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Men’s soccer earns last-second playoff berth

By Joe Ruby

Writer

It came down to the last second, but in Bethlehem, Pa. on Saturday, the Bison Men’s soccer team defeated Lehigh to clinch the fourth and final spot in the Patriot League Tournament, earning a chance to defend the league title.

The Bison (8-8-2, 3-2-2) came from behind to defeat Lehigh (8-7-2, 4-2-1) in overtime 2-1 with a sudden-death goal from Mayowa Alli ’14. Navy (7-5-4, 2-2-3) would have qualified with a win over Lafayette (8-7-3, 3-3-1), but the Leopards defeated the Midshipmen 1-0 to clear the Bison’s path.

Trailing 1-0 thanks to a penalty kick by James Graf at the 52:49 mark, the Bison began their comeback with less than 15 minutes remaining in regulation. CK Kumah ’13 took a pass from Andrew Powell ’12 on the left side and buried a shot in the high far corner to even the score 1-1. The goal was Kumah’s first of the year and the culmination of a frantic Bison offensive attack that managed 11 shots in the second half.

In overtime, the Bison drove the ball into the offensive zone around the three-minute mark and managed two quick shots, both of which Mountain Hawks keeper Jonathan Nydell saved.

The keeper could not control the second shot, and Alli scored his third–and his most important–goal of the season 3:10 into the period to give the Bison the dramatic victory. At about the same time, the contest between Lafayette and Navy went final, and the Bison were able to celebrate their return to the Patriot League Tournament.

The Bison managed 21 shots to Lehigh’s seven, nine of which were on goal as opposed to only four from the Mountain Hawks. Marc Hartmann ’12 made two saves for the Bison to earn the win.

The Patriot League Tournament begins at 5 p.m. Friday in Hamilton, N.Y. when top-seed Colgate (8-5-5, 5-0-2) hosts the fourth-seeded Bison. The Bison were one of only two Patriot League teams that did not lose to Colgate, drawing 3-3 at home. The second semifinal match will be played at 8 p.m. on Friday night, also at Colgate, with second-seed Lehigh taking on third-seed American (6-8-3, 3-2-2). The winners will meet at 1 p.m. on Nov. 14 in Hamilton to decide the 2010 Patriot League Champion.

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Football takes loss to Fordham

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

The tough 2010 Bison football season continued this past weekend at home against the Fordham Rams. Despite another solid performance by their offense and quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14, the Orange and Blue allowed 30 points for the fifth time this season, falling 33-21 to the Rams. The Bison, who stand at 1-8 overall, have just one conference win this season.

“The important thing is that the effort this team has given in all the games has been consistent and we have been able to stay healthy,” Head Coach Joe Susan said. “It gives you a chance as every team is hurting this time of year.”

On three consecutive possessions early in the first quarter, the Bison and Rams traded touchdowns, which resulted in a 14-7 Fordham advantage. After the Orange and Blue received the ball first and punted on their ensuing series, the Rams wasted no time driving down the field for the opening points of the contest. Fordham took just six plays to go 72 yards for the score and the 7-0 lead.

The Bison responded with a six-play scoring possession. Wesley accounted for 10 rush yards and 65 yards through the air, including 48 on a touchdown to Robert Owoyele ’13 to even the score at seven.

Despite the momentum built from the offensive touchdown, another Bison special teams let-down allowed Fordham to return the kickoff deep into Orange and Blue territory. From there, the Rams scored their second touchdown of the quarter, retaking a seven-point lead.

The score remained at 14-7 until midway through the second quarter, when the Bison tied the score with a one-yard touchdown run from Tyler Smith ’13. A fumble from the Rams gave the Orange and Blue possession in Fordham territory. The next play, Wesley found Smith for a 31-yard pass to put the Bison in the red zone.

The tie score, though, lasted just four plays. A big play hurt the Orange and Blue defense again, as Fordham put the ball in the endzone on a 52-yard pass. The touchdown gave the Rams a 21-14 lead.

Fordham scored twice more in the second half, pulling away from the resilient Bison squad. Wesley continued his impressive rookie campaign, passing for 228 yards and running for another 43. Smith contributed 22 rushing yards and 17 receiving yards to go along with a touchdown.

