The men’s golf team wrapped up its fall season over the weekend on a high note, finishing in fifth at the Lehigh Invitational due to exceptional play from Luke Edelman ’16.
Edelman shined for the Bison at the Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa. when he posted scores of 72 and 74 in two rounds, resulting in a tie for third in the individual standings. This was the second time this season that he finished in the top three.
“I had a successful tournament, finishing tied for third individually. In fact, I was actually in the lead with six holes to go. However, I did not close the deal, which I am disappointed in,” Edelman said. “[But] it was still my second top-three finish in five events. Nonetheless, I will take it as a learning opportunity.”
Other Bison with strong performances were Dan Bernard ’13 in a tie for 21st (155), Zach Pogust ’15 in a tie for 26th (158), J.J. Szmadzinski ’13 in 29th (159) and Schuyler Stitzer ’14 in a tie for 32nd (161).
The Orange and Blue posted a team score of 308 in the first round, with a 36-hole total score of 617, placing them in fifth out of eight teams at the end of competition. Villanova finished in first place, with a cumulative score of 580. Individually, Villanova’s Michael Kania took first, beating his teammate Steve Skurla by one stroke. Edelman tied for third along with Cory Siegfried of Villanova and Doug Walters of Rutgers.
“I’m very excited about the spring championship season,” Edelman said. “I think that with our talent, if we put in the practice time we have the potential to be quite successful and that is the best part of it all.”
Conor Pierson | The Bucknellian Joe Meyer ’14 passes the ball downfield. A very late goal against the Bison gave them a loss and moved them one spot out of playoff contention.
Chris McCree Sports Editor
The men’s soccer team fell to Army 2-1 last weekend at home, dropping the team to 1-2-2 in league play and one spot out of the playoffs. The loss came as a result of a late goal with 13 seconds remaining on the clock, after a game-tying goal by Collin Costello ’13 less than a minute before.
“The result is obviously disappointing and puts us in a tough situation in the Patriot League with only two league games left,” Costello said. “The game of soccer is sometimes cruel, and the team that dominates most of the game does not always come out of the game with a win.”
The Bison fell behind early and were forced to ramp up their offensive pressure for the remainder of the game. This sense of urgency became more apparent in the second half, when the Bison outshot the Black Knights 14-4, stringing together a series of close attempts. With 56 seconds remaining, Costello finally found the back of the net for the Orange and Blue, knotting the game at one apiece.
“The one thing we have learned this year is that our team comes out to play in the second half of games,” Costello said. “This was again clear in the Army game where we outshot Army in the second half. If we can match that type of intensity and effort in the first half of games, I believe we can beat anyone we match up against.”
Looking as if the game was headed into overtime, the Black Knights put together one last push resulting in the game-winning goal. For the Bison, the loss is particularly tough to take because they outplayed their opponents for the vast majority of the game. Ending the game with 19 shots to Army’s nine, the Bison controlled the ball well, but couldn’t capitalize on key chances throughout the contest.
Although they hold just one league win, the Bison are still very much in the playoff hunt. One point away from fourth place, the Orange and Blue have two more chances to earn valuable points against Colgate and Lafayette.
“While a loss never feels good, we are still confident as a team that we have the ability and desire to win our last two Patriot League games and make it into the playoffs,” Costello said. “As a team, we have still not put together a full 90 minute effort. If we make sure we take care of the details, are confident in our abilities and finish our chances, we will be successful versus Colgate this weekend.”
The Orange and Blue did get a boost of momentum on Tuesday by taking down NJIT 1-0. Patrick Figgie ’16 recorded the lone goal for the Bison in the 23rd minute, but it proved to be enough due to a strong effort by the defensive unit. Goalie Mike Lansing ’16 made five saves and recorded his fourth shutout of the year.
Standing at 6-6-4 on the season, the team enters a pivotal stretch in their season. Their push for a playoff berth begins this weekend when they host Colgate tomorrow at 4 p.m.
Chloe Chou | The Bucknellian Bison defenders wait for the snap. Although they kept the score close for much of the game, the Orange and Blue were unable to keep Lehigh from pulling away in the fourth quarter.
Eric Brod Senior Writer
On Oct. 20, the Bison fell 42-19 to Patriot League rival No. 7 Lehigh, who improved to 8-0 on the season. Despite having three punts and an extra-point blocked in the first half, the Bison found themselves only down 21-19 in the third quarter, but the Mountain Hawks ended up scoring the final 21 points of the game. Jeremiah Young ’13 was the catalyst for the offense on the day, rushing 23 times for 100 yards and three touchdowns.
