ON TAP THIS WEEK: Colgate returns to play its final two games of the season at the friendly confines of Tyler's Field. The Raiders will attempt to snap an eight-game losing streak as they host Bucknell, Saturday afternoon. Prior to Saturday's contest with the Bison, three graduating seniors (Sarah Pedersen, Mika Ella-Tang, and Katelyn Nerbonne) will be honored on Senior Day.
SERIES OVERVIEW: Bucknell holds a comfortable 21-11-2 all-time series advantage over Colgate. The Bison won last year's meeting 4-3 with a goal in the final 1:13 of the contest.
LAST WEEK IN REVIEW: Colgate dropped a 4-2 decision to Holy Cross, Saturday afternoon in Worcester. Courtney Burke netted her second collegiate goal and Katelyn Nerbonne punched in her sixth of the campaign on a penalty shot against the Crusaders. Sarah Pedersen saved three shots in the defeat. Peyton Hawkins tallied her third defensive save of the year.
SCOUTING BUCKNELL: The Bison split their two games last weekend – dropping a 3-0 decision to American and then posting a 3-1 victory over Georgetown Sunday afternoon. Bucknell is 9-6 overall, 2-1 in league action. The Bison have a balanced scoring attack with five players having 10 or more points. Morgan Kauffman (4-5-13) and Austin Thomas (6-1-13) are the top two point producers. Goalie Jessie Atieh has played every minute in net and has 68 saves to her credit.
NERBONNE CLIMBING UP THE SCORING CHARTS: With her successful penalty shot versus Holy Cross, Katelyn Nerbonne moved into sixth on the all-time Colgate scoring list with 62 points. The senior is two points short of a tie for fifth and three points from moving into a tie for fourth. Nerbonne's 24 goals ranks 10th all-time at Colgate, one short of moving into ninth.
WAITING TO MAKE A MOVE: Mika Ella-Tang, who ranks tied for eighth in Colgate history. has 14 assists in her career and is one away from moving into sixth all time. Currently, she ranks in a tie for fourth along with Katelyn Nerbonne in the Patriot League with five assists on the year. Goalie Sarah Pedersen needs one more win in net to move into fifth all-time in Colgate history. The senior has 19 wins in her career.
DYNAMIC DUO: Colgate has scored 18 goals on the year, 12 of them coming from Katelyn Nerbonne and Laura Denenga. Both players are ranked among the league leaders in several statistical categories. Denenga is third in the Patriot League in shots on goal (46); ninth in points (17), and is tied for sixth in goals scored (6), while Nerbonne is third in total points (17), fifth in shots (37), and is tied for sixth in goals scored (6).
FOTO INDUCTED IN CONNECTICUT FIELD HOCKEY HALL OF FAME: On October 4, Cathy Foto was enshrined with six others into the 10th Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame at the Aqua Turf Country Club in Plantsville, Conn. Foto, a native of West Hartford, Conn., will be joined by Leah Secondo (Honorary), Debbie Martin (umpire), Cathy Neary McGuirk (Branford HS Coach), Lea Ann Schmidt (former player at Ridgefield HS), Laura Mack (former player at Canton HS), and Lisa Griswold Lindley (former player at Northwestern and UMass) to form the Class of 2009. Sixty two others have been inducted into the hall of fame in previous classes.
