Oct. 19, 2009
Center Valley, Pa.--American and Bucknell held firm to the top two spots in the Patriot League standings, as each recorded League victories on Saturday. The next four spots, however, are less concise. Four teams are tied for third through sixth.
Patriot League Men's SoccerWeekly Release 10.19.09 
BRINE Offensive Player of the Week
Brendan Burgdorf, Bucknell Fr., F, Westfield, N.J.
Burgdorf enjoyed a five-point week, leading the Bison to a pair of road victories. He scored the first goal of the game in Bucknell's 2-1 overtime win at Marquette on Tuesday. He then added a goal and an assist in Bucknell's 3-0 Patriot League win at Army. He currently leads all Patriot League freshmen with six goals and 14 points.
BRINE Defensive Player of the Week
James Graf, Lehigh Jr., D, Schwenksville, Pa.
Graf blocked four shots while helping the Lehigh defense limit its two foes to a total of one goal on 10 shots and three shots on goal. Graf also scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner against NJIT. His deciding goal against the Highlanders was his first career goal. He followed that with another goal in the Mountain Hawks' 3-0 triumph over Holy Cross.
BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week
Matt Makowski, American So., GK, Quakertown, Pa.
Makowski recorded two wins in goal, including his third shutout of the season. He made seven saves in American's 2-1 double-overtime victory against Penn. He added three saves in the Eagles' 1-0 triumph at Navy. Makowski lowered his goals-against-average to 1.16 and is now 7-3-1 on the season.
BRINE Rookie of the Week
CK Kumah, Bucknell Fr., M, Accra, Ghana
Kumah notched a three-point effort, including the game-winning goal, in the Bison's 2-1 double-overtime win at Marquette. Kumah scored the game-winner against the Golden Eagles with two minutes left in the second overtime. He also assisted Brendan Burgdorf's second half goal. Kumah now has three goals on the season, two of which are game-winners.
Honorable Mention Performances Last Week
Jamie Davin, American
Jr., M, Malius, N.Y.
Scored the game-winning goal with 20 seconds left in the second overtime of American's 2-1 win over Penn.
Patrick Selwood, Bucknell
Sr., D, Darnestown, Md.
Helped the Bucknell defense limit its foes to one goal in 198 minutes in road wins over Marquette and Army.
Alex Weekes, Colgate
Sr., F, Stroudsburg, Pa.
Netted the game-winning goal in the final two minutes of regulation, giving Colgate a 2-1 comeback win over Lafayette.
Jonathan Nydell, Lehigh
Jr., GK, Islamorada, Fla.
Notched two victories, including a shutout against Holy Cross.
Michael Uyehara
Sr., F, Stroudsburg, Pa.
Helped the Navy defense limit its foes to one goal in two games. Also produced the lone goal in Navy's 1-0 win over Howard.
Patriot League Notebook
The Week In Review
All four of the weekend's Patriot League games were won by the road team. American escaped Annapolis with a 1-0 road win over Navy to maintain its perfect Patriot League record. Bucknell remains three points back of the Eagles after producing a 3-0 victory against Army. Colgate topped Lafayette, 2-1, while Lehigh scored a 3-0 win over Holy Cross. Navy, Colgate, Lafayette and Lehigh are all tied for third place in the League standings.
On Deck
The Patriot League schedule will resume this weekend, with two games on Saturday and two more on Sunday. On Saturday, American will attempt to maintain its perfect Patriot League mark at home against Lehigh, while Colgate will host second-place Bucknell. On Sunday, Holy Cross will travel to Annapolis to take on Navy, while Army will host Lafayette.
Eagles Are Flying High
American was picked to finish second in the preseason poll, but the Eagles currently lead the Patriot League with a 4-0 mark. It is just the second time since joining the League that American has started League play with a 4-0 record. The last time the Eagles opened League play with four straight wins was in 2004, the last time American won the Patriot League men's title. American has never opened League play with five consecutive victories. With a win against Lehigh and a loss by either Lafayette, Colgaet or Navy, the Eagles would clinch a spot in the Patriot League Tournament.
