March 18, 2010
EASTON, Pa. - Fresh off its victory over Navy, the No. 11 Lafayette men's lacrosse team has had a full week to move on and prepare for another important league game, this time on the road at No. 18 Bucknell.
The Leopards (5-0, 1-0) come into Saturday's game off to their best start in school history and are one of only seven teams in Division I to still be undefeated.
Lafayette brings to Lewisburg the fifth-best scoring offense (14.2 goals per game) and eighth scoring defense in the country, giving up eight goals per contest.
On attack, the Leopards are paced by junior Tom Perini, who currently ranks third in the nation in goals per game (four). Perini and senior co-captain Matt Mersky are both six points shy of 100 for their careers.
Lafayette's balanced offense also features seniors Steve Serling (nine goals, nine assists), Kevin Dunbar (seven goals, six assists) and Chris Ahern (seven goals, two assists). The Leopards lead the nation in assists per game, averaging 9.80. Junior Stefan Bauer leads Lafayette with 2.80 per game, second-best in the nation.
In goal, the Leopards will turn to reigning Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week Vinny DePasquale. The senior has been stellar between the pipes all season, totaling 63 saves and a 8.19 goals against average.
The Bison (4-2, 0-1) come into the game off a neutral site victory over Jacksonville in Forsyth County, N.C. Bucknell was led by Charlie Streep and Austin Winter on attack, who combined for eight goals and five assists on the evening.
In goal, the Bison have relied on freshman Kyle Feeney throughout the majority of 2010. Feeney enters Saturday with a 7.23 goals against average and 44 saves in over 257 minutes of work.
An interesting statistic going into the game will be the first quarter scoring. The Leopards and Bison both hold significant scoring advantages over their opponents in the opening quarter. Lafayette has outscored teams 20-5, while Bucknell holds a 14-6 lead in the first 15 minutes.
Saturday's contest will be available live on LSN All-Access beginning at 3:55 p.m. Inside Lacrosse will also be doing a live blog from Lewisburg.