Lehigh opened up the scoring in the first quarter, when Bison punter Ryan Gutowski ’13 had his punt blocked by Laquan Lambert, who proceeded to return the punt 60 yards for the opening score. The Bison responded with their own touchdown drive that spanned 69 yards in seven plays and was capped by Young’s first rushing score of the day. The big play on the drive came on a 30-yard pass from quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14 to receiver Josh Brake ’15. Lehigh blocked the extra point, leaving Orange and Blue down 7-6.
The Mountain Hawks extended their lead to 14-6 in the second quarter when Lehigh quarterback Michael Colvin threw his first touchdown pass of the game. On the Bison’s ensuing possession, Lehigh had its second blocked punt of the game, giving the Mountain Hawks the ball at the Bison 15-yard line. Lehigh was able to capitalize, giving them a 21-6 halftime lead.
“We had an issue on the initial extra point where the kick was low and there was penetration in the middle of our offensive line; the block was a combination of both factors,” head coach Joe Susan said. “The first blocked punt was a breakdown in protection and the angle that we were trying to kick the ball in an attempt to pin our opponent. The next two wound up being timing issues in our operation time which we fixed at half time.”
Despite the turnover plagued first-half, the Bison came out strong after halftime by scoring on consecutive drives to close the deficit to 21-19 thanks to Young’s second and third rushing touchdowns of the game. The second touchdown drive was set up with an interception by safety Matthew Steinbeck ’15.
“On the interceptions, I remembered watching film on [Colvin] during the week and knew what types of throws he made,” Steinbeck said. “The two picks I just read him and knew his tendencies which put me in the right place at the right time.”
This one gave the Orange and Blue the ball at midfield, and a pair of Wesley passes to Young and receiver Victor Walker ’14 helped the Bison pull within two points. Unfortunately, the Mountain Hawks proved why they are one of the top ten teams in the country by scoring the game’s final 21 points while holding the Bison to 31 yards of offense the rest of the game.
Wesley had another solid day guiding the offense, going 12-22 passing for 164 yards, including 5-5 for 108 yards on the three touchdown drives. He unfortunately was sacked five times in the contest. Despite the loss, the Bison played a solid game defensively, led by co-captain Beau Traber ’13 and his ten tackles.
The Bison were undone on their third down conversions, converting on just one of 13 opportunities, while Lehigh connected on six of 13 conversions.
The Bison open up a two game home stand when they take on Colgate for the annual Homecoming Game. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. tomorrow at Christy-Mathewson Memorial Stadium.
“We play with the advantage of a homecoming crowd. Keeping the crowd in the game will be a critical factor through the game,” Susan said. “In order to do this we must do a great job of defending the run. We have to find a way to take an early lead.”
Steinbeck believes the team can use its never-say-die attitude in the Colgate game.
“The hustle and effort we gave on every play will carry over into the Colgate game. Also I like to think we never give up. We keep playing to the last whistle,” Steinbeck said.
The Bison field hockey team clinched a spot in the Patriot League Tournament on Oct. 20 with a 6-2 win over visiting Lehigh. On Oct. 23, the Orange and the Blue fell to No. 5 Penn State, giving them a 9-8 record overall and a 3-1 record in Patriot League play.
“Given the fact that we lost to Lehigh 1-0 last year, this was a huge game for us,” said defender Tayler Siegrist ’13. “[Especially since it means] making our fifth consecutive appearance in the Patriot League Tournament.”
Siegrist and midfielder Kelly Stefanowicz ’13 were honored before the game for Senior Day, and each contributed to the final score. Stefanowicz scored early in the game to put the Bison up 1-0, and the Orange and the Blue went on to score four more unanswered goals, including an impressive hat trick for midfielder Amie Pritchard ’15. Forwards Leigh Hillman ’14 and Hope Obernesser ’15 also scored a goal apiece, and Siegrist added an assist in the eventual 6-2 victory.
Against Penn State the defense did its best to hold back a strong offense. Goalie Erica Perrine ’14 led the Bison effort with 12 saves, her second-highest single game total of the season. She now has 181 career saves, putting her in tenth on the Bison’s all-time list. Siegrist and defenders Cassie Goggin ’14 and Liz Wills ’15 all recorded defensive saves. Unfortunately, they were unable to keep out two late goals from Penn State, the first coming with just under 13 minutes left to play. The Bison were outshot 29-2, as they failed to produce a strong offensive effort.
The Bison will head to Washington D.C. tomorrow to face American and determine the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League bracket. The two teams are already guaranteed to meet each other again in the semifinals next week, with the No. 2 seed hosting.
