Oct. 26, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.--American was the first men's soccer team to punch its ticket to the Patriot League Tournament. Two other teams will be looking to join the Eagles this weekend. Bucknell can secure a tournament berth with a win or a tie. With a win, plus help from other teams, Lafayette can clinch a spot in the tournament, as well.

Patriot League Men's Soccer Release 10.26.09

BRINE Offensive Player of the Week
B.J. Glenn, Lafayette Jr., F, Philadelphia, Pa.
Glenn kept pressure on opposing defenses, firing off eight shots in two games. Glenn produced the game-winning goal in the Leopards’ win over Army. It is the first time this season and the third time in his career that Glenn has been named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week.

BRINE Defensive Player of the Week
Nick Leigh, Lafayette Sr., D, Urbana, Ill.
Leigh helped the Lafayette defense hold its two opponents scoreless. He anchored a defensive unit that allowed just seven shots on goal. He registered his first point of the season on an assist against Army. It is the second time this season and the second time in his career that Leigh has been named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week.

BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week
Jonathan Nydell, Lehigh Jr., GK, Washington, D.C.
Nydell made seven saves while holding Holy Cross scoreless in a scoreless tie. Nydell now has three solo shutouts this season. It is the first time this season and the third time in his career that Nydell has been named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week.

BRINE Rookie of the Week
Josh Plump, Bucknell Fr., F, Millburn, Ga.
Plump gave Bucknell a lift off the bench in Bucknell’s 2-1 win over Colgate. With 9:18 left to play, Plump tied the game at 1-1 with his first collegiate goal. Bucknell went on to win the game in the 89th minute. Plump is now the third different Bucknell freshman to win a Patriot League weekly award this season, joining CK Kumah and Brendan Burgdorf.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Matt Makowski, American
So., GK, Quakertown, Pa.
Shut out Lehigh for 110 minutes, making four stops. Now has four shutouts on the season, including back-to-back scoreless sheets. Has a current shutout streak of 253:20.

Andrew Powell, Bucknell
So., D, Charlton, Mass.
Made a late defensive save against Colgate, keeping it a one-goal game. Later scored with 1:52 remaining to give Bucknell a 2-1 victory.

Thomas Booth, Holy Cross
Sr., GK, Patchogue, N.Y.
Recorded his third shutout of the season in the Crusaders’ 1-0 win over Navy. Made seven saves in two games last week.

Philip Nelson, Lafayette
Sr., GK, Attleboro, Mass.
Recorded back-to-back shutouts, making seven saves. Made six saves in the Leopards’ 2-0 win over Cornell.

Patriot League Notebook

The Week In Review
For the first time this season, American did not record a win in a Patriot League game. However, a scoreless tie against Lehigh was enough for the Eagles to become the first team to clinch a spot in the Patriot League Tournament. With the tie, Lehigh climbed into fourth place in the League standings. Bucknell remained hot on American’s heels with its fourth Patriot League win of the season. The Bison picked up a 2-1 win over preseason favorite Colgate to tighten its grip on second place. Colgate fell into a three-way tie for fifth place. Lafayette scored its third Patriot League win of the season and moved into third place with a 2-0 victory over Army, keeping the Black Knights winless in League play. Holy Cross notched its second League win of the season, topping Navy, 1-0. The Crusaders and Mids are tied with Colgate for fifth place.

On Deck
A televised contest between Bucknell and Lafayette will highlight this week’s Patriot League schedule. The Bison and Leopards will meet in Lewisburg, with coverage provided by the Fox Soccer Channel. Also on Friday, Navy and Colgate will battle in Hamilton, while Army will host Lehigh. On Saturday, Holy Cross will host League-leading American.

Trying To Clinch
American has already clinched a berth in the Patriot League Tournament. Two more teams will try to join the Eagles this weekend. With a win or a tie, Bucknell would claim a spot in the tournament. If Holy Cross and Lehigh lose or tie, Bucknell could reach the tournament even with a loss. If Colgate and Navy tie and American beats Holy Cross, Lafayette would secure a tournament berth with a win over Bucknell. The Leopards could also reach the tournament with a win over Bucknell, and wins by American against Holy Cross and a Lehigh loss or tie. American can clinch the top seed and homefield advantage in the tournament with a win and a Bucknell loss or tie.

