Winter Powers Bucknell Over Lehigh
from press release
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Austin Winter (Boonton Twp.,
N.J./Mountain Lakes) recorded four goals and three assists, Jake
Clarke (Cos Cob, Conn./Greenwich) became Bucknell's career ground
ball leader and the Bucknell men's lacrosse team was outstanding in
all phases in Saturday night's 14-5 victory over Lehigh at rainy
Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The victory improves the Bison
to 7-5 overall and 2-3 in the Patriot League, and it sets up a
showdown with Colgate next week for the fourth and final spot in
the Patriot League Tournament.
Ryan Klipstein (Califon, N.J./Rutgers Prep) scored two goals and
two assists while becoming only the second midfielder in program
history to record 30 goals in a season. Mike Danylyshyn (Fairport,
N.Y./Fairport) also tallied two goals and two assists, Charlie
Streep (New Canaan, Conn./Loomis-Chaffee) scored twice and Tim
Brandau (Owings Mills, Md./McDonogh) added two more in his return
to the lineup after missing seven games due to knee and ankle
injuries suffered against Navy back on March 6.
It was not just the offense that led the Bison to victory. The
defense suffocated Lehigh (6-7, 1-4) for most of the night,
allowing only five goals on 17 shots, with two of the goals coming
late in the game after Bucknell had already built a comfortable
14-3 lead. Alex Lyons (Owings Mills, Md./Boys' Latin), ranked No. 3
nationally in caused turnovers, added three more takeaways to his
total, as did defensive mate Jason Neithamer (Alexandria, Va./St.
Stephen's & St. Agnes).
Long pole John Scally (Short Hills, N.J./Delbarton) picked up five
ground balls, most of which came on faceoff play in support of
Clarke. The battle of the top two faceoff men in the Patriot League
- Clarke and Lehigh's Will Scudder came in ranked 1-2 in faceoff
percentage - went decidedly in Bucknell's favor. Clarke won 12 of
17 and the team captured 14 of 22. Clarke won the draw to himself
six times, allowing him to break Ryan Goodman's school record for
career ground balls. Only a junior, Clarke now has 176 in his
career, one more than Goodman.
The special teams and transition units also had big nights. The
Bison scored on their first three extra-man opportunities against
the top-ranked man-down team in the league. Bucknell was 19-for-20
on clears while riding Lehigh hard all night. The Mountain Hawks
were 12-for-19 clearing.
The Bison struck early and often in the opening minutes of the
contest. Chris Palmer (Atlanta, Ga./The Lovett School) opened the
scoring with a hard lefty shot 2:44 into the game, then Winter and
Danylyshyn found the net just 11 seconds apart. All told the three
goals came in a span of 55 seconds.
Bucknell pulled off the hidden-ball trick from behind the goal in
the opening minute of the second quarter, with Klipstein finding
Danylyshyn alone in front for an EMO tally and a 4-0 lead.
The Bison had just let an early 4-1 lead get away in last week's
overtime loss to Army, and Lehigh made things interesting soon
after the Danylyshyn goal when Jonathan Stumpf scored twice in just
1:26 to make it a 4-2 game.
But for the second out of four times in the contest Winter
bull-rushed a defender at the side of the cage and scored from a
tough angle to restore the three goal lead. That set off a 10-1 run
for Bucknell that lasted well into the fourth quarter.
Billy Eisenreich (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) pinned one in the upper
right corner to make it 6-2, and only 11 seconds later Winter fed
Brandau for his first goal in over a month. Brandau had 11 goals in
the team's first four games and was on a personal-best scoring pace
until he hurt his leg on a scramble near the goal crease in the
final seconds of regulation against Navy. He finished with two
goals in this one and might have had more, but he struck the pipe
twice. Nevertheless, Brandau did move up two spots into eighth
place on Bucknell's career goals list with 89.
Streep's sharp-angle goal off Palmer's feed with only five seconds
left in the half gave the Bison an 8-2 lead at intermission, and
Streep scored again with a hard outside shot just 38 seconds into
the third quarter to send the Bison on their way.
Bucknell outshot Lehigh 36-17 and won the ground ball battle 30-23.
Goalie Kyle Feeney (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) was only called
upon for five saves while allowing three goals. Feeney had a
terrific two-save flurry in the first quarter, stopping a hard shot
from the right side and then stuffing the rebound attempt.
Winter's seven-point night was his second-highest total of the
season, and it continued his dominance of Lehigh. In four career
games against the Mountain Hawks, he totaled eight goals and 15
assists for 23 points.
With the victory, this became the winningest senior class in
Bucknell history. It was the 37th win for the class of 2010, one
more than last year's seniors.
Also on Friday, Colgate posted a 14-9 victory over Patriot League
co-leader Lafayette. Bucknell and Colgate are both 2-3 in the
league and will square off next Saturday at Christy
Mathewson-Memorial Stadium to determine the fourth and final
Patriot League Tournament participant.
