Oct. 30, 2009
Box Score
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Lafayette's soccer match against Bucknell was big for a number of reasons, the most important being that it was a battle between Patriot League rivals that came down to a single goal. Unfortunately for the Leopards, it was the Bison who came away with the 1-0 win.
The teams also played in front of a national audience as Fox Soccer Channel aired the game live, giving Leopard fans across the country the opportunity to catch their team in action.
With less than 13 minutes to play, Bucknell's Luke Joyner scored the game's only goal as the Bison (14-4-0, 5-1-0) set a program record for single season victories. The goal marked the first scored against the Leopards (9-6-2, 3-3-0) in league play this fall.
The Leopards out-shot the Bison 13-9, but only one of those shots was on goal as Bucknell goalie Tommy Caso was forced into action only once all night. Lafayette goalie Philip Nelson finished with two saves.
Freshmen Blake Fink and Kyle Scharfenberg were active on offense, accounting for nearly half of the Leopards' shots with three apiece.
Bucknell took seven of its nine shots in the opening half but it was Scharfenberg who took the period's final shot with a header that went wide of goal as the first 45 minutes elapsed without a score.
The Lafayette defense continued to frustrate Bucknell in the second half, holding the Bison to only two shots while the Leopard offense put the pressure on with nine shots of its own.
Unfortunately, Bucknell managed to take advantage of the limited opportunities it had when Joyner's header following a Conor O'Brien corner kick found the back of the net with 77:47 on the clock.
The Leopards did not give up and with 19 seconds to play, Fink nearly sent the match into overtime but his shot was blocked and the Bison escaped with the league victory.
Lafayette has the week to regroup before it hosts Navy next Saturday in its regular season finale. The match is set to start at 7 p.m. and the Leopards' senior class will be honored prior to the game.
