April 13, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.--Entering the final week of the regular season, there is still much to play for in the Patriot League. Bucknell and Colgate will square off on Saturday with an undefeated Patriot League regular season on the line. The winner will claim the top seed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament and earn the right to host the event. The fourth and final tournament spot is also up for grabs. Army, Lafayette and Lehigh will battle for the final position during the last week of the season.

Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Release 4.13.09

Offensive Player of the Week (Apr. 6-12)

Kevin Colleluori, Colgate Sr., A, Bethpage, N.Y. Colleluori averaged 4.5 points per game and scored the game-winning goal in both of Colgate's victories last week. He produced three goals, two assists and one ground ball in the Raiders' 11-9 win against Binghamton on Tuesday. He followed that with three goals, an assist and three ground balls in a 12-10 win at Lafayette, helping the Raiders remain undefeated in Patriot League play. It is the second time that Colleluori has received the honor this season.

Defensive Player of the Week (Apr. 6-12)

Billy Haire, Bucknell Sr., D, Darien, Conn. Haire tallied 11 ground balls, three caused turnovers and an assist in two contests last week. The preseason Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year notched seven ground balls in the Bison's 9-8 loss to Penn State. He added four more ground balls, in addition to three caused turnovers, in Bucknell's win over Lehigh. In the Bison's victory', Haire registered his first point of the year when he stole the ball in his own zone, ran the length of the field and made a pass to Austin Winter near the goal for the score.

Goalkeeper of the Week (Apr. 6-12)

Tommy Phelan, Navy Sr., GK, Towson, Md. Phelan was named the Smartlink Day of Rivals Player of the Game after anchoring a Navy defense that held Army to a season-low four goals. Making just his third start of the season, Phelan turned in his third straight game with 15 or more saves, tying a career high with 16 stops. He helped maintain Navy lead in a busy third quarter, stopping eight of nine Army shots in what was a 13-shot period by the Black Knights. He helped the Mids' man-down defense hold Army to one extra-man goal on four attempts. It is the second consecutive week that Phelan has been named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week.

Rookie of the Week (Apr. 6-12)

Colin McGeehin, Holy Cross Fr., A, Newtown Square, Pa. McGeehin recorded eight points, including six goals, while helping Holy Cross notch a pair of victories last week. He scored the game-winning goal in both contests. McGeehin scored two goals in the Crusaders' 12-11 win at Vermont on Tuesday. He then contributed to six of Holy Cross' nine goals in the Crusaders' 9-4 triumph over Marist on Saturday. He provided four goals, two assists and one ground ball against the Red Foxes. It is the second time that McGeehin has been named Patriot League Rookie of the Week.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Austin Winter, Bucknell Jr., A, Boonton Township, N.J. Had 10 points in Bucknell's two games last week, with six coming in the Bison's win over Lehigh. Had two goals and four assists against the Mountain Hawks. Also had a goal and three assists against Penn State.

Jimmy Harrison, Holy Cross Sr., GK, East Williston, N.Y. Held Vermont and Marist to 6.99 goals per game in two Holy Cross wins. Faced 42 shots on goal, making 26 saves. Allowed just three goals in the Crusaders' 9-4 win over Marist.

Tom Perini, Lafayette So, A, Huntington, N.Y. Scored three goals and scooped up one ground ball in the Leopards' 12-10 loss to No. 15/15 Colgate. Scored in each of the first three quarters against the Raiders.

Brendan Connors, Navy Jr., A, Bellmore, N.Y. Accounted for a career-best five of Navy's eight goals in the Mids' 8-4 win over Army. Tied a career high with three goals while adding a pair of assists.

Patriot League Notebook

In Review Bucknell and Colgate remain undefeated with one week left in the regular season, thanks to victories by the Bison and the Raiders. Bucknell, which lost a non-League contest to Penn State earlier in the week, rebounded for a decisive 18-10 win over Lehigh. Colgate held off Lafayette to claim a 12-10 victory over the Leopards. Joining Bucknell and Colgate in the Patriot League Tournament will be Navy. The Mids locked up the No. 3 seed with an 8-4 triumph over rival Army at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday. Also winning on Saturday was Holy Cross. The Crusaders beat Marist, giving Holy Cross two consecutive non-League victories.

On Deck First place and the right to host the Patriot League Tournament will be on the line when No. 17/20 Bucknell and No. 13/13 Colgate meet on Saturday in Hamilton, N.Y. Colgate has won the last five meetings between the programs. The final spot in the Patriot League Tournament will also be decided this week. Army, Lafayette and Lehigh will be battling for the final position in the tournament. Lafayette and Lehigh enter the week tied at 1-3, while Army is 1-4. Army and Lafayette will meet on Tuesday in West Point, N.Y., while Lehigh will host Holy Cross. On Saturday, Lafayette and Lehigh will square off in Bethlehem, Pa. Outside of League play, Patriot League teams will match up against some of the nation's top teams. Army will play at No. 8/8 Duke, Holy Cross will be at No. 17/17 Harvard and No. 11/11 Navy will battle No. 9/9 Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