The men’s swimming and diving team traveled to Connecticut to face UConn and Fordham with high hopes of beating UConn in only their second meeting of all time and continuing their strong record against Fordham (8-4 all-time). Mike Nicholson ’14 and Ben Seketa ’15 led the Bison in their first meet of the season, as Nicholson was the only two event winner. He won the 200-yard butterfly by 2.47 seconds and the 200 individual medley by 1.92 seconds. Seketa finished first in the 200 breast stroke, was runner-up in the 100 breast stroke and finished fourth in the 200 individual medley.
The Bison also recorded second-place finishes in the 200 medley relay and 400 free relays. Cameron James ’16 and Trevor Reitz ’14 finished second in the 200 free and 100 free, respectively. These performances were enough to propel the Bison to a 179-120 win over Fordham, but fell short of UConn, losing 175-125.
Jon Jones ’15 was the top diver for the Bison off of the one-meter board, tallying a score of 220.20, six points below his career high. This placed him third overall.
“We had a lot of people step up–especially late in the meet–that helped drive us past Fordham and closer to UConn. Losing to UConn was tough, but it will help us grow into the team we need to be to succeed later in the season,” Reitz said.
The women’s swimming and diving team also traveled to UConn as Emma Levendoski ’16 led the team and posted a new program top-10 mark in the 100-yard backstroke. Lauren Perry ’15 and Elizabeth Porcellio ’13 also tallied victories for the Bison in the 200 free and 200 individual medley, respectively. Despite such efforts, the Bison were defeated by UConn 186.5-113.5, and Fordham by a margin of 173.5-126.5.
Levendoski also finished second in the 200 backstroke with a time of 58.24, placing her at eighth in program history. Her time puts her as the second active Bison swimmer on the list along with Jennifer Brennan ’14.
Perry also had a strong performance, placing third in the 50 free and fourth in the 100 free. She was a member of the 200 medley relay and the 400 free relay, which placed third. Similarly, Porcellio also placed third in the 100 fly and came in sixth place in the 200 free.
Tori Molchany ’15 and Tara Boyle ’15 were the Orange and Blue’s best divers for the day, coming in third off of the one-meter board and fourth off of the three-meter board, respectively.
“I was pleased with our overall performance at the meet,” head coach Dan Schinnerer said [Bucknell Women’s Swimming and Diving Outscored by UConn and Fordham, bucknellbison.com, Oct. 20, 2012]. “Our main emphasis at this point in the season is to see improvement from meet-to-meet and we saw a lot of progress today compared to where we were against UMBC a few weeks ago. That said, we have to make a significant improvement to get to where we ultimately want to be as a team.”
Both the women’s and the men’s squads will have one week off before they travel to Easton, Pa. to compete against American, Lafayette and Navy on Nov. 3.
The men’s tennis team wrapped up its fall season last weekend at the ITA Regionals in Charlottesville, Va. at the University of Virginia.The Bison played well, but were winless in their three matches against some of the best competition in the nation.
In the Orange and Blue’s first singles match of the day, Kelly Morque ’13 was matched up against Aaron Chaffee of William & Mary. The match was hard fought in the first set and seemed as if it could go either way. Unfortunately, Morque eventually fell to his opponent in two sets 7-6, 6-3. Evan Zimmer ’13 suffered a similar fate in his singles event against Jimmy Davis of George Mason. After a close first set, Zimmer was unable to hang on and was defeated in two sets by the score of 7-6, 6-2.
“[We] were very competitive in all our matches [and the tough competition in the tournament] helps prepare for the spring season because when you play the best, it only gets easier from there,” assistant head coach Craig Schwartz said.
The singles matches were followed by a doubles match that pitted Zimmer and Josh Katten ’13 against Ryan Shane and Jonathan Cornish of Virginia. The Bison were unable to get anything going off the serve and were eventually defeated by a score of 8-1.
“While we were not able to leave victorious, we were able to measure our skills against some of the top players in the nation,” Katten said.
The team will now head indoors for its indoor training and conditioning. The next match for the Bison will be the spring home opener against St. Francis (Pa.) on Feb. 2. The team’s performance in the fall season has left both the players and the coaches happy with the team’s current position and looking forward to the spring season. Going into his final season as a member of the Bison men’s tennis team, Katten is setting high expectations for the spring.
“I hope as a team that we can put our full efforts together and accomplish what we all want so badly: a Patriot League Championship,” Katten said.
