April 4, 2008

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell saw its three-game winning streak come to an end on Tuesday with a 16-12 non-league loss to Drexel, and now the Bison return to Patriot League play with Saturday's critical home game against first-place Colgate. Game time is 1 p.m. at Graham Field.

If you can't make it to the game in person, a live video Webcast will be available on BucknellBison.com via SportsJuice.com.

With a 1-2 Patriot League record, the Bison are currently in fifth place and need to pass someone in order to qualify for the four-team Patriot League Tournament. In addition to Colgate, Bucknell also has league games remaining against Navy (away) and Lehigh (home), two other teams currently ahead of the Bison in the standings.

Series Notes:
• Bucknell has not had much success against Colgate through the years, winning only 3 of 28 prior meetings.
• Bucknell's only series win since 1995 was a big one, a 13-9 decision in the 2003 Patriot League Tournament.
• Last year in Hamilton, N.Y., the Raiders won 13-9, scoring 12 times in the second half after the Bison went to the locker room with a 4-1 lead. Lindsay Pittard had a hat trick for Colgate, while Chelsea Peters scored three goals and Bonnie Buechel distributed three assists for the Bison.

Last Outing:
Drexel used its speed advantage to overtake the Bison 16-12 on Tuesday evening at Graham Field. Bucknell had an early 3-2 lead before the Dragons scored eight goals in a row. Bucknell made a late rally to cut a nine-goal deficit to four but could get no closer. Carol Donohue (3-1-4) and Julia Braun (1-3-4) were the top scorers for the Bison.

Beating the Buckeyes:
It was a dire storyline when the Bison fell behind Ohio State 11-3 early in last Friday night's game in Columbus. This was an Ohio State team that had been ranked No. 20 in the nation a week earlier, and it was the same Buckeyes squad that dismantled Bucknell 17-4 at Graham Field a year ago. But this Bucknell team re-wrote a dramatic ending to that story, rallying for an incredible 18-17 victory. Down 17-15 with five minutes left, Alison Heffernan, Julia Braun and Sarah Collins all scored in succession to put the Bison ahead, and goalie Alyssa DeLorenz stymied an 8-meter shot in the final 10 seconds to secure the win.

Bison Duo Honored:
Bucknell picked up two of the four Patriot League weekly honors on Monday, as sophomore Carol Donohue earned offensive player of the week accolades and senior Alyssa DeLorenz was cited as the goalie of the week. Donohue scored 18 points in Bucknell's 3-0 week, including eight against Ohio State and seven against Robert Morris. DeLorenz had double-digit saves in each game, with a career-high 16 coming against La Salle.

Bison Bits:
• Carol Donohue now ranks second in the Patriot League and fifth in the nation in scoring at 5.00 points per game. She has 45 points in just nine games. Donohue is also second in the league and sixth in the nation in assists per game (2.22).
• Lauren Deitrich continues to lead the league in caused turnovers with 22 in nine games. That figure ranks fourth among all Division I players.
• Julia Braun is No. 2 in the Patriot League and ninth nationally in draw controls with 27 in eight games.
• Bonnie Buechel is fifth in the league and 18th nationally in draw controls with 25.
• Six different Bucknell freshmen have scored goals this season, led by Braun's 12.
• Goalie Alyssa DeLorenz has 93 saves on the season, while opposing netminders have only 67. Bucknell is scoring on 52.4 percent of its shots, compared to 41.8 percent for the opposition.
• DeLorenz also picked up her first career assist on Tuesday, when she sprung Lauren Deitrich for a breakaway goal with a pass of about 50 yards.

Scouting the Raiders:
• Colgate also had a three-game winning streak come to an end in its most recent outing, an 11-9 loss to Oregon on Sunday.
• The Raiders are 3-0 in PL play, with wins over Holy Cross (11-8), Lafayette (16-11) and Navy (19-10).
• Brie Moran leads the team in both goals (27) and points (31).
• Jess Van der Meulen has also topped the 20-goal plateau with 22, while Colleen Bubnack leads the team in assists with nine.
• The Raiders are giving up 13.1 goals per game this season while scoring 11.8 per contest.

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 travels to Annapolis, Md., next Saturday for its very first official meeting with Navy. The Mids are having a very good season in their first year competing at the varsity level. Navy is 8-2 overall and 2-1 in the Patriot League after knocking off American 13-12 on Tuesday. A year ago the Bison scrimmaged Navy at Graham Field and won 14-10.