March 23, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.--Colgate and Bucknell now find themselves tied for the top spot in the Patriot League standings after Colgate became the first team to defeat Navy on its home field in Patriot League play. Prior to Saturday, the Midshipmen were 20-0 at home in Patriot League contests. Also battling for position are Army and Lehigh. The Black Knights and Mountain Hawks are tied for the fourth and final spot in the Patriot League Tournament. Lehigh holds the tiebreaker due to the Mountain Hawks' win over Army on Tuesday.

Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Weekly Release 3.23.09

Offensive Player of the Week (Mar. 16-22)

Ricky Cornetta, Lehigh Sr., A, Dix Hills, N.Y.

Cornetta scored 13 points while helping Lehigh record a pair of victories against ranked foes. He handed out a career-best five assists, including one on the game-winning goal, in the Mountain Hawks' win over Patriot League opponent Army. He also assisted the game-tying goal with 1:01 left in regulation. He added a pair of goals of his own in the win. Cornetta also notched a hat trick in Lehigh's win over St. John's, including the game-tying score with one second left in regulation. He had previously tied the game with 5:10 left in regulation. For the week, Cornetta finished with five goals, eight assists, 13 points and nine ground balls.

Defensive Player of the Week (Mar. 16-22)

Jake Clarke, Bucknell So., SSDM, Cos Cob, Conn.

Clarke, the Patriot League leader in faceoff percentage and ground balls, had a big week in both categories to help Bucknell record wins over Denver and Air Force. Clarke had eight ground balls and won 14-of-21 draws in the Bison's 13-8 win over No. 18 Denver. He followed that with five ground balls and a 7-of-10 faceoff performance against Air Force. Against Air Force, Clarke and the Bucknell defense allowed a season-low two goals.

Goalkeeper of the Week (Mar. 16-22)

Matt Antonelli, Bucknell Sr., GK, Arnold, Md.

Antonelli went 2-0 in goal last week for Bucknell. He came in in relief in the second quarter against Denver with his team trailing by a 4-2 margin. He allowed just four goals to the high-powered Pioneers the rest of the way as Bucknell rallied to win, 13-8. Antonelli then got the start against Air Force and made a career-high 13 saves while yielding just two goals. For the week, Antonelli had a .750 save percentage.

Rookie of the Week (Mar. 16-22)

Cameron Lao-Gosney, Lehigh Fr., M, Raymond, Maine

Lao-Gosney scored a career-best five goals, including the game-winner in Lehigh's comeback win at No. 20/19 Army. He scored all five of his goals in the final 20 minutes to help lead the Mountain Hawks back from an 11-4 deficit. He also scored twice and added an assist in Lehigh's 10-9 triumph at No. 18 St. John's.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Tom Palesky, Army So., GK, Plano, Texas

Made 32 saves while allowing 18 goals in two games last week. Made 18 saves while surrendering just five goals in Army's 8-5 win at Holy Cross. Made 14 saves in the Black Knights' loss to Lehigh.

Perry Menzies, Bucknell Sr., M, Upperco, Md.

Recorded a pair of hat tricks in Bucknell's wins over No. 18 Denver and Air Force. Scored the game-winning goal in both contests.

Brandon Corp, Colgate Sr., A, Chittenango, N.Y. Notched three goals and two assists in Colgate's first-ever win at Navy. Extended his scoring streak to 40 games. Also picked up two ground balls.

Tim Harrington, Colgate Jr., GK, Lutherville, Md.

Stopped 13 shots while allowing nine goals in Colgate's road win over No. 15/13 Navy. Became first Colgate goalkeeper to beat Navy twice. Made seven of his 13 saves in the second half, holding Navy to three goals after halftime.

Jimmy Harrison, Holy Cross Sr., GK, Easton Williston, N.Y.

Made 23 saves in two games last week. Stopped eight shots while holding Hartford to two goals in a 7-3 Holy Cross victory. Made 15 saves on Saturday in the Crusaders' loss to Army.

Patriot League Notebook

In Review Colgate moved into a tie with Bucknell atop the Patriot League standings after the Raiders defeated No. 15/13 Navy on Saturday. It was just Colgate's third win against Navy and the Raiders' first-ever win against the Mids in Annapolis. Bucknell, which was idle in Patriot League competition, scored a pair of non-League victories. The Bison topped No. 18 Denver in Lewisburg on Tuesday before knocking off Air Force in Dallas, Texas on Saturday. Lehigh went on the road to defeat a pair of ranked foes. The Mountain Hawks defeated No. 18 St. John's in overtime. That followed a victory over No. 20/19 Army in overtime. In addition to picking up its first Patriot League loss, Army also recorded its first Patriot League win. The Black Knights beat Holy Cross in Worcester on Saturday. Lafayette dropped a pair of non-League contests on the road, falling to Drexel and Stony Brook.

On Deck Among the 10 games on the schedule are two Patriot League contests. Colgate and Army will meet in a key Patriot League battle on Sunday, which will be televised by Time Warner. Also this week, Bucknell will host Holy Cross on Saturday.