The men’s water polo team went 2-3 when they traveled to Santa Clara, Calif. to compete in the Santa Clara Rodeo. The Bison started by defeating host team No. 19 Santa Clara 10-7 and then dropped their next three decisions to Cal Baptist 6-5, No. 13 Air Force 9-6 and No. 4 Stanford 14-2. They bounced back in their final game of the invitational by besting No. 16 UC Davis 14-6. The Orange and Blue are now 11-13 as they head into championship season.
To kick off the weekend, the Orange and Blue faced Santa Clara. The Bison and Broncos played an even game throughout. The Bison gained an edge in the third quarter by outscoring the Broncos 5-3. Jack Else ’14 led the Bison in scoring with a hat trick. Mike Kimble ’14 and Nick Hale ’16 rounded out the Bison with multi-goal performances, netting two goals apiece.
“We were finally able to put together a solid set of games and that was a huge positive going into playoff season. Our team defense looked fantastic and our offense was really on point. If we can stick to our fundamentals and not get flustered during games, we should be able to make a run during the championship season,” Kimble said.
In their second game, the Orange and Blue lost to Cal Baptist. The teams traded goals regularly in the first two quarters, leading to a tie at half. The Orange and Blue scored the lone goal in the third quarter, taking a 5-4 advantage into the fourth. The Lancers held the Bison scoreless in the final quarter while scoring two goals of their own. Despite the loss, co-captain Matt Napleton ’13 looked strong in goal, recording 16 saves in the 32 minutes of play. Again, Else and Hale led the Orange and Blue offensive with two goals each. Else also tallied four ejections drawn. On defense, co-captain Brian Barron ’13 registered a team-high four steals in the contest.
The Orange and Blue fared worse in their second game of the day against Air Force. In the first half, the Falcons scored five times, while the Orange and Blue only found the back of the net once. Despite scoring five times in the second half, the Bison could not overcome the four goal first half deficit. The Orange and Blue had a very balanced attack against the Falcons with all six Bison goals coming from different players. Stefan Aleksic ’16 was high point man for the Bison with three points coming from one goal and two assists. In goal, Napleton recorded 15 saves.
“There were times in the weekend where we were not as focused as we should have been, and it showed in our play. Our offense was inconsistent. We showed flashes of brilliance and stretches of where we couldn’t get much going. We need to become more consistent offensively, which will in turn help our defense,” Napleton said.
Next, the Orange and Blue faced Stanford. The Orange and Blue were held scoreless in the first, second and fourth quarters. The two Bison goals came in the third from Aleksic and Kimble. Splitting time in goal, both Napleton and Keegan Williams ’15 made eight saves and allowed seven goals in 16 minutes of play.
The Bison showed their resilience in their final game of the weekend by defeating UC Davis. The Orange and Blue fell behind 4-2 early in the first quarter, but responded by rattling off 11 straight goals. By the time the Aggies ended the 11-0 run, the Orange and Blue had a 13-4 lead. The Bison dominated the second quarter, thanks to a tremendous effort from Aleksic, who had nine points from four goals and five assists. This placed him in a tie with Barron for the most points tallied by a Bison in a game. Julian Colina ’14, Kimble and Barron also had multi-goal games. In net, Napleton stopped 10 shots, pushing his career-high season save total to 252.
“The weekend gave us some good experience and confidence heading into the end of our season. We proved we can win against some high level competition, and that if we can bring a high level of focus to each game, we are a tough team to beat,” Napleton said.
The Orange and Blue will have a week off to train before hosting the Southern Championships on Nov. 2-4.
The women’s soccer team defeated Lafayette 1-0 this past weekend to put itself in prime position to secure a playoff spot. Earlier last week, the Bison suffered a 2-1 loss at Lehigh in a double overtime thriller. The Orange and Blue are currently fourth in the Patriot League standings with one regular season game left to play.
“Going into the Lafayette game, we knew we had to win. Our team handled that pressure and I thought we remained composed even though it was 0-0 for the majority of the game,” Kayla Yee ’13 said.
On Sunday, the Bison defeated Lafayette 1-0 in a hard fought match-up. Defense was the focus for both teams, as they combined for only four shot attempts in the first half.
The Orange and Blue pressured the Leopard defense, as they attempted six shots in the second half. In her first minutes of the match, Jenna Tryon ’13 launched a cross pass that found Taryn Boucher ’13, who scored the game winning goal on a leaping volley with seven minutes and six seconds remaining in the game. Boucher also shined on the other end of the field, leading to her first career Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week award.
“Taryn [Boucher] had a great goal with about seven minutes to play, and after that our defense did great to finish out the game and keep them off the scoreboard,” Yee said.
At Lehigh, the Bison were in unusual territory, as they went into overtime for the first time this season.
