March 3, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.--Bucknell became the first team to record a Patriot League victory, knocking off No. 12/10 Navy on Saturday. As a result, the Bison find three of their own among this week's Patriot League award-winners. Also claiming a weekly honor was Lafayette's Tom Perini.

Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Weekly Release 3.3.09

Offensive Player of the Week

Tom Perini, Lafayette So., A, Huntington, N.Y. Perini racked up a 10-point week to help Lafayette record its first two victories of the season. Perini scored a career-high six goals, in addition to an assist, in the Leopards' win at Wagner. He added another three goals in Lafayette's 8-5 triumph over Quinnipiac.

Defensive Player of the Week

Billy Haire, Bucknell Sr., D, Darien, Conn. Haire had three ground balls and forced two turnovers in Bucknell's 8-7 win over Navy on Saturday. He helped the Bison defense limit Navy to three goals through the first three quarters of a crucial Patriot League victory for Bucknell.

Goalkeeper of the Week

Nick Sciubba, Bucknell Sr., GK, Sea Cliff, N.Y. Sciubba provided the Bison with 13 saves in a key 8-7 victory over Navy. Sciubba made six saves in the second quarter alone, allowing Bucknell to pull ahead by three at the half. Sciubba allowed just three goals while making 10 saves through the first three quarters. He added three more stops in the fourth quarter.

Rookie of the Week

Charlie Streep, Bucknell Fr., M, New Canaan, Conn. Streep scored two goals in Bucknell's 8-7 win over Navy, including the game-winner with no time remaining on the clock. The game-winner came on a re-start with five seconds left in regulation. He beat preseason All-American Geoff Leone to the goal and scored before the final gun.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Tom Palesky, Army So., GK, Plano, Texas Made career-best 22 saves against No. 4 Cornell, including 10 in the third quarter, helping Army claw back from a three-goal deficit before falling 9-8.

Jeff Canfield, Lafayette Sr., GK, Kinnelon, N.Y. Allowed just seven goals while making 16 saves in a pair of Lafayette victories. Made a season-best 10 saves against Quinnipiac on Saturday.

Brandon Corp, Colgate Sr., A, Chittenango, N.Y. Extended his scoring streak to 37 games as he collected six points on the road against No. 7 UMBC. Recorded three assists in the first half before notching all three Colgate goals in the third quarter to tie the game at 7-7.

Patriot League Notebook

What a Start, What a Finish Bucknell and Navy opened the Patriot League season with a bang. The Bison scored a last-second goal to defeat the Mids, 8-7, and become the first team to pick up a Patriot League win this season.

Patriot League Teams In The Rankings Two Patriot League teams are currently in both the USILA Coaches Top 20 poll and the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Top 20. Navy, which enters the week with a 2-2 mark, is ranked 16th in the coaches' poll and 14th in the media poll. Bucknell, which topped the Mids on Saturday, moved into rankings this week. The Bison are 20th in both polls. Army and preseason favorite Colgate are both receiving votes this week. The Raiders dropped out of the polls after suffering their third straight loss, all of them to top 10 foes.

Road Woes The road has been unkind to Patriot League teams this season. Of the eight wins collected by Patriot League squads this spring, seven have come at home. Away from their home fields, Patriot League teams are 1-9 this season.

2009 Men's Lacrosse Championship The 2009 Patriot League Tournament will take place on Friday, April 24 and Sunday, April 26 at the site of the highest seed. The top four teams in the regular-season standings will advance to the Patriot League tourney. The championship game on Sunday will be broadcast on CBS College Sports. Third-seeded Colgate won last year's championship in West Point, N.Y.

Preseason All-America Status The Patriot League landed seven student-athletes on the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Division I Preseason All-Americans list. Two student-athletes, Colgate's Brandon Corp and Navy's Geoff Leone, were selected to the first team. Others included on the All-American list were: Bucknell's Austin Winter (honorable mention) and Billy Haire (honorable mention), Andy Tormey (second team), Tim Paul (honorable mention) and Jaren Woeppel (honorable mention).