Road Warriors All three of last week's Patriot League games were won by the visiting team. All three of those games involved ranked teams, with the unranked team winning twice. Lehigh led all Patriot League teams with two road victories last week, both of which came against ranked foes. The Mountain Hawks scored their first Patriot League win of the year against No. 20/19 Army before knocking off No. 18 St. John's in non-League play.

Patriot League Teams In The Rankings Two Patriot League teams are currently in this week's rankings, while another three are receiving votes. Navy and Colgate, which competed against each other on Saturday, find themselves in both the USILA Coaches Top 20 poll and the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Top 20. Navy is ranked 16th in both polls, while Colgate enters this week's rankings in the 17th spot in both polls after knocking off the Mids. Army, Bucknell and Lehigh received votes in both polls.

Five Nominated For Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Five Patriot League men's lacrosse student-athletes are among 30 candidates for the candidates for the lacrosse division of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: Classroom, Character, Community, and Competition. Among the Patriot League candidates are Bucknell midfielder Doug Buckley, Colgate attackman Brandon Corp, Holy Cross goalkeeper Jimmy Harrison, Army defenseman Scott Rosenshein and Navy defenseman Andy Tormey.

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 and Friday's semifinals will be broadcast on CBS College Sports. Third-seeded Colgate won last year's championship in West Point, N.Y.

Team Notebooks

Army The Black Knights had their three-game winning streak snapped in a 13-12 overtime loss to Lehigh on Tuesday, but Army rebounded with an 8-5 win over Holy Cross. The Black Knights are currently in a tie with Lehigh for fourth place in the Patriot League standings. Freshman defenseman Tim Henderson scored his first collegiate goal while scooping up three ground balls and causing a turnover in Army's win on Saturday. Army will travel to Hamilton for a key Sunday showdown with Patriot League co-leader Colgate.

Bucknell The Bison have now won three straight games after taking a pair of non-League victories last week. The Bison rallied to defeat No. 18 Denver, 13-8, on Tuesday. Bucknell then topped Air Force, 9-2, in Dallas on Saturday. Senior goalkeeper Matt Antonelli became the second Bucknell goalkeeper in as many weeks to be named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week. Antonelli and Nick Sciubba became the first goalkeeping duo from the same school to win the award in back-to-back weeks. With three assists last week, Austin Winter moved into third place on Bucknell's career assist chart with 75. The Bison will host Towson and Holy Cross this week.

Colgate The Raiders knocked off No. 15/13 Navy in Annapolis for the first time in program history. Colgate's 10-9 win moved the Raiders into a tie with Bucknell atop the Patriot League standings. Senior Brandon Corp extended his scoring streak to 40 games with three goals and two assists against the Midshipmen. Junior goalkeeper Tim Harrington became the first Colgate goalkeeper to beat Navy twice. He has now beaten the Mids on back-to-back occasions after doing so in last season's Patriot League Tournament semifinals. Colgate will be at home for another key Patriot League battle this weekend. The Raiders will meet Army on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Holy Cross The Crusaders picked up their first win of the season, a 7-3 victory over Hartford on Tuesday. Colin McGeehin recorded a career-high three points with two goals and an assist. Kenny Minor added two goals, while Jimmy Harrison stopped eight of the 10 shots he faced. On Saturday, Holy Cross was dealt its ninth consecutive Patriot League loss, an 8-5 defeat at the hands of Army. The Crusaders will square off against Dartmouth on Tuesday before hitting the road to take on Patriot League co-leader Bucknell on Saturday.

Lafayette The Leopards dropped a pair of non-League contests last week, extending their losing streak to four games. In Tuesday's loss, Stony Brook scored the game's first six goals. On Saturday, Drexel jumped out to a 4-0 lead on the Leopards. Lafayette came back to tie Drexel before falling, 13-6. Against Stony Brook, the Leopards pulled with two goals before dropping a 12-9 decision. Lafayette will hit the road to take on Mount St. Mary's on Saturday.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks are receiving votes in both national polls after picking up a pair of road wins against ranked foes last week. Lehigh's victories were its first against ranked foes under second-year head coach Kevin Cassese. Freshman Cameron Lao-Gosney's game-winning goal in overtime helped complete Lehigh's comeback against No. 20/19 Army. The Mountain Hawks had trailed, 11-4, but came back to win, 13-12. Lehigh also notched a 10-9 overtime win against No. 18 St. John's. Lehigh will look to maintain its momentum with a pair of non-League games this week. The Mountain Hawks will play at Delaware on Tuesday before hosting Bryant on Saturday.

Navy The Mids have lost multiple Patriot League games for the first time since joining the League for men's lacrosse in 2004. Navy dropped a 10-9 decision to defending Patriot League Tournament champion Colgate on Saturday, marking the first time Navy has lost at home in Patriot League play. Prior to Saturday's contest, Navy had been 20-0 at home in Patriot League competition. Navy will seek to regain its winning form and add to its League-high win total with a Saturday contest at Georgetown.