“I believe the upside Brandon has will enable him to be one of the better quarterbacks to play at Bucknell,” Susan said. “He was a little off fundamentally against Fordham and sailed the ball a bit. He was effective as a runner but at times guilty of trying to make more than a play was giving him.”

The Bison’s home season ends this weekend against the Colgate Raiders. The Bison look for their first home victory of 2010 as the Raiders come to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium tomorrow at 1 p.m.

“This game is our seniors’ last home game,” Susan said. “We will work to make it a special day for them.”

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Arts & Life Featured

B.R.A.I.N. club raises money for neuroscience charities

By Carolyn Williams

Writer

The Bucknell Researchers, Advocates & Investigators in Neuroscience, or as they are more commonly called, the BRAIN Club, was created by Jacob Schaeffer ’10 in 2008. Since the club’s beginnings, members have focused attention on expansion, activities and trying to make the student body aware of their presence on campus. The club’s goal is to “to promote and involve the Bucknell community in the advancing and fascinating field of neuroscience,” according to the club’s University website.

“The club began as an academic interest group. Meetings consisted of neuroscience-related lectures, videos and activities. However, within the past two semesters, we have really tried to change the direction of the club to become mostly philanthropic,” said Alper Dincer ’11, the club’s president.

As a charity organization, the group has become a means by which students can give back to the cause that interests them.

“The club’s new purpose is to be a central fundraising source for organizations that are trying to help cure nervous system diseases,” Dincer said. “Essentially, the club finds new ways to raise money and donate to various neuroscience organizations, such as the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. For this reason, prior background [in neuroscience] is not needed to become an active member because anyone can help.”

The club meets every other week, and is looking specifically for “creative and passionate students of any major or interest who would like to become involved in fundraising for a good cause,” Dincer said. “There are not many commitments or obligations, but coming frequently to the meetings and participating in the club is enough,” he said.

Monica Burney ’14, an undeclared major, agrees that the club allows students from all fields to explore neuroscience. “I feel that the BRAIN club’s new approach will serve as a useful resource for students who are still exploring their options. Many people are often intimidated by the prospect of majoring in neuroscience—this is a great way to ease them into that field,” she said.

The BRAIN club typically gains members through its activities on campus. “We try and recruit through our activities and add those who are interested on a mailing list, where we frequently update members on meetings and news,” Dincer said. “Otherwise, joining and becoming involved is really maintained through current members telling their friends or other neuroscience majors about the club and our activities.”

The next big project the BRAIN club has planned is a t-shirt campaign called “Bucknell Brains against Tumors.”

“Currently, we are in the design stage but we hope that within the next few weeks we can start selling t-shirts in which proceeds will go to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation,” Dincer said.

The club has received a great deal of help from the biology and psychology departments, notably from their faculty advisor, David Evans, professor of psychology.  “Since we are a fairly new club, we are still evolving quite a bit. I’m not sure in what direction the club will go next, but I’m really happy with what we’re doing now,” Dincer said.

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Arts & Life Featured

Exclusive interview with B.o.B.

By Courtney Flagg

News Editor

Courtney Flagg ’12 chatted with B.o.B. in an interview Friday night before the fall concert to discover the real Bobby Ray.

Q”: You started off in a group called Klinik. What made you decide to continue with music as a solo artist?

A: It was really just a matter of interest. My cousin wanted to go to college to learn business, and I wanted to jump in [to the music industry] and learn from experience, so we kind of just went separate ways. In 2006, that’s when I got signed.

Q: So you knew you wanted to continue with music. Nothing else?

A: There was no Plan B. Plan B was to start from Plan A again.

Q: You have collaborated with a lot of different artists. When you write your songs do you have certain artists in mind?

A: Not really, unless I’m making something with the artist there, usually it depends on who I may run into each time we have to get a song done. If it’s not a lot of time usually it will just be the artist on a song that’s already finished—they might just be featured on it.

Q: What determines whether or not an artist will work with you on a song?

A: Really the artists are typically very busy, unless they’re just recording. It usually just depends on who you run into. Honestly, it’s just if the stars align in the right way, because even if you do meet someone you might want to collaborate with, they may be in a different vibe or it may be hard to get them in the studio. Really I think it’s just meant to happen because I wish I could work with a lot of different artists. The probability of that actually happening is so slim. It really just depends.