Patriot League, Inside Lacrosse Sign Agreement The Patriot League has come to a multiple-year agreement with Inside Lacrosse, it was announced this fall. Inside Lacrosse will market and showcase Patriot League men's and women's lacrosse programs, coaches, student-athletes and institutions. The agreement will come over a variety of platforms including Inside Lacrosse magazine, Inside Lacrosse's Face-Off Yearbook as well as insidelacrosse.com. It will also include promotion of the Patriot League's men's and women's lacrosse championships.

Team Notebooks

Army The Black Knights fell to No. 4/6 Cornell despite a 22-save effort by goalkeeper Tom Palesky. The sophomore's 22 saves marked a new career-high, but it was not enough, as Army dropped its second straight, 9-8. Palesky made 10 saves in the third quarter alone, helping the Black Knights pull within one goal after Cornell had built a three-goal advantage earlier in the quarter. Army will attempt to get back on the winning track against Air Force on Saturday.

Bucknell The Bison picked up their first win of the season with a last-second 8-7 win over No. 12/10 Navy. Freshman Charlie Streep scored the game-winner with no time remaining on the clock to make Bucknell the first team to claim a Patriot League victory this season. Streep beat preseason All-American Geoff Leone with a one-on-one move to the goal and scored as time expired. Streep, who had two goals in the contest, now has five goals in his last two games. Bucknell will travel to Hobart on Saturday.

Colgate The Raiders dropped a 13-9 decision to No. 7/9 UMBC in Baltimore on Saturday. Senior Brandon Corp extended his scoring streak to 37 games with three goals and three assists. Freshman Chris Zielinski added a goal and an assist in the loss. Zielinski has recorded seven points (three goals, four assists) over the past three games, all of which have been against top 10 foes. Three of his seven points have either given Colgate the lead or tied the game. The Raiders will host Holy Cross in their 2009 Patriot League opener on Saturday.

Holy Cross Holy Cross was the only Patriot League team without a game last week. The Crusaders will open up Patriot League play on the road. Holy Cross will travel to Hamilton, N.Y. for a Saturday showdown with preseason favorite Colgate.

Lafayette The Leopards recorded back-to-back wins last week to improve to 2-1. Sophomore Tom Perini recorded 10 points, including nine goals, in the Leopards two victories. He scored a career-high six goals against Wagner, before adding another three goals against Quinnipiac. His six goals topped his previous career-high of five, which came against Wagner last season. Senior goalkeeper Jeff Canfield made 16 saves while surrendering seven goals to secure his first two wins of the season. Canfield sat out the final period in the Leopards' 15-4 win at Wagner. Lafayette will battle Patriot League foe Navy on Saturday.

Lehigh Lehigh dropped to 0-3 with a 14-6 loss to No. 3/4 North Carolina in Baltimore on Saturday. In the loss, Brian Bienemann netted a hat trick for the Brown and White, while Adam Johnston, Matt Diehl and Dan Honeywell each scored once. Lehigh was outshot 56-24 for the game, but went two-for-four in man-up opportunities and forced 20 North Carolina turnovers. The Mountain Hawks scooped up 28 ground balls, led by Chris Rhodes with five and Evan Guerrero with four. Lehigh will be on the field twice this week, playing at Stony Brook on Wednesday before going to Dartmouth on Saturday.

Navy The Mids dropped their second straight game with last-second loss to Bucknell. Bison freshman Charlie Streep netted the game-winner as time expired, dropping Navy into an 0-1 hole in Patriot League play. Navy rallied back from a 7-3 deficit, tying the game at 7-7 when Brendan Connors set up behind the cage and found an open Joe Lennon who nailed a shot from eight yards out to tie the game with just 1:30 remaining. A late penalty allowed Bucknell to set up with a man-advantage in the closing minutes. Navy will seek to regain its winning form, and give head coach Richie Meade his 150th career win, with two games this week. Navy will play at Mt. St. Mary's before hosting Patriot League opponent Lafayette.