March 15, 2010
Center Valley, Pa.--A Saturday showdown awaits Bucknell and Lafayette. The Patriot League's lone nationally ranked teams will square off in Lewisburg, Pa. Both teams are coming off victories, as No. 11/15 Lafayette handed Navy a 15-8 defeat, and Bucknell recorded a 9-7 non-League win over Hobart. The Bucknell-Lafayette duel will be the only Patriot League contest of the week, as the rest of the League will participate in non-League games.
Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Release - 3.15.10 
Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week
Colin Serling, Lafayette Jr., A, Rockville Center, N.Y.
Serling helped the Leopards move to 5-0 for the first time in school history with a 15-8 win over Navy on Friday. Serling tallied three goals and two assists for a five-point effort against the Midshipmen. He also registered two ground balls in the win. It is the first time in his career that Serling has been named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week. He is the third Lafayette student-athlete to be named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week this season, joining his older brother, Steve, and Tom Perini.
Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week
Alex Lyons, Bucknell Jr., D, Owings Mills, Md.
Lyons caused five turnovers and recorded four ground balls in Bucknell’s 9-7 triumph over Hobart on Saturday. Lyons now leads the team with 14 caused turnovers. It is the first time in his career that Lyons has been named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week. He is the second different Bucknell student-athlete to receive the honor this season, joining Jake Clarke.
Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week
Vinny DePasquale, Lafayette Sr., GK, East Meadow, N.Y.
DePasquale was named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week for the first time in his career after leading the Leopards to a 15-8 win over Navy on Friday. DePasquale made a career-high 17 saves while allowing just eight goals, giving him a .680 save percentage. DePasquale has stopped at least 10 shots in four of Lafayette’s games this season, helping the Leopards move to 5-0 for the first time in program history.
Patriot League Rookie of the Week
James Kennedy, Holy Cross Fr., A, Summit, N.J.
Kennedy scored with three seconds remaining in regulation, giving Holy Cross a 9-8 victory over Colgate on Saturday. It was Kennedy’s first collegiate game-winner. Kennedy tallied a career-best four goals in the win, the Crusaders’ first Patriot League triumph since 2007. Kennedy also had a goal and an assist in the Crusaders’ 13-8 victory over Dartmouth on Tuesday. It is the first time that Kennedy has received Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors.
Honorable Mention Performances Last Week
Garrett Thul, Army
Fr., A, Flemington, N.J.
Registered his fourth four-goal performance of the year in Army’s overtime loss at Air Force. Notched four of the Black Knights’ seven goals, including three straight goals in the third period.
Charlie Streep, Bucknell
So., A, New Canaan, Conn.
Moved from midfield to attack against Hobart and scored four goals against the Statesmen. Scored three times in the second half, including the game-winning tally.
Kyle Feeney, Bucknell
Fr., GK, Greenwich, Conn.
Made 11 saves, including four in the fourth quarter, as Bucknell recorded a 9-7 win over Hobart. Stopped 61 percent of the shots he faced against the Statesmen.
Patrick Campbell, Colgate
So., M, Massapequa, N.Y.
Notched a hat trick in Colgate’s Patriot League opener at Holy Cross. Campbell now has six goals and seven points this season.
Edison Parzanese, Holy Cross
Sr., A, Edgartown, Mass.
Had an eight-point week as Holy Cross went 2-0. Notched three goals, three assists and three ground balls in the Crusaders’ victory at Dartmouth. Addded a goal, an assist and three ground balls in Holy Cross’ Patriot League-opening triumph over Colgate.
Douglas Broussard, Holy Cross
Jr., D, Floral Park, N.Y.
Part of a defense that allowed just eight goals per game in Holy Cross’ two wins. Had nine ground balls, including five against Dartmouth.
Dante Fantoni, Lehigh
Fr., A, Hauppauge, N.Y.
Led the Mountain Hawks with three goals and four points against No. 17/20 Yale. Tied the game with two fourth quarter goals. Also scooped up four ground balls in the loss.
Patriot League Notebook
Hello, Lafayette
Lafayette is off to its best start in school history, opening the season with five straight wins. As a result, the Leopards are ranked as high as 11th nationally. Lafayette made its presence felt in Patriot League play on Friday, notching an impressive 15-8 win over defending champion Navy.
Snapping The Skids
Holy Cross ended a trio of unpleasant losing streaks last week. The Crusaders defeated Dartmouth and Colgate, marking Holy Cross’ first win over each program. The Crusaders had lost 20 straight games to Colgate and and 28 consecutive outings against the Big Green. Holy Cross’ win against the Raiders was the Crusaders’ first Patriot League win since a 16-11 victory at Lafayette on April 7, 2007. The Crsusaders’ Saturday triumph snapped a 12-game Patriot League losing streak.
Still Waiting
Colgate, Holy Cross and Lafayette all started Patriot League play over the weekend, leaving just one squad without a Patriot League game under its belt. Army will not begin Patriot League competition until March 23 when it travels to Lehigh. Just one Patriot League team has played multiple League contests. Navy is 2-1 after dropping its Friday contest at Lafayette.
