#15/16 Men's Lacrosse Welcomes Bucknell

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army-Bucknell Game presented by IAP is set for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. as the No. 15/16 Army West Point men's lacrosse team welcomes the Bison in a Patriot League clash at Michie Stadium.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at GoArmyWestPoint.com/tickets, by calling 1-877-TIX-ARMY or in person at Gate 3 of Michie Stadium. The ticket office is open one hour prior to the opening faceoff as well.

HOW TO FOLLOW
TELEVISION • None
RADIO • 1440 WLNA/1260 WBNR
VIDEO • Patriot League Network
AUDIO • Knight Vision ($)
LIVE STATISTICS • sidearmstats.com/army/mlax/
GAME NOTES • Army Notes
TWITTER • ArmyWP_MLax

THE OPENING FACEOFF
The No. 15/16 Army West Point lacrosse team returns to Michie Stadium for the Army-Bucknell Game presented by IAP on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. start. The Black Knights come into the game with a five-game winning streak and a 7-2 overall record. They are the only remaining undefeated team in the Patriot League at 4-0 after an 11-7 win at Colgate last weekend. Bucknell enters the matchup with a 5-4 overall record and a 2-3 conference mark. The Bison has split its last four games with wins over Holy Cross and Boston University, but dropped a 14-3 decision to Loyola last Saturday.

LAST TIME OUT
The Black Knights stormed out to a 7-2 lead in the first half and hung on late to down Colgate, 11-7, in Hamilton, N.Y., last Saturday. Cole Johnson led the way with seven points on three goals and four assists, while Jimbo Moore chipped in with three points on two goals and an assist. Goalie AJ Barretto stopped 11 shots in the game and had six in the second half. Army allowed three goals through the first three quarters, then held off the Raiders in the fourth frame as Colgate score four times.

THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES
Army is looking for a 5-0 start in the Patriot League for the first time since 2010 when the Black Knights won the Patriot League title. They are also hoping for a sixth-straight win, which would be the longest winning streak since 2011. There is a connection between the two schools and it is the Klipstein brothers. Reaves is a junior on the Black Knights' roster, while Christian is a rookie goalie with the Bison and has played all nine games. Senior Austin Schultz played his first season of college lacrosse at Bucknell before transferring to West Point.

WHAT'S UP NEXT?
The Black Knights head back out on the road next weekend for a clash with Boston University. The game is set for a 1 p.m. start on April 9 in Boston. The Terriers are 8-2 this season and ranked 20th in the Cascade/Maverik Media Poll. They have won five of their last six contests and face Lehigh on Saturday.

ARMY-NAVY GAME PRESENTED BY USAA
The Army-Navy Game presented by USAA is set for April 16 at Michie Stadium. The game will be live on CBS Sports Network and tickets are still available. Tickets can be purchased online at GoArmyWestPoint.com/tickets, by calling 1-877-TIX-ARMY or in person at Gate 3 of Michie Stadium.

NATIONAL POLLS
Army remained in the national polls for the second-straight week after its road win over Colgate. The Black Knights jumped up to No. 15 in the Cascade/Maverik Media Poll after joining the rankings last week at No. 16. Army made its biggest move in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association National Poll, when the Black Knights slid up two spots from 18th last week to No. 16.

JOHNSON ON A ROLL
Cole Johnson has enjoyed his best offensive stretch of his career with 35 points in his last five games, including seven points last Saturday at Colgate. He has 27 goals and 21 assists for 48 points and leads the Black Knights in all three categories. Johnson has at least seven points in his last three games.

MARCH TO A MILESTONE
Cole Johnson and Connor Cook reached a milestone in the same game on March 19. Cook was first to get it to become the 30th player in Academy history to reach 100 points in a career after tallying four points against the Crusaders. Johnson wasn't fair behind as he did it moments later and he currently ranks 26th on the all-time scoring list. Johnson has 73 career goals, which puts him in a tie for 19th. Cook has 74 goals in his three-plus seasons, which ranks 18th on the all-time list.

AT THE X
Army has had a great start to the season at the faceoff "x" to rank second the nation in winning percentage at .693. The Black Knights struggled against Colgate compared to their previous games as they won 12-of-21 faceoffs. Daly met the minimum requirements to be ranked in winning percentage and is second in the country at .701, while Grabher is fourth at .698.

ALL-AROUND TEAM
Army is one of only two teams in the nation in the top 10 in both scoring offense and defense. The Black Knights are averaging 13.63 goals per game, which is fifth in the NCAA. On the other side of the field, they are seventh, allowing 7.22 goals per game. Saint Joseph's is the other school in the top 10 in both categories.

SCOUTING THE BISON
Bucknell makes the trip to West Point on Saturday with a 5-4 overall record and a 2-3 mark in Patriot League play. The Bison traveled to Loyola last weekend and fell to the No. 15/17 Greyhounds by a 14-3 score. Army will be the fourth-straight ranked opponent it will face and they are 1-2 against teams in the top 20 this season. Bucknell is scoring 10.56 goals a game this season, while allowing just over 10 goals a game as well. The Bison have been successful on man-up situations with eight goals on 15 chances.

Will Sands leads the way with 34 points on 22 goals and 12 assists. Sands is back after a great rookie season with 42 points on 26 goals and 16 assists. Tommy O'Connor is second on the squad with 27 points on 17 goals and 10 helpers. Jarett Witzal is the top faceoff specialist for the Bison and has a .577 winning percentage with 94 win in 163 chances.

In net, rookie Christian Klipstein has started all nine games and has a 5-3 record. He has 93 saves and has allowed 78 goals. Klipstein has a 9.84 goals against average and a .544 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY
This is the 41st meeting between Army and Bucknell with the Black Knights owning a 28-12 advantage in the series. The Bison has cut into the lead for Army with win in eight of the last 13 matchups, including a series-long five-game winning streak for Bucknell from 2007 to 2009, which included two wins in the Patriot League Tournament. Army has won the last two meetings and is 15-6-0 at West Point against the Bison.

#15/16 Men's Lacrosse Welcomes Bucknell

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Players Mentioned

AJ Barretto

Connor Cook

Cole Johnson

Jimbo Moore

Austin Schultz

Army West Point Athletics