LEWISBURG, Pa. – With Rick Carolan (Wellesley, Mass./St. Sebastians) controlling the faceoff X, the defense pitching a shutout until the third quarter, and freshman middie Mike Danylyshyn (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) enjoying the best game of his young career, the 13th-ranked Bucknell men's lacrosse team defeated No. 14 Army 7-4 before a spirited crowd of 1,150 Friday night at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.

The verdict left both teams with 3-1 Patriot League records and kept the Bison in the hunt for the regular-season title. Bucknell won its third straight game to get to 8-2 overall, while Army, whose only previous losses were one-goal setbacks to Syracuse and Cornell, fell to 7-3.

Each of the last six Bucknell-Army matchups were decided by one goal, but the Bison completely dominated the first half. A goal by Tim Brandau (Owings Mills, Md./McDonogh) just 46 seconds into the game got them going, and by halftime Bucknell had a stunning 6-0 lead.

Doug Buckley (Wantagh, N.Y./Chaminade) made it 2-0 with a diving shot with 2:31 left in the opening period, then Bucknell gave itself plenty of breathing room with a huge second quarter.

Bucknell scored four times in the period, three coming in the final three minutes, and outshot Army 13-2. Carolan won 4 of 6 draws and the Bison were 5-for-5 on clears and 2-for-2 with an extra man in one of their best 15-minute stretches of the season.

Army was whistled for the first penalty of the evening early in the second period, and the Bison took advantage when Joe Mele (Westbury, N.Y./Kellenburg Memorial) fed Danylyshyn on the doorstep for his first of two goals.

Again up a man with 3:00 left in the half, Brandau turned in the highlight-reel goal of the night. He took a pass from Danylyshyn on the right side of the crease, and with a double team coming Brandau stuck a behind-the-head wrap-around shot past a frozen Adam Fullerton to make it 4-0.

Carolan kept winning draws, and the Bison took advantage with two more goals late in the half. Middie Nick Marks (Barrington, Ill./Salisbury School) skipped in a shot from 15 yards out with 1:50 left, and with 30 seconds before halftime Mele scored from close range after a nice feed from John Togneri (Longmeadow, Mass./Loomis-Chaffee).

The Black Knights, who had just scored 13 goals in a win over Colgate to raise their season scoring average to 10.4 goals per game, finally solved goalie Nick Sciubba (Sea Cliff, N.Y./Salisbury School) when Brooks Korvin scored from a sharp angle 4:31 into the third quarter.

Bucknell answered right back when Danylyshyn scored his second goal and third point of the night with a tracer from high on the right side, making it a 7-1 game.

Army would not scratch again until the 7:49 mark of the fourth quarter, when Kevin LoRusso scored from the right side of the cage after a nice dodge. The Black Knights outshot Bucknell 13-2 in the fourth quarter and managed two Justin Bokmeyer goals in the final 5:25, but the Bison's big lead was never in serious peril.

Danylyshyn recorded his