March 21, 2008

LEWISBURG, Pa. - After dropping a tough 12-9 decision to Duquesne at home on Thursday night, the Bucknell women's lacrosse team must regroup quickly as it travels to Worcester, Mass., on Saturday for a noon start against defending Patriot League champion Holy Cross.

Series Notes:
• Bucknell is 12-7 all-time against Holy Cross in a series that dates back to 1991 (the Patriot League's first season).
• The Bison are 5-4 all-time in Worcester, with their last victory there coming in 2004 (12-9). Bucknell lost twice on the Crusaders' home field in 2006, including a 13-7 loss in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament.
• Bucknell's last series win was a 9-7 home victory in 2005. Holy Cross has won three straight since then, including a 16-6 verdict at Graham Field last season.

Last Outing:
Bucknell and Duquesne played an even game for 50 minutes, but the Dukes won the last 10 minutes and prevailed 12-9 on a frigid evening at Graham Field on Thursday. A 4-1 run gave the Bison a 9-8 lead, but Duquesne tallied the final four goals of the night to steal the win. Carol Donohue had another terrific outing with four goals and an assist, while Alison Heffernan scored a pair of highlight-reel unassisted goals. Kathleen McNish led Duquesne with two goals and five assists.

Bison Bits:
• Carol Donohue now has 23 points in four games (13 goals, 10 assists). She leads the Patriot League and ranks third in all of Division I in points per game (5.75).
• Donohue, Julia Braun and Paige Kasschau all rank in the top 10 in the Patriot League in goal scoring.
• Lauren Deitrich is second in Division I and first in the league in caused turnovers per game (3.25).
• Freshman goalie Alyssa DeLorenz equaled her personal best with 10 saves against Duquesne.
• The freshman class has combined for 15 goals and four assists thus far.
• Sarah Collins had two more assists against Duquesne, giving her seven in four contests this season.

Scouting the Crusaders:
• Stefanie Ridolfi's team is in search of its third straight Patriot League title. The team returned eight starters from last year's team that went 13-6 overall and 5-0 in the Patriot League.
• Holy Cross got off to a tough start, losing its first six games of the season (all on the road) before breaking through with a 13-11 non-conference victory over Vermont at home on Wednesday. Among the losses were Patriot League setbacks to Colgate and Navy.
• The team's top scorer is Nikki Bolduc with 13 goals and four assists. Bolduc, a First Team All-Patriot League selection last season, had five goals and two assists in the Vermont win.
• The Crusaders are starting a freshman goalie in Amy Martin, who had 15 saves in the Vermont victory.

In the Polls:
• Bucknell was picked tied for fifth (with Navy) in the Patriot League preseason poll. American adged defending champion Holy Cross by just two points in the poll, followed by Colgate, Lehigh, Bucknell/Navy and Lafayette.

Looking Ahead:
• Bucknell's four-game road trip continues on Tuesday with a 6 p.m. contest against La Salle in Philadelphia. The Bison will also play at Ohio State and Robert Morris before returning home on Apr. 1 against Drexel.