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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Princeton Hosts Bucknell in First Round of NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament
November 19, 2009 | Men's Soccer
PRINCETON, N.J. (11/17/09) - Princeton hosts Bucknell in the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament First Round on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m., at Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium.
Tickets for the game are $10 for adults and $7 for children and students with proper ID, and may be purchased at the gate.
The game will be webcast live free of charge on GoPrincetonTigers.tv, and live stats will also be available.
Princeton and Bucknell have met on two occasions in 2005 and 2006. The Bison took a 1-0 win in Princeton in 2005, before the Tigers retailiated with a 1-0 win in Lewisburg that next year.
Princeton enters the tournament with a 9-5-3 overall record. The Tigers earned an at-large bid to the tournament, its eighth trip to the big dance. This is the first year the Tigers have made the NCAA Tournament since 2001. Princeton is on a seven-game unbeaten streak, which dates back to October 14, going 5-0-2 during that time. The squad is led offensively by sophomore Antoine Hoppenot, who has 10 goals and two assists for 22 points. Junior Josh Walburn led the Tigers in scoring for the majority of the season and currently has six goals and team-best five assists for 17 points. Three of his goals have been game winners. Freshman Matt Sanner has 13 points off of four goals and team-best five assists. Junior Brandon Busch is next in the scoring column with three goals, two scored on penalty kicks, and two assists for eight points. Junior goalkeeper Sean Lynch has played in every game this season. He sports a 9-5-3 record with four shutouts. He has made 55 saves on 75 shots for a 1.12 goals against average and a .733 save percentage.
Bucknell owns a 16-5 record and punched its ticket by winning the Patriot League's automatic bid after a 1-0 win over American in the championship game. The key to the Bison game is defense. The team has a 0.81 goals against average, giving up just 17 goals in 21 games this season, and earning 11 shutouts. Bucknell has played just three overtime games, going 1-2, and 17 of its 21 games were one-goal games. The Bison are 13-4 in those one-goal games. Another factor in Bucknell's game is that it takes the offense some time to get motivated, scoring just nine goals in the first half compared to 22 in the second. Pacing the Bison is senior Conor O'Brien, the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, with 30 points with 11 goals and eight assists. Rookie Brendan Burgdorf has tallied eight goals and two assists for 18 points. Sophomore Luke Joyner and freshman CK Kumah have 12 and 11 points respectively. Bucknell has utilized three goalkeepers this season, but has given sophomore Tommy Caso 19 starting assignments. Caso has a 0.86 goals against average and an .840 save percentage, to go along with nine shutouts.