Q: If you could work with any artist, dead or alive, who would that be?

A: Picasso.

Q: Picasso? Would you be working on something musical with him?

A: I don’t know. It would be a combination of both.

Q: A music video?

A: It would be a music gallery.

Q: Your music videos are really creative. How do you think of them?

A: I think I’m still learning about how to reflect my music in my music videos. Each video that you do continuously gets better. Even still, I have many different places I want to go, that I want to show people.

Q: What would those be?

A: You just have to wait until the next album to find out.

Q: When does your next album come out?

A: I don’t know yet, it’s still being recorded. But I am releasing a mixed tape this December.

Q: Are any different artists collaborating on that one?

A: Just me and Bob.

Q: You play a bunch of different instruments. How did you start?

A: Well first I started out playing the spoons, then I moved onto the kazoo. Eventually, in sixth grade I started playing on the desk. Now I play the guitar, the trumpet and the piano and a few other instruments.

Q: What inspires you to write songs?

A: The inspiration comes from life experiences. It comes from meeting people. It comes from shows. It’s really just me taking my interpretation of reality here and putting it into a comprehendible song and making music with it.

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Bison take crown

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

It was a bittersweet day for the women’s soccer team, which defeated Colgate 1-0 and claimed a share of the Patriot League crown but also said goodbye to one of the finest senior classes ever to grace the pitch.

Christa Matlack ’11 put the game in her own hands early, taking a pass from Kelliann Doherty ’11 and burying the ball in the upper right portion of the goal at the 11:39 mark. This gave Matlack 32 career goals and 78 career points, placing her at fifth on the Bison’s all-time points list.

The Bison then leaned on a defense that has been rigid all season long. The Orange and Blue held Colgate without a goal for the remaining 78 minutes.

Co-captain Amanda Citron ’11 and keeper Sandita McDermott ’13 anchored the defense as McDermott made seven saves, recording her third shutout of the season. Although the Red Raiders outshot the Bison, the Orange and Blue never let the game slip away.

“Colgate was an extremely physical team, but we knew we had the ability to beat them and never gave in,” Julianne Harris ’11 said.

The team knew it would not be able to host the Patriot League tournament since Army won its game last Friday. But the exceptional leadership and character that the Bison have shown throughout the season will hopefully carry over into the Patriot League Tournament at West Point.

“We know this season is far from over and we will need to work harder than ever to capture our next goal, a Patriot League title,” Citron said.

The Bison open the playoffs with a semifinal match Friday night against third seed Lehigh.

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Colgate upends Bison

By Mike Wolf

Contributing Writer

The women’s volleyball team fell in the Patriot League rankings this past Saturday with a 3-1 loss to Colgate. This match marked the end of an extended road trip on which the team finished 2-3.

After a positive start—the Orange and Blue won the first set 25-17—the team dropped three straight sets, 15-25, 17-25, 18-25. It was the first time since September that the Bison have lost consecutive matches.

Heidi Kamp ’11 led the team with 12 kills and six blocks. Rachel Rodriguez ’11 also contributed 19 assists.

In the first set, Ragin Jackson ’13 had multiple kills and Katie Baumgarten ’12 an ace, a kill and two blocks. The Orange and Blue went up six points early and held this lead until late in the set when a service run by Rodriguez allowed the team to finish the set with an eight point victory. contributed with

Though the Bison won the first set decisively, the team was unable to generate any offense in following sets.

“We came out in the first game with the will to win … unfortunately the first game’s victory was followed by an overall relaxation,” Kamp said.

In the final three sets Colgate’s Logan Kaela and Lindsay Young combined for 32 kills. Colgate as a team recorded 55 kills throughout the match.

Though the Bison managed to keep each of the final three sets close, they could not get past their own errors as the match went on. The Bison managed a kill percentage of only .033 through the last three games. A good kill percentage generally averages at about .300.

The Orange and Blue have four matches left to hold their position in the Patriot League and make the playoffs. The women have home matches against Lehigh this Friday at 7 p.m. and Lafayette this Saturday at 5 p.m., both in Davis Gym.

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Neri Oxman discusses nature and artifice in material ecology

By Courtney Bottazzi

Writer

Neri Oxman spoke at the University Tuesday as part of the Bucknell Forum series, "Creativity: Outside the Box." Oxman discussed her work in the field of material ecology.

