., but the contest was cancelled due to heavy rain.
Scouting the Princeton Tigers
- Princeton enters Wednesday's match with a record of 8-5-1 (4-1-0 Ivy) and has won eight of its last nine games, with its only loss during that stretch coming at Harvard, 4-2.
- Diana Matheson leads the squad in scoring with five goals and seven assists for 17 points. Three of her tallies have been game-winners. Jen Om follows with four goals and one assist for nine points and has one game-winning goal to her credit.
- In net for the Tigers, Maren Dale has played 1281 minutes, six seconds and has allowed 15 goals over 14 games for a goals-against average of 1.05. She has made 42 saves and holds a save percentage of .737, with five shutouts to her credit on the year.
Recapping Last Weekend's Matches Versus Lehigh and Lafayette
- This past Sunday, Oct. 28, freshman Christa Matlack (South Williamsport, Pa./South Williamsport Area) totaled five points on two goals and one assist, helping Bucknell clinch a playoff berth for a third consecutive season with a 6-0 victory over Lafayette (3-14-0, 0-6-0 PL). Freshman Caitlin Holtz (Freehold, N.J./Peddie School) began the scoring 5:21 into the contest as she tucked a long range shot just under the crossbar for her first collegiate goal off a feed from classmate Kelliann Doherty (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional). Then at 14:41, following a long pass from junior Nicole Marotta (Bridgewater, N.J./Mount St. Mary Academy), Matlack found senior Krista Lee Gentile (North Haledon, N.J./Immaculate Heart Academy) alone in the box and Gentile completed the play by netting her fifth of the year. Matlack stretched the advantage to 3-0 before the intermission, beating Lafayette goalkeeper Mary Kate Erdman one-on-one at 15:53. To open the second half, Matlack struck again as she corralled a cross inside the box and dribbled around a Leopards' defender and netminder Brittany Futterknech to send home her eighth goal of the season. In the 58th minute, sophomore Chelsea McGorry's (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill Regional) centering feed glanced off a Lafayette player and into the net for an own goal that extended Bucknell's lead to 5-0. Senior Kimberly Cannon (Matawan, N.J./Old Bridge) completed the scoring at 70:22, lofting a shot over Futterknech to celebrate Senior Day with an unassisted tally. The Bison finished the contest with a 26-10 shot advantage and a 6-5 edge in corner kicks. Junior Jennifer Dervarics (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) totaled four saves and recorded the shutout, playing in net for the Orange and Blue with sophomore Kathryn Sutton (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville Area) missing the contest after being red carded against Lehigh.
- On Friday, Oct. 26, Doherty's sixth goal of the season brought the Orange and Blue back to within 2-1, but Bucknell was unable to complete the comeback and saw its league winning streak snapped at four with a 3-1 loss to Lehigh in soggy conditions on Varsity Soccer Field. Lehigh controlled much of the play in the first half, outshooting Bucknell, 8-3, for the period and leading in corner kicks, 8-0. However, it took until the 37:09 mark for the Mountain Hawks to capitalize on an opportunity, which was when Jen Fetsick headed in the ball from close range off a quick pass by Lena Cannon. Then, early in the second half, Fetsick struck again to give the Mountain Hawks a 2-0 advantage as Liz Carlos found her alone on the left side of the box and she sent a low shot past Sutton for her second of the game and sixth of the season at 50:32. The Bison fought back with a tally of their own at 55:56 when Doherty drove a hard shot from the middle into Lehigh's net off a feed from freshmen Brooke Stokes (Gladwyne, Pa./The Shipley School) Matlack to cut the deficit to 2-1. That would be all for Bucknell, however, despite holding a 12-6 shot advantage after intermission, as Lehigh iced the game in the 82nd minute when a service into the box deflected off a Bison defender and into the top of the goal. Bucknell finished with a 15-14 edge in shots, while trailing in corner kicks, 11-3. Goalkeepers Julie Kafka and Lauren Mains split time for the Mountain Hawks, posting totals of two and three saves, respectively. Sutton finished with two saves for the Orange and Blue, while Dervarics made one.
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The Patriot League Playoff Picture - Both Bucknell and American clinched playoff berths last weekend, while the top seed and host of the 2007 Patriot League Championship, will be determined when the two teams face off this Saturday in Washington, D.C. A win or a tie for the Bison would give the squad the regular season title and the right to host. If the Eagles come away with the victory, they would claim the regular season championship and the tournament would be held at American.