Thirty seconds into the first half, Chelsey Garkowski ’14 nailed a goal in the top left corner of the net to give the Orange and Blue the early lead. The Mountain Hawks answered back with a goal in the 12th minute to tie the score. It remained 1-1 at halftime.
The Mountain Hawks picked up the intensity in the second half with 11 shot attempts. The Bison defense remained stout, preventing Lehigh from finding the net. Goalie Sandita McDermott ’13 continued her sensational goalkeeping with a season-high of 12 saves. Unfortunately, the Orange and Blue only had five shot attempts in the second half, two of which were on target. The game remained 1-1 heading into overtime.
Lehigh carried their momentum into overtime with 13 shot attempts. The Bison offense struggled to produce, finishing with one shot attempt in the overtime period. Even with a strong defensive performance, the Mountain Hawk attack was too much, as a Lehigh goal clinched the game in the 106th minute.
Garkowski finished with a team-high four shot attempts. Courtney Nelson ’15 had three of her own, while six players finished with one.
The Bison will conclude their regular season tomorrow in Annapolis, Md. against Navy. The Orange and Blue can clinch a playoff berth with a win or tie against the Midshipmen, or a Lehigh loss or draw tomorrow.
“Saturday is a big game; we have to win or draw against Navy in order to make playoffs. I have complete confidence in my team and am looking forward to Saturday,” Yee said.
The women’s volleyball team had a breakout performance at home last weekend, beating both Lehigh and Lafayette in five sets each to end its losing streak and earn its first two wins in Patriot League play.
“The team did an amazing job all across the board. Everybody that came on the court made a contribution, and we were definitely playing as a team this weekend. We were playing for each other,” Kebah Edoho ’13 said.
The Bison faced Lehigh on Oct. 19, trying to break their losing streak. The team started off strong, winning the first two sets of the match, before facing a Mountain Hawks comeback in the third and fourth sets. The Orange and Blue battled back in the final set to take the victory.
Morgan Mientus ’14 and Edoho both had impressive matches, with Mientus finishing with 11 digs, eight kills and four blocks, while Edoho had eight kills and seven blocks. Claire Healy ’16 played strong, grabbing a double-double of 15 kills and 14 digs, as well as four blocks. Her fellowteammates also led in many ways, with Meghan Wentzel ’16 having 21 assists and four service aces, Karen Campbell ’16 recording eight blocks and Katie Price ’16 posting a career-high 22 digs.
“I was really proud of my team this weekend. We finally pulled everything together and took control of the game. It felt great to play up to our potential and finally come away with a W instead of a moral victory. We also had a lot of girls step up,” Kat Tauscher ’13 said. “On Friday it was so much fun to play in front of so many fans. They were extremely loud and supportive and really helped us push through and win that fifth set.”
The Orange and Blue then went on to face Lafayette on Oct. 20. The team started slow, losing the first two sets. They stayed strong and fought back to win the match in five sets.
Mientus, Wentzel, Tauscher and Kristen Titley ’14 all had standout performances on the day, with all four recording double-doubles for the Bison. Leylin Marroquin ’14 also had her best match of the season, recording a season high of 16 digs on the day.
“This is the BUVB I know, and I am glad that we are finally starting to show it,” Edoho said.
The Orange and Blue will continue Patriot League play at home next week when they face Holy Cross on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. On Nov. 3 the Bison will have their final regular season home game, battling Army at 5 p.m. in Davis Gym.
2nd of 34 (19:43) at Saint Francis (Pa.) Invitational
13th of 243 (21:47) at Pre-Nationals
Caroline Tolli ’13 has been one of the most consistently strong performers on the women’s cross country team all year. Her performance over the weekend at Pre-Nationals in Louisville, Ky. was no exception. Tolli finished in 13th place out of a strong 243 competitor field after finishing the Sawyer State Park’s six-kilometer course in 21:47. She was one of two Orange and Blue runners finishing in the top 100.
“The course at Pre-Nationals is well-made, very flat and fast. It’s unlike any course we’ve run on so far this year, as we’ve been training and racing on hills in preparation for the Patriot League Championship,” Tolli said. “Knowing the course was fast (and the competition good), we all as a team tried to get off to an aggressive start on Saturday and keep moving up in the field throughout the race. It was a lot of fun to run hard on such a nice course–I tried to make the most of the opportunity and enjoy every minute.”
Tolli’s strong performance helped lift the Bison to a 12th place finish out of a 27-team field. Now her focus is on the future as the Patriot League Championships approach.
“My finish definitely gives me momentum in training the next few weeks going into the Patriot League meet, where I just want to do all I can to help my talented, hardworking team win a championship,” Tolli said.
