Nov. 2, 2009
Center Valley, Pa.--Two Patriot League Tournament berths are still up for grabs with one weekend to play. Four teams remain eligible for those two spots, with the possibility of a four-way tie looming. American and Bucknell have already secured their spots in the tournament, with Bucknell holding a slight edge on American for the top seed and homefield advantage.
Patriot League Men's Soccer Release 11.2.09 
BRINE Offensive Player of the Week
Luke Joyner, Bucknell So., M, Dallas, Texas
Joyner had a hand in all three of Bucknell's goals as the Bison went 2-0 last week. He notched a goal and an assist in the Bison's 2-0 win at NJIT. He then scored the lone goal in Bucknell's 1-0 win against Lafayette, doing so on a header with 12 minutes remaining. Joyner was also named to the College Soccer News Team of the Week.
BRINE Defensive Player of the Week
Tom Van Grinsven, Holy Cross Jr., Chicago, Ill.
Van Grinsven helped the Crusaders' defense record a shutout against American, which was previously unbeaten in Patriot Leagu play. Behind Van Grinsven, Holy Cross limited the Eagles to nine shots and one shot on goal. Van Grinsven also scored the game-winning goal against the Eagles, registering his first collegiate points.
BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week
Tommy Caso, Bucknell So., GK, Baltimore, Md.
Caso logged his seventh shutout of the season in the Bison's 1-0 win over Lafayette on Friday. The win pushed Bucknell to the top of the Patriot League standings. Caso stopped the only shot he faced in the victory. It is the third time this season that he has been named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week.
BRINE Rookie of the Week
Austin Decker, Lehigh Fr., F, Iowa City, Ia.
Decker scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season, planting a bicycle kick into the back of the net in Lehigh's 4-1 win over Army. Decker has been named Patriot League Rookie of the Week a League-leading three times this season.
Honorable Mention Performances Last Week
Nidhal Charfi, American
Sr., M, Alexandria, Va.
Notched a goal and an assist in American's 3-1 win over cross-town rival Georgetown.
Andrew Powell, Bucknell
So., D, Charlton, Mass.
Filled in for top defender and co-captain Patrick Selwood at center back, helping Bucknell post two shutouts.
Jeff Leach, Colgate
Jr., D, New Canaan, Conn.
Scored a goal while helping the Colgate defense hold Navy scoreless in a 2-0 Raiders victory.
Chris Miller, Colgate
Jr., Dallas, Texas
Made four saves against Navy to pick up his second shutout of the season.
Adam Gazda, Lehigh
Sr., GK, Patchogue, N.Y.
Recorded a goal and an assist in Lehigh's 4-1 win over Army, giving him 11 points on the season.
Patriot League Notebook
The Week In Review
Bucknell moved into first place and clinched a Patriot League Tournament berth with a 1-0 win over Lafayette. American dropped into second place after falling to Holy Cross, 2-0. It was the Eagles' first loss in Patriot League play this season. The Crusaders are now tied with Colgate and Lafayette for the fourth and final tournament berth after Colgate picked up a 2-0 win against Navy. Colgate, Holy Cross and Lafayette are all one point behind third-place Lehigh, which produced a 4-1 win over Army.
Tournament Positions On The Line
First-place Bucknell will host Lehigh in Friday's only League game. With a win, the Bison would clinch the top seed and homefield advantage in the Patriot League Tournament. Lehigh could clinch a tournament berth with a victory. Both teams could also be affected by Saturday's outcomes. American will host defending champion Colgate. With a win and a Bucknell loss or tie, American would secure the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament. With a loss or tie, American could finish no better than second. The Eagles would fall to third with a loss, a Lehigh win over Bucknell and a Navy win over Lafayette. With a win against the Leopards, Navy could potentially forge ties with Colgate, Holy Cross and Lafayette, but with earlier losses to Colgate and Holy Cross, the Mids would be squeezed out of tournament contention. Should ties exist between Colgate, Holy Cross and Lafayette, Holy Cross would find itself in a favorable condition. The Crusaders, who play Army this weekend, own wins over Colgate and second-place American.
Patriot League vs. ACC
A pair of Patriot League teams will invade ranked ACC foes on Tuesday. American will travel to Charlottesville to take on No. 10 Virginia. Navy will make a trip to College Park to take on defending national champion Maryland, the No. 6 team in the nation.
Freshmen Finding Their Way
Eight different freshmen have led their teams in scoring at some point this season. Freshman Michael Rakoczy currently shares the Navy team lead with eight points this season. Three freshman rank in the top 10 in scoring in the Patriot League this season. Colgate's Mike Reidy leads all freshmen with seven goals and 15 points.
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, which will be either Bucknell or American, depending on the weekend's outcomes. The top four teams as determined by the regular-season standings will participate in the Patriot League tourney. Bucknell and American have already clinched their spots in the tournament. Four teams are still eligible for the final berths--Lehigh, Colgate, Holy Cross and Lafayette.
Team Notebooks
American
The Eagles lost for the first time in Patriot League play on Saturday, dropping a 2-0 decision at Holy Cross. American also produced a 3-1 win over cross-town rival Georgetown, in which Nidhal Charfi recorded a goal and an assist. The Eagles can finish the regular season atop the Patriot League standings with a win against Colgate and Bucknell loss or tie. Also on American's plate this week is a Tuesday showdown with No. 10 Virginia in Charlottesville.
Army
The Black Knights lost their second straight game on Saturday, falling to Lehigh by a 4-1 margin. Army has had one tie and 13 losses since its season-opening win against NJIT. The Black Knights will conclude the regular season
Bucknell
After dropping their Patriot League opener, the Bison have responded with five straight wins. Bucknell topped Lafayette by a 1-0 margin on Friday, three days after picking up a 2-0 shutout win over non-League foe NJIT. Senior midfielder Conor O'Brien had an assist in each game last week, giving him 10 goals and eight assists. He is one of one three players in Division I leading his conference in both goals and assists. The Bison will look to clinch the top seed and homefield advantage in the Patriot League Tournament on Friday when they take on Lehigh.
Colgate
The Raiders won for the third time in their past four Patriot League games, defeating Navy by a 2-0 count. Chris Miller made two saves to pick up his second shutout of the season, while Chris Ross assisted both goals. The defending Patriot League champions will play at American on Saturday. The Raiders could finish as high as third and as low as seventh in the final Patriot League regular season standings.
Holy Cross
Holy Cross picked up its third Patriot League win of the season, a 2-0 win over previously unbeaten American, and put itself in a position to clinch a Patriot League Tournament berth. A victory over winless Army and a loss or tie by either Lafayette or Lehigh would guarantee a tournament spot for the Crusaders.
Lafayette
Lafayette could potentially find itself in ties with Lehigh, Holy Cross and Colgate for the final spot in the Patriot League Tournament. The Leopards own wins over Lehigh and Holy Cross, while Colgate defeated Lafayette. The Leopards are coming off a 1-0 loss at the hands of Bucknell. Lafayette will host Navy on Saturday.
Lehigh
Adam Gazda produced a three-point outing with a goal and an assist against Army on Friday. At 3-2-1, Lehigh can finish as high as second in the Patriot League standings. To do so, the Mountain Hawks would need a win, in addition to a Colgate win over American and a Lafayette loss or tie against Navy. With a win, Lehigh would clinch a spot in the tournament.
Navy
Navy could finish in a tie for fourth place, but the Mids were eliminated from Patriot League Tournament contention with a 2-0 loss to Colgate. With a win at Lafayette on Saturday, Navy would record its third Patriot League win. Only twice has Navy won more than three Patriot League games.
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