Neri Oxman spoke to the campus community in Trout Auditorium about a new era and field called “material ecology.” In the concept of material ecology, the materials used in design should dictate form. 

Explaining how she developed material ecology, Oxman described how her high school teacher wanted to decode humans through genetics and gradients.

“If you think about it, any living form, including human beings, responds to gradients,” Oxman said. If humans and nature respond to the pressure, temperature and atmosphere around us, she said, the structures we create can do the same.

One example she gave of this engineered implementation was the redesigning of a Coca-Cola can using the shape of a pinecone. With this new design, more soda cans can be stacked on shelves without the cans buckling under the combined weight.

As part of the University Forum series “Creativity: Out of the Box,” Oxman advised students not to settle into pre-established approaches to a project.

“Creativity is about being able to think beyond the media you’re using,” Oxman said.  She said the first step of design should not be about geometrically creating a shape. “Form is conceived, then you must patch it up,” she said. She called this a “Crisis of Form.” Instead, the form should evolve out of the materials used, she said.

“All these amazing buildings are designed as geometry first, engineering second,” Oxman said, citing recent architectural examples such as the Bird’s Nest created for the Beijing Olympics. Oxman urged people to look at the material and environment to inspire the form.

“What I’m intrigued by is the middle ground that is between the natural world, the artificial world, and the tools we use,” Oxman said.

Oxman said this philosophy of design can be applied to many subfields, including medical device design. By working with people who suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome, Oxman, who has the condition herself, has been mapping a person’s pain to find which regions of a new medical device should have a distribution of hard and soft material. She hopes to find a flexibility to this device that has never been seen before.

Oxman’s ambitions and imagination know no limit. In a thousand years, she said, she hopes there will be the artificial construction of DNA. She proposed the idea of a chair that could potentially contain a baby’s DNA and grow simultaneously with the baby.

Ali Jones ’11 asked Oxman about her creative journey.

“I learned to live in peace with my schizophrenic approach to design,” Oxman said. “Do not fear ambiguity; this is the most interesting space for things to happen.”

Oxman was also asked what advice she would give to engineering students, especially first-year students.

“Hang stuff on your wall—photos, text—things that inspire you,” Oxman said. “Don’t be afraid to say, ‘This inspires me because it is beautiful.’”

Anne Sequeira ’12, a civil engineer, thought the idea of integrating material into design was refreshing.

“It wasn’t a secondary factor but a key component. It’s all one in itself; no definite separation of procedure,” Sequeira said.

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Field hockey faces tough competition over weekend

By Joyce Novacek

Writer

The Bison field hockey team faced a weekend of tough competition on the road, losing to American 6-0 on Saturday and Rutgers 3-0 on Sunday.

The American Eagles played great defense all day. The Bison only had two shots the entire game, coming from Kelly Bruvik ’11 in the first half and Morgan Kauffman ’11 in the second.

The Orange and Blue defense only allowed one goal during the first 35 minutes of play, but the Eagles came out firing in the second half, scoring five goals off 10 shots. Goalkeeper Sarah Zargarpour ’12 made six saves but took the loss in net for the Bison.

The Bison hope to learn from this experience.

“We had an amazing opportunity to play the number 11 team in the country (Penn State) [and] the number seven team (American) [this season]. This weekend was our last chance to practice playing two tough games back to back to prepare for the format of the Patriot League tournament,” Bruvik said. “In both the Penn State and American game, we proved to ourselves that we are capable of competing against the top teams in the country but that in order to ultimately win, we must keep a high level of intensity and composure for an entire 70 minutes.”

At Rutgers on Sunday, the Bison defense started off strong, holding the Scarlet Knights to a scoreless first half. Rutgers did not have a shot until the second half, but managed to capitalize on three of their six shots. The Bison outshot the Scarlet Knights 10-6 and had five penalty corners to Rutgers’ three, but it was not enough for them to come away victorious.

“In the Rutgers game, we focused on improving some things tactically from the American game and for the most part we were successful. Specifically, we focused on winning the communication battle. We gave ourselves several opportunities to score but had trouble finishing,” Bruvik said.

