LEWISBURG, Pa. - Lafayette battled to the wire on Saturday, falling to Bucknell, 14-13, in overtime at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.

Benjamin DiBattista (5) and Aidan Kopen (3) scored eight times collectively, with both recording hat tricks in the process. Joseph Duggan and Nick Muller recorded two assists each.

The two teams combined for seven goals in the opening quarter. Lafayette tallied the game's first two goals. DiBattista scored 22 seconds into the game, with a Duggan score following at the 13:46 mark. Bucknell responded over the next three minutes with three consecutive goals to take a 3-2 lead.

With 6:48 on the clock, senior midfielder Jack Irish sliced through the Bison defense and fired a shot home to knot the score at 3-3. Owen Kovacs helped Bucknell regain an advantage a minute later, finding the back of the net for his first goal of the day.

At the end of the first, Bucknell led, 4-3. In the first 15 minutes of action, the Maroon and White committed seven turnovers to the hosts' two.

The Leopards and Bison both settled in during the second period with Lafayette outscoring the hosts 2-1. DiBattista tallied his second goal of the afternoon at 8:16 to deadlock the teams at 4-4. The Maroon and White regained a 5-4 lead courtesy of Kopen. Bucknell once again tied the score at 5 apiece heading into halftime after Jaz Zanelli ripped a shot past the Leopards' 10-man ride.

Lafayette took charge in the third quarter, using a stretch of five-consecutive goals to gain momentum (10-5). DiBattista led the way with two goals during the run, while Irish, Kopen and Nicholas Blalock chipped in scores. The Bison countered with a three-goal spurt, featuring scores from Luke Bruner (2) and Peter Grandolfo (1). As the period wrapped up, the Leopards held a 10-8 advantage.

For the second time in the contest, both programs scored a combined eight goals. Bucknell outscored the Leopards in the stanza, 5-3. Hans Huber and Michael Meyer scored for the Bison in the first five minutes for a 10-10 stalemate.

Goals by Kopen and Dibattista at 7:26 and 6:31, respectively, put the Maroon and White ahead. Bucknell added another goal prior to Blalock collecting his second goal of the day. With 3:19 left in regulation, Lafayette held a 13-11 lead. The hosts rallied within the last minute and a half of action, scoring twice. A 13-13 score as the clock hit zero forced overtime.

In overtime, Lafayette and Bucknell played sound defense, with both teams allowing just one shot. With one tenth of a second remaining, Huber sneaked a ball past Doherty to capture a 14-13 win. In the game, The Bison outshot the Leopards 54 to 33. 

Defensively, Andrew Matarese and Noah Blinkoff forced two turnovers. Blinkoff led the team in ground ball pickups, with six. George Urich (4) and Nick Faccone (3) followed.

Senior Goalkeeper Joe Doherty was handed the loss. The Malvern, Pa. native stopped 13 goals while allowing 14 (48.1 save percentage). Bucknell's Zanelli saved 10 goals, allowing 13 in the process (43.5 save percentage).

Lafayette remains on the road, traveling to Boston U. on April 4 for a 2:30 p.m. contest.


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