ST. BONAVENTURE (0-1) vs. BUCKNELL (0-2)
Wednesday, Feb. 21 - 3:00 p.m.
Marra Athletics Complex
Radio: Bonnies Online Network
 
OPENING DRAW

• The St. Bonaventure women's lacrosse team begins its 2024 home slate on Wednesday as they welcome Bucknell to the Marra Athletics Complex.
• Bona started 2024 on the road at Akron for a Valentine's Day meeting last week. The Bonnies dropped the contest, 15-12, after falling behind 3-0 early in the first quarter. A fourth quarter rally fell just short as the Bonnies outscored the Zips 4-1 in the final frame.
• Sophomore Brooke Piper went off for five goals and one helper for six points on the day. Piper added to her impressive stat line with three draw controls and went two-for-two on free position shots. Her five goals were the most by a Bonnies player in a season opener since Destinee Johnson had five in 2020 against Hartford. 
• Senior Callie Kessler notched her first career goal in the opener and gave the Bonnies their first score of the season. 
• Sophomore transfer Rylee Gonzalez tallied three assists in her Bona debut.
• Freshman goalie Katelyn Hicks made her collegiate debut entering in the second quarter. 
• Megan Schillinger gathered seven draw controls on the day to set a new career high.

  
PRESEASON HONORS
Junior Fiona McGovern enters her third season with the Bonnies being named to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Team. McGovern tallied 70 points on 47 goals and 23 assists, including three games with five or more goals in 2023. The Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. native was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team following her freshman campaign before she nearly tripled her scoring numbers in her sophomore year.
 
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM TANDEM
Brit Colangelo and Jessica Notaro return for their second year on the field for the Bonnies. Colangelo had 39 ground balls and 25 caused turnovers in her rookie year. Notraro, a redshirt sophomore, was a dominating force on the attack for Bona. She recorded 36 goals and five assists on the year. She went 10-of-19 on free position shots and had two game winning goals in 2023.
 
REIGNING A-10 CO-COACH OF THE YEAR
Head Coach LeighAnn Stauffer was named the Atlantic 10's Co-Coach of the Year following one of the most successful campaigns in program history. She split the award with Massachusetts' Jana Drummond. The first-year head coach led St. Bonaventure to the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament for the first time since 2007. The team's four conference wins in 2023 were the most since the 2007 season when they went 5-2 under the direction of Tony Zostant.
 
BACK FOR MORE
The Bonnies return seven of the 10 leading scorers from 2023. McGovern, the Bonnies leading scorer in 2023, comes back for her third season. Senior Abby Hiltz who has the seventh most assists in program history joins McGovern along with sophomores Notaro, Piper, Schillinger, and Grace Hollenbeck as well as senior Kassi Hogan.
 
NEW YEAR, NEW FACES
SBU welcomes five newcomers to the squad this year, four freshman and one transfer. Ava Acuna, Katelyn Hicks, Olivia Peeler, and Jordan Murrell join as first year players. Rylee Gonzalez transfers in as a sophomore from Gardner Webb University. At GWU, she was second all-time in assists by a freshman (15) and tied for fourth in points by a first-year player (28).
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Bonnies control the all-time series 6-4. Last year, Bucknell took the 22-6 decision in Lewisburg, Pa. McGovern had a hat trick in the contest while Hollenbeck and Piper added one each. The Bison were victorious in 2022 while the Bonnies took the 2021 contest 11-10 in overtime. In the first seven meetings from 2005-2013, the Bonnies jumped out to a 5-2 series lead.
 
ABOUT BUCKNELL

• The Bison opened 2024 with two losses at the hands of No. 17 Penn State and Villanova. 
• Bucknell returns two goalkeepers Colleen Kazanijan and Julia Dembowitz who saw action in a combined six games in 2023. Kazanijan started in the 22-8 loss to Penn State allowing 11 goals and making four saves. Dembowitz made the start against Villanova in the 16-12 loss. She gave up eight goals in the first quarter before Kazanijan took over.
• The Bison were picked ninth out of 10 teams in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. Junior attacker Allie Boyce was named to the Preseason All-Conference squad following a 50-goal season in 2023. 

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