April 17, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.--As the final weekend of the Patriot League regular season looms, there is still much to be decided. Bucknell and Colgate enter the weekend with undefeated Patriot League marks, but after Saturday, only one team will still have its perfect League record. The Raiders and Bison will battle for first place in Hamilton, N.Y. Also up for grabs is the final spot in the Patriot League Tournament. Lafayette and Lehigh will duel on Saturday night with a tournament berth on the line. The rivals are two of three teams still in the hunt for the tournament's final position.

Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Release - 4.17.09

Patriot League Notebook

It All Comes Down To This Heading into the final weekend of the Patriot League regular season, there is still much to be decided. No. 17/20 Bucknell and No. 13/13 Colgate enter their Saturday meeting with identical 5-0 Patriot League records. The winner will claim the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament and earn the right to host the event. The final spot in the tournament will also be decided this weekend, with three teams still fighting for the position. Saturday's rivalry game between Lafayette and Lehigh will determine the final team in the field. With a win, Lehigh would clinch its first Patriot League Tournament berth since 2006. Lafayette needs to beat Lehigh by at least two goals to reach the Patriot League Tournament for the first time in school history. If Lafayette beats Lehigh by one goal, Army would win the tiebreaker between the three programs and receive the final bid to the Patriot League Tournament. Since the Patriot League Tournament began in 2004, the Black Knights have never missed the field.

In Review The final Patriot League Tournament spot has yet to be determined, thanks to Tuesday's results. Lehigh fought off Holy Cross to claim a 7-5 victory, while Army scored seven straight goals in a five-minute span to defeat Lafayette by a 13-12 margin. Bucknell and Colgate remain undefeated with one week left in the regular season, thanks to victories by the Bison and the Raiders last weekend. Bucknell notched a decisive 18-10 win over Lehigh, while 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.

Running With The Big Dogs Patriot League teams will test their mettle outside of League play this weekend. Three Patriot League teams will square off against ranked non-League foes. 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.

Corp A Finalist For Tewaaraton Trophy Colgate University senior attacker Brandon Corp has been named as a finalist for the 2009 Tewaaraton Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top male and female player in collegiate lacrosse. Corp is one of 21 finalists for the award. He is the first Colgate player to be nominated for the honor. The winner will be announced May 28. Corp currently leads the nation in points with 53. He ranks in the top three in the Patriot League in goals (30) and assists (23). Corp has served as a co-captain for the No. 13/13 Raiders.

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 kept their hopes of a Patriot League Tournament berth alive with a dramatic 13-12 victory over Lafayette on Tuesday. Army scored seven consecutive goals over a span of 4:56, including five goals in 1:33, to rally back from a 10-5 deficit with 13:44 left to play. Sophomore attackman Jeremy Boltus tallied a career-high seven points on three goals and four assists, while senior attackman Jason Peyer added three goals and an assist to spur the Army comeback. The win snapped a four-game skid by the Black Knights. Army has never missed the Patriot League Tournament since it was first played in 2004. To keep its streak intact, Army needs Lafayette to defeat Lehigh by one goal on Saturday. Also on Saturday, the Black Knights will look to knock off No. 8/8 Duke in Durham, N.C.

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 on Saturday. 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 finished the Patriot League regular season with a 7-5 loss to Lehigh on Tuesday. Holy Cross closed with an 0-6 Patriot League mark. The Crusaders have won two of their last three non-League games, however, including two straight. Holy Cross knocked off Vermont and Marist last week, giving the Crusaders back-to-back wins for the first time since winning three straight from April 7 through April 14 last season. Holy Cross will wrap up the regular season on the road against No. 17/17 Harvard and Bryant.

Lafayette The Leopards enter the weekend with 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 began the week with a 13-12 loss to Army in West Point, N.Y. Lafayette needs to beat rival Lehigh by at least two goals to clinch a spot in the Patriot League Tournament. The Leopards will battle the Mountain Hawks on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Bethlehem, Pa.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-5 win over Holy Cross on Tuesday. Senior Ricky Cornetta recorded three goals and an assist in the win. Lehigh will attempt to secure its first Patriot League Tournament berth since 2006 when it hosts Lafayette on Saturday. With a win, the Mountain Hawks would secure the No. 4 seed in the tournament. Lehigh will be seeking its first home win of the season. The Mountain Hawks are 0-5 at the Ulrich Sports Complex and 0-7 in games played in Pennsylvania this season.

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 on Saturday. 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.

Note: Live stats and streaming are available for this weekend's Patriot League games. Fans can access these options by visiting the athletic web pages for Colgate and Lehigh.