The Fairfield University men's lacrosse team has a short turnaround from Saturday's overtime loss at No. 6 Yale. The Stags head to Lewisburg, Pa. to meet Bucknell on Tuesday, March 10 at 3 p.m.
Last Time Out: For the second consecutive season, 60 minutes wasn't enough to decide the clash between the Fairfield University men's lacrosse team and Yale University. In the 2015 edition of the in-state contest, it was host Yale – ranked as high sixth in the national polls – escaping with a 9-8 victory on Saturday, March 7.
Fairfield, which claimed a 12-11 overtime win over Yale last spring, got two goals apiece from midfielders TJ Neubauer and Jake Knostman this afternoon. Tristan Sperry, Charlie Schnider, Joe Rodrigues and Drew Federico also scored for the Stags.
Sperry also handed out three assists to complete a four-point day, and Colin McLinden distributed his team-leading 11th helper of the season.
On the other side of the field, Tom Lukacovic picked up a team-best four ground balls for Fairfield. Brad Nordstrom made a career-high 12 saves in goal against the top-10 Bulldogs.
Fairfield erased a 4-1 first-half deficit with a 4-0 spurt midway through the second quarter. Sperry assisted on three consecutive tallies during the stretch.
The overtime winner came from Yale's Eric Scott. Both teams had an empty possession in the extra period before Scott ripped home the winning marker with 1:01 left on the clock.
The Matchup: The Stags will challenge Bucknell for the fourth time in program history. Fairfield's 10-6 home win over the Bison last spring ran the all-time series in favor of the Stags.
That game was the first for Head Coach Andy Copelan against his alma mater as head coach at Fairfield. Copelan lost his only meeting with Bucknell in his second season as Marist's head coach in 2005.
Bucknell is the first of two consecutive Patriot League foes on the Stags' 2015 ledger. Fairfield hosts Colgate at Rafferty Stadium this Saturday, March 14 at 1 p.m. The Raiders and Bison have already played this season as a part of the league slate with the visiting Raiders earning a 10-8 triumph.
Scouting Bucknell: The Bucknell Bison enter the week with a record of 3-2 following a 9-8 overtime win at Lehigh on Saturday. Bucknell has also defeated Bryant and Navy with its losses coming at the hands of Colgate and Delaware.
The Bucknell offense is led by Ryan Joseph, who has compiled a team-leading 12 goals and 15 total points this spring. Will Sands and Sean Doyle add seven goals apiece for the Bison.
Sam Grinberg has played all but 6:27 in goal for the Bison. He owns an 8.07 goals-against average and a .574 save percentage - ranking in the top-25 nationally in both categories.
Consistency Is Key: Three Stags - Tristan Sperry, Colin McLinden and Charlie Schnider - have tallied at least one point in each of Fairfield's five contests thus far in 2015. Not surprisingly, the trio also leads the Stags in scoring. Sperry has piled up a team-best 18 points (9g, 9a), followed by 16 points from McLinden (5g, team-high 11a) and 12 points (8g, 4a) from Schnider. The team leader in goals is TJ Neubauer, who has scored 10 goals in addition to one assist.
Spanning back to last spring, McLinden is in the midst of a nine-game streak with at least one point, while Sperry has notched a point in seven consecutive contests.
The only Stag with a goal in every game this season, Sperry has found the back of the net in six straight games dating back to his two goals in the 2014 ECAC Championship Game against Air Force.
Overtime Odds & Ends: Saturday's 9-8 loss at No. 6 Yale ended a six-game winning streak for Fairfield in overtime contests. Contained in that streak is a thrilling run in 2012 in which the Stags topped Bryant, 9-8 in double overtime, won a 10-9 decision at Hofstra in triple overtime, then capped the stretch with a 10-9 overtime win at UMBC all in the span of eight days.
Fairfield last played overtime contests against the same team in consecutive seasons during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The Stags upended No. 10 Denver, 9-8, in overtime in 2012 and followed with a 10-9 overtime win at No. 1 Denver in 2013.
Coming Home: Tuesday's game with the Bison concludes a three-game road trip for the Stags. Fairfield returns to Rafferty Stadium on Saturday, March 14 to meet another Patriot League foe as Colgate comes to town for a 1 p.m. contest.
