LEWISBURG, Pa. - Lafayette concluded the Patriot League regular season with advantages in both shots (11-8) and penalty corners (7-3) but still ended up on the short end of a 4-1 outcome to Bucknell on Saturday afternoon at soggy Graham Field.
The Leopards had an opportunity off of a penalty corner in the 12th minute but a shot by
Lisa van der Geest was blocked. Lafayette goalkeeper
Sarah Park returned the favor several minutes later with a sliding stop on Bison junior Brittany Willwerth who had become open behind the Leopards defense. Bucknell ultimately broke through at 21:02 of the first half on a goal by Katie Mannino.
Clinging to a 1-0 lead at halftime, Bucknell extended the advantage to 3-0 on a pair of goals by Lexi Quick and M.C. Evans in a five minute span early in the second half. The Leopards got in to the scoring column in the 57th minute on the fourth goal of the season for sophomore forward
Grace Angelella off an assist from
Kristen Taylor to trim the deficit to two.
Head coach Jen Stone opted to pull the keeper in the final five minutes which resulted in a tack-on goal into an empty cage for Bucknell in the final minute. All four goals were scored by Bucknell seniors playing their final league contest at home. Willerth assisted on three of the four Bison goals.
Lafayette and Bucknell had both already clinched a spot in the Patriot League Field Hockey postseason but the outcome, coupled with American's 6-1 victory over Colgate, created a three-way tie at 4-2 for second place in the Patriot League standings.
Boston University, 6-0 during the Patriot League regular season, will host the Patriot League Field Hockey Championships on Nov. 2 and Nov. 4 at New Balance Field in Boston, Mass. As a result of tiebreakers, Lafayette will be the fourth seed and face the host Terriers at 11:35 a.m. on Friday. No. 2 American and No. 3 Bucknell will square off in the second game of the semifinal doubleheader. The two semifinal winners will meet for the Patriot League title on Sunday, November 4 at 12:05 p.m. on New Balance Field.
When Lafayette faced Boston University on September 29 at Rappolt Field, the Leopards fell behind 6-1 but rallied with three consecutive goals before falling 7-4 to the 24th-ranked Terriers. The Leopards are 1-2 against the three other teams in the postseason field, with a 3-1 win over American and losses to Bucknell and Boston U. Lafayette is also one of the hotter teams entering the tournament with six wins in their final eight regular season contests.