No. 100 For Nash
Bucknell's win over Army on Saturday gave head coach Brendan Nash his 100th career victory. Nash has spent all 11 of his seasons as a head coach in Lewisburg. It took him 177 games to reach the 100-win plateau.
Patriot League's Fab Four
Four of the top 10 teams in the latest NSCAA/adidas Mid-Atlantic regional rankings hail from the Patriot League. League-leading American leads the way at No. 2, followed closely by No. 3 Bucknell. Lehigh is ranked seventh, while Navy is placed ninth.
Home Sweet Home
One Patriot League team has yet to lose a home contest this season. Colgate is 4-0-1 in Hamilton, compared to a 1-5 mark on the road. Lafayette took a 5-0 home record into weekend play, but the Leopards were dealt a 2-1 defeat by the Raiders.
Freshmen Finding Their Way
Half of the Patriot League's eight teams are led in scoring by freshmen. Colgate (Mike Reidy), Holy Cross (Shane Regan), Lafayette (Sean Peckham) and Navy (Michael Rakoczy) all find first-year players at the top of their statistical charts thus far. Eight different freshmen have led their teams in scoring at some point this season. Bucknell's Brendan Burgdorf leads all freshmen in goals (6) and points (14) this season.
2009 Patriot League Tournament
The 2009 Patriot League Tournament will take place Friday and Sunday, November 13 and 15 at the site of the highest seed. The top four teams as determined by the regular-season standings will participate in the Patriot League tourney.
Team Notebooks
American
The Eagles are 4-0 in Patriot League play for the second time in school history. American limited Navy to just three shots on goal in the Eagles' 1-0 win. American will be chasing its first ever 5-0 start when it hosts Lehigh on Saturday. With an American win and a loss by either Lafayette, Colgate or Navy, the Eagles would clinch a spot in the Patriot League Tournament.
Army
The Black Knights dropped a 3-0 decision at home against Bucknell, giving Army 11 straight losses. Cole Dietz and Bryan Connolly lead the team with five points apiece. Army will be at home for two games this week. The Black Knights will host non-League foe Sacred Heart on Wednesday before welcoming Lafayette to West Point on Sunday.
Bucknell
After dropping their Patriot League opener, the Bison have responded with three straight League victories. Bucknell has won six straight games overall. Included in that stretch are three road wins. The Bison beat Marquette in Milwaukee on Tuesday before claiming a 3-0 win against Army on Saturday. The win over the Black Knights gave head coach Brendan Nash is 100th career victory. Bucknell will host Penn State on Wednesday before playing at Colgate on Saturday.
Colgate
The Raiders, picked in the preseason to win a third straight title, have won their last two Patriot League games to pull into a tie for third. Alex Weekes scored the game-winner with two minutes left in regulation to give Colgate a 2-1 win over Lafayette in Easton on Saturday. The Raiders will play at Princeton on Tuesday before hosting Bucknell on Saturday.
Holy Cross
Since winning consecutive games against Albany and Colgate, the Crusaders have dropped three straight games by combined margin of 6-0. Holy Cross was dealt a 3-0 loss by Lehigh on Saturday. The Crusaders will host Boston College on Wednesday before playing at Navy on Sunday.
Lafayette
Lafayette suffered its first home loss of the season on Saturday, a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Colgate. The Leopards have now lost two straight Patriot League contests. Lafayette, which was also handed a 2-0 setback by Penn State, has now lost three straight games. The Leopards will attempt to regain their winning form on Tuesday at Cornell before playing at Army on Sunday.
Lehigh
Lehigh scored a pair of victories last week, topping NJIT and Holy Cross. The Mountain Hawks outscored their two foes by a combined 5-1 margin. Adam Welch enters the week leading the Patriot League in assists with five. Lehigh will play at American on Saturday.
Navy
Navy's three-game winning streak came to a close with a 1-0 loss against American. Earlier in the week, the Mids topped Howard by a 1-0 margin. Freshman Michael Uyehara supplied the only goal of the week for Navy. Freshmen have accounted for 27 of Navy's 52 points. The Mids' eight wins match the most in program for the program since winning 11 in 2001. Navy also won eight games in 2005. The Mids will play at Duke on Tuesday before hosting Holy Cross on Sunday.
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