Eagles Are Flying High
American was picked to finish second in the preseason poll, but the Eagles currently lead the Patriot League with a 4-0-1 mark. It is the first time since joining the League that American has played its first five Patriot League contests without a loss.

Streaks Snapped
American and Bucknell both had winning streaks halted, while Army put an end to its 11-game losing streak. American tied Lehigh, ending its four-game winning streak, while Bucknell’s six-game winning streak came to a close with a 2-1 loss to Penn State. Despite its winning streak coming to an end, American has not lost in its past eight games.

Freshmen Finding Their Way
Three of the Patriot League’s eight teams are led in scoring by freshmen. 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 with 14 points this season. Burgdorf and Colgate’s Mike Reidy share the League lead with six goals.

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. 

Patriot League Soccer On Fox Soccer Channel
For the third consecutive season, Patriot League soccer will be making an appearance on national television. Fox Soccer Channel will televise the Oct. 30 contest between Lafayette and Bucknell, which will be played at 8 p.m. at Bucknell's Holmes Stadium in Lewisburg, Pa. Previous Patriot League appearances on the Fox Soccer Channel have included last season's Army/Navy men's game, the Bucknell men's squad's 2007 home contest against Lehigh and Colgate's women's team's 2007 meeting with Iowa.

Team Notebooks

American
The Eagles are 4-0-1 in Patriot League play after playing Lehigh to a scoreless draw. It is the first time since joining the Patriot League that American has been without a loss through five League games. The Eagles have already clinched a Patriot League Tournament berth and can secure the top seed with a win against Holy Cross and a loss or tie by Bucknell.

Army
The Black Knights snapped an 11-game losing streak with a 1-1 tie against Sacred Heart on Wednesday. On Sunday, Army fell to 0-5 in Patriot League play with a 2-0 loss to Lafayette. The Black Knights will be chasing their first League win of the season and their first win overall since Sept. 1 when they host Lehigh on Friday. 

Bucknell
After dropping their Patriot League opener, the Bison have responded with four straight League wins. Bucknell topped Colgate, 2-1, after dropping a 2-1 decision in non-League play against Penn State. Bucknell has scored goal in 21 straight games, tied with Winthrop for the longest such streak in the nation. The Bison have only been shutout once in their last 50 games. With a win against Lafayette on Friday, Bucknell would clinch a spot in the Patriot League Tournament and tie the program record for single-season victories.

Colgate
The Raiders lost for the first time in their past three Patriot League games, dropping Colgate to 2-3 and in a three-way tie for fifth place. Senior Alex Weekes scored his sixth goal of the season in the Raiders’ 2-1 loss to Bucknell. Colgate will host Navy in the Raiders’ final home game of the season on Saturday.

Holy Cross
Holy Cross snapped a four-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over Navy on Sunday. Earlier in the week, the Crusaders dropped a 2-1 decision to Boston College. Thomas Booth’s shutout victory over Navy gave the senior goalkeeper 13 career shutouts. He is now one away from tying Chris Murphy for second on the all-time charts at Holy Cross. The Crusaders will host American on Saturday.

Lafayette
Lafayette notched back-to-back shutouts last week, breaking a three-game losing streak. Senior goalkeeper Philip Nelson now has a League-best eight shutouts this season. With 19 career shutouts, Nelson ranks fourth in school history. Lafayette will play a key Patriot League match-up against Bucknell on Friday. The game will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.

Lehigh
Jonathan Nydell recorded his third shutout of the season in Lehigh’s scoreless tie against League-leading American. The Mountain Hawks currently sit in third place in the Patriot League standings and will be chasing valuable points this weekend at Army.

Navy
Navy dropped two games last week and has now lost three straight games. The Mids fell to No. 19 Duke and Holy Cross. Navy is now 2-3 in League play and tied for fifth place. Navy will battle Colgate, one of the two teams it is tied with, on Friday in Hamilton.