Too Close To Call The Patriot League's regular season crown will go to either Bucknell or Colgate, with the teams' Saturday match-up determining the Patriot League Tournament's top seed. The race for the No. 4 seed is not quite as simple. If Lafayette defeats Army on Tuesday, the winner of Saturday's Lafayette-Lehigh game would clinch the final spot in the Tournament. If Lafayette loses to Army and beats Lehigh, there would be a three-way tie beteween Army, Lafayette and Lehigh if the Mountain Hawks beat Holy Cross. The tie would be broken by goal differential between the tied institutions. If a tie remained, goal differential in Patriot League play would determine the Tournament's final team. If Army beats Lafayette and Lehigh loses its final two games, Army would be the No. 4 seed.

Patriot League Teams In The Rankings Three Patriot League teams are currently in this week's national rankings. Navy climbed two spots in both the USILA Coaches' Poll and the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. The Mids are No. 11 in both sets of rankings. Colgate also climbed two spots in both polls. The Raiders are ranked No. 15 by both the media and the coaches. Bucknell moved up two spots to No. 17 in the coaches' poll and remained No. 20 in the media rankings. Also receiving votes in the coaches' poll was Army.

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 dropped to sixth place in the Patriot League standings after suffering their fourth straight defeat on Saturday. Army was dealt an 8-4 defeat by rival Navy at Baltimore's M&T Bank Satidum. Senior Kevin LoRusso scored two goals in defeat. Saturday's game marked just the second time in 87 meetings that Army and Navy met at a neutral site. The only other instance was when the teams met in the 2006 Patriot League Tournament in Hamilton, N.Y. Army will attempt to keep its hopes for a Patriot League Tournament berth alive on Tuesday. The Black Knights will close the regular season against Lafayette, one of two teams currently ahead of Army for fourth place.

Bucknell The Bison remained undefeated in Patriot League play with an 18-10 triumph over Lehigh in Lewisburg on Saturday night. Austin Winter registered two goals and four assists in the victory. Earlier in the week, Winter notched one goal and three assists in the Bison's 9-8 loss to Penn State. Also in the loss, sophomore Jake Clarke broke school records for faceoff wins in a game (20), faceoff percentage in a game (.952, 20-for-21) and ground balls in a game (13). Bucknell and co-League-leading Colgate will battle in Hamilton, N.Y. on Saturday. On the line will be first place in the Patriot League and right to host the Patriot League Tournament.

Colgate The Raiders held off Lafayette by a 12-10 margin and maintained its unblemished Patriot League record. Colgate has now won eight straight games, including all five Patriot League contests. Colgate's last loss was a 13-9 defeat at the hands of UMBC. At the time, Colgate had lost three straight. Colgate goalkeeper Tim Harrington became the first goalkeeper in school history to win eight straight decisions. He has now won 10 consecutive Patriot League contests dating back to last season, another Colgate record. The Raiders will meet Bucknell on Saturday with first place in the Patriot League on the line.

Holy Cross The Crusaders entered last week with one win and exited with three. Holy Cross knocked off Vermont and Marist, giving the Crusaders back-to-back wins for the first time since winning three straight from April 7 through April 14 last season. Senior goalkeeper Jimmy Harrison faced 42 shots on goal during the week, making 26 saves. He allowed just 14 goals, including a season-low three against Marist. Holy Cross will wrap up Patriot League play at home against Lehigh before closing the season on the road against No. 17/17 Harvard and Bryant.

Lafayette With two games left on the schedule, Lafayette has a chance to reach the Patriot League Tournament for the first time in school history. The Leopards finished tied for second in the standings in 1991-93, the first three years of the Patriot League. At that time, there was no League Tournament. Since then, Lafayette has finished no better than fifth in the Patriot League. The Leopards enter the week on the heels of a 12-10 loss to No. 13/13 Colgate. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak. With two wins, the Leopards would clinch a spot in the Patriot League Tournament. The Leopards will play at Army on Tuesday and travel to Lehigh on Saturday.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks lost their fourth straight game, an 18-10 defeat at Bucknell. Ricky Cornetta paced Lehigh with three goals and two assists. Lehigh has now lost all seven of the games it has played in Pennsylvania this season, including all five of its home games. The Mountain Hawks will close the regular season with home contests against Holy Cross and Lafayette. Lehigh can clinch a Patriot League Tournament berth with two wins.

Navy The Mids clinched a spot in the Patriot League Tournament with an 8-4 Star Game win over rival Army in Baltimore, Md. in front of 20,732 fans. Navy has won the only two neutral-site games between the two programs. Navy now holds a 57-27-3 advantage in the series that was first played in 1924. Senior goalkeeper Tommy Phelan recorded his third win in as many starts this season. He has defeated Georgetown, Maryland and Army. Phelan is surrendering just 5.33 goals per game. Navy will attempt to bolster its posteason resume this weekend when it plays at No. 9/9 Johns Hopkins.