“We held the number seven team in the country (American) to one goal for 50 minutes and outpaced Rutgers for 60 minutes, but we had mental lapses at the end of both games. Although we are struggling to play a full 70 minutes of great hockey, we certainly have the potential to be very successful. We are looking forward to a great week of practice before our last home game against Colgate this weekend,” Christine Weiss ’11 said.

The Bison return home to Graham Field to play a conference game against Colgate on Saturday at 12 p.m.

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Women’s soccer splits games in league play

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

In a weekend of Patriot League play at home, the women’s soccer team was defeated by Army, 2-1, and defeated Holy Cross 3-2.

The Bison knew they would be up for a challenge as Army took nine shots in the first half.  In the 39th minute  Christa Matlack ’11 out-dueled the Army goalie and gave the Bison a 1-0 advantage. Army’s staunch defense tightened and refused to give the home team any more scoring chances in the first half.

Sandita McDermott ’13 helped keep the game close all night for the Bison, but with just 5:30 left in the game, the Bison were whistled for a slight push, giving Army a free kick. Army knotted the score at 1-1, sending the game into overtime.

Army then drove down the field and slipped a pass by McDermott in net, leaving the goal open for the Army striker to tap the ball in for a golden-goal win.

In the game Sunday, the  Crusader team came out on the offensive. Midway through the first half a Holy Cross attacker slipped behind the Bison defense and allowed the Holy Cross team to take an early 1-0 lead. The Bison evened the score at 1-1 with just over a minute left in the first half as Kelliann Doherty ’11 took a short corner kick and bent it into the goal.

“Our team kept the pressure up against Holy Cross, we knew that even when we were down we still could defeat them,” Doherty said.

In the second half the Orange and Blue did not give the Crusaders a chance to catch their breath. Tara Cort ’12 came through for the Bison, burying a shot past the Holy Cross keeper. Holy Cross continued with extremely physical play throughout the match and even drew a yellow caution card midway through the second half.

Doherty put the game away in the 75th minute as she freed herself from a skirmish in front of the Holy Cross net and buried the ball in the back of the goal. Holy Cross scored just two minutes later but could not mount an attack over the last 10 minutes, and the Bison sealed the game.

“We didn’t want to give Holy Cross the chance to get back into the game. Continuing to attack late in the game was what made us successful,” Jules Harris ’11 said.

The Bison will play their final Patriot League Conference game next Saturday against Colgate. With a win, the Bison can lockup home field advantage for the opening round game of the Patriot League Tournament. With an Army loss or tie, the Bison will be crowned Patriot League Regular Season Champions.

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Football loses to Penn, remains winless

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

The Orange and Blue football team dropped its third home contest of the season 31-10 to the Penn Quakers. Although they forced three turnovers, the Bison were out-gained by almost 300 yards and recorded just nine first downs. The Orange and Blue (0-5) have lost 10 out of their last 11 games, dating back to last October.

It took just one Penn drive for the Bison to find themselves trailing. Starting in Orange and Blue territory after another long kickoff return against the Bison, the Quakers drove into the red-zone before settling for a field goal to take an early 3-0 lead four minutes into the game.

The Bison offense started strong, pushing the ball down the field on their opening series, but could not come up with a crucial fourth-and-one attempt to keep the drive alive. Both teams traded possessions until late in the first half, when Sean Rafferty ’12 intercepted a pass and returned it to the Penn one-yard line. Travis Friend ’14 rushed for a touchdown on the next play to put the Orange and Blue up, 7-3.

Penn answered the Bison touchdown right before the half. Thanks to another huge kickoff return, the Quakers faced a short field. Quarterback Ryan Becker made quick work of the Bison defense, completing three passes on three straight plays, including a 12-yard touchdown throw.

Penn registered touchdowns on three of their first four drives in the second half, turning a close game into a blowout. Quaker running-back Brandon Colavita delivered the first blow, scoring a touchdown from 13 yards out midway through the third quarter to make the score 17-7.

Jeff Jack tacked on another score later in the third quarter, allowing the Quakers to take a commanding lead. Colavita struck again early in the fourth quarter with his second touchdown of the contest. The Orange and Blue tacked on a field goal late in the game to make the score 31-10.

The Bison go back on the road this weekend as they travel to Washington, D.C. to face the Georgetown Hoyas at 1 p.m. on Saturday.