- The two other seeds have yet to be determined but the four squads still alive for those spots are: Army, Colgate, Navy and Lehigh.
About the Bison
- The Bison have played 16 matches so far, eight on the road and eight at home, and have collected wins over Sacred Heart (1-0), UMBC (5-1), Saint Francis (Pa.) (5-2), Cornell (1-0, OT), Navy (1-0), Holy Cross (6-0), Army (2-1), Colgate (3-1) and Lafayette (6-0).
- As a squad, Bucknell ranks 25th nationally in scoring offense at an average of 2.25 goals per game.
- Bucknell has allowed just three first half goals this season, outscoring opponents, 16-3, before the intermission.
- Dervarics leads the Bison offense with nine goals and five assists for 23 points. As of the last Patriot League statistical report, she ranked third in points, second in points per game (1.44), tied for third in goals, third in goals per game (0.56), tied for second in assists and third assists per game (0.31).
- Matlack follows with 20 points (8g, 4a) and has two game-winners to her credit. She ranks fifth in the Patriot League in points, points per game (1.25) and goals per game (0.50) and is tied for fifth in goals, assists and assists per game. She leads all freshmen in points, goals and assists.
- Gentile (5g, 4a) and Doherty (6g, 2a) are tied for third on the squad with 14 points. Gentile ranks in the among the top-10 PL leaders in five of six offensive categories while Doherty is ranked in the top-10 in four categories. - Sutton has played 1247:04 minutes in goal for the Bison and holds a 1.52 goals-against average and a .753 save percentage. She has made a total of 64 saves and is tied for second in the league with four shutouts on the year. Against then-ranked No. 12 Rutgers, Sutton made a career-high 10 saves.
Bison Milestones
- On Wednesday, Sept., 12, Bucknell played its 300th in match in program history, celebrating with a 5-2 win over Saint Francis (Pa.). The program currently holds an all-time record of 146-149-16 (.495).
- Bucknell's shutout of Lafayette (6-0) on Oct. 28 was the fifth of the season for the squad, tying the program single-season record, which has been set six previous times (1993, '94, '95, 2002, '04 and '06).
- Dervarics' seven-point game against Holy Cross marked her first career hat trick and tied the third-highest single game points total in program history. Only two players (Lisa Gibbons and Kerry McDonnell) have posted more in a single contest, Gibbons holding the record at nine (4g, 1a). Dervarics became the sixth player in school history to record a hat trick, as well.
- Dervarics' three assists versus Saint Francis (Pa.) matched the second-highest single-game total in program history. The only other Bison to ever notch three or more assists in a match was Gibbons as she totaled three against Scranton in 1994 and set the Bucknell record in the same season with four against Lycoming.
- Bucknell career records update: Gentile is third in career points (81), third in career goals (33), fourth in career assists (15) and needs two to move into third in that category. With 14 career game-winning goals, Gentile is one shy of matching Gibbons' record (15). Dervarics is tied for seventh in career points (54, needs three to pass Katie McElligott (6th)), is tied for seventh in career goals (21, needs six to pass McElligott) and is tied for seventh in career assists (12, needs one to pass Leigh Raymont and Amy Riviere).
Weekly Awards and Honors
- Patriot League Honorable Mention: Jennifer Dervarics (Sept. 4), Christa Matlack (Sept. 17).
- Patriot League BRINE Rookie of the Week: Christa Matlack (Sept. 10, Oct. 22, Oct. 29), Kelliann Doherty (Sept. 24, Oct. 15)
- Patriot League BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week: Kathryn Sutton (Sept. 10, Oct. 8, Oct. 15, Oct. 22)
- Patriot League BRINE Player of the Week: Krista Lee Gentile (Oct. 15), Jennifer Dervarics (Oct. 22)
- Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week: Jennifer Dervarics (Oct. 15, Oct. 22)
In the Polls
- The week of Oct. 23, Bucknell earned its first regional ranking of the 2007 season as the squad debuted at No. 10 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Mid-Atlantic regional poll. The Bison, who received their first NSCAA regional ranking in program history last season, were tied for 10th on the list with Virginia Commonwealth.
Looking Ahead
- With the Patriot League regular season title on the line, Bucknell will close out the regular season this Saturday at American, with a match beginning at noon.