Showdown On The Horizon
Just one Patriot League game is on the schedule this week, but it could go a long way in determining the postseason fates of both teams. No. 11/15 Lafayette will bring its 5-0 record into Lewisburg, Pa., where it will meet No. 18/18 Bucknell. Lafayette, which was picked sixth in the preseason poll, is 1-0 in Patriot League contests. Bucknell, which was picked second prior to the season, is 0-1 in League games. Both teams’ lone Patriot League outings were against Navy.
Getting It Done On Both Ends
Lafayette is 5-0, thanks to strong play on both ends of the field. The Leopards lead the Patriot League in nearly every offensive category, including goals, assists and points. In addition, the Leopards are allowing a League-low 8.00 goals per game.
Six On Tewaaraton Watch List
A total of six Patriot League men’s lacrosse student-athletes were named to the 2010 watch list for the Tewaaraton Trophy, the sport’s premier individual accolade. Named to the list were Army’s Bill Henderson and Tom Palesky, Bucknell’s Austin Winter, Lafayette’s Tom Perini and Navy’s Tim Paul and Matt Vernam.
Patriot League Teams in the Polls
Lafayette ascended to new heights in the national polls, reaching No. 11 in the USILA coaches’ poll and No. 15 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media rankings. The Leopards are 5-0 for the first time in program history after Friday’s convincing win over Navy. As a result, Navy dropped out of both polls. Bucknell, which recorded a home win over Hobart on Saturday, climbed two spots in the coaches’ poll and dropped two spots in the media rankings. The Bison are No. 18 in both polls.
Team Notebooks
Army The Black Knights dropped an 8-7 overtime decision at Air Force on Saturday. Army has lost four straight games, three of which have been by a single goal. Freshman Garrett Thul tallied four goals, giving him a team-leading 15 goals on the season. Thul has four different four-goal performances this season. With Army trailing by four, he scored three straight goals in the third quarter to pull the Black Knights within one score. After playing its past three games on the road, Army will return home for a Saturday showdown with Rutgers.
Bucknell The No. 18/18 Bison improved to 3-2 with a 9-7 win over Hobart on Saturday. In the absence of injured starter Tim Brandau, sophomore midfielder Charlie Streep moved to attack against the Statesmen. In his first game at the position, Streep scored four of the Bison’s nine goals. Streep helped Bucknell break free after going into halftime tied with Hobart. Streep scored three times in the second half, including the first goal after the break to put the Bison up for good. Bucknell will play in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Tuesday against Jacksonville. The Bison will return home for a Saturday showdown against Patriot League co-leader Lafayette.
Colgate The Raiders fell to Holy Cross in Colgate’s Patriot League opener on Saturday. After trailing most of the game, Colgate took an 8-7 lead off a goal by sophomore Patrick Campbell with 10:06 remaining. The Crusaders tied the game five minutes later before notching the winning tally in the closing seconds. Campbell led the Raiders with three goals, while classmate Chris Zielinski recorded a career-high three assists. Junior Ben McCabe also recorded three points off two goals and an assist. The Raiders will play at No. 14/11 Harvard on Tuesday.
Holy Cross The Crusaders won back-to-back games for the first time since April of last season, notching victories over Dartmouth and Colgate. Holy Cross’ win over Colgate was the Crusaders’ first Patriot League win since an April 7, 2007 victory at Lafayette. It was Holy Cross’ first win in a Patriot League opener since the League began competition in men’s lacrosse in 1991. The Crusaders’ victories over Dartmouth and Colgate marked the first time Holy Cross had beaten either team. The Cruaders entered the week with an 0-28 mark against Dartmouth and an 0-20 record against the Raiders.
Lafayette The No. 11/15 Leopards remained unbeaten in 2010 with a 15-8 rain-soaked win over Patriot League foe Navy on Friday. It marked the first time Lafayette had ever beaten the Midshipmen. The Leopards got four goals from junior Tom Perini, five points from sophomore Colin Serling and 17 saves from senior goalkeeper Vinny DePasquale. Perini's scoring streak now stands at 19 games, dating back to April 20, 2008, the 13th longest streak in the country. Lafaeytte will put its unbeaten streak on the line at No. 18/18 Bucknell on Saturday.
Lehigh The Mountain Hawks battled No. 17/20 Yale before dropping an 8-6 decision in Bethlehem. Freshman Dante Fantoni paced Lehgih with three goals and an assist. Fantoni has six goals in his last three games. He has notched a point in five of Lehigh’s six games, and he currently leads the Mountain Hawks with 12 points (seven goals, five assists). After hosting Detroit Mercy on Monday, Lehigh will have eight days off before hosting Army.
Navy The Midshipmen dropped out of the national rankings after being dealt a 15-8 loss at Lafayette on Friday. It was the first time that Navy had surrendered 15 goals to a team other than Johns Hopkins since a 15-8 loss to Hofstra in the 1999 NCAA Tournament. The seven-goal loss was the largest margin of defeat in a Patriot League contest, regular season or tournament, by the Mids. The 15 goals marked the most goals scored against Navy by a Patriot League foe. Joe Lennon, Brian Striffler and Andy Warner paced Navy with two goals apiece. The Mids will play at Towson on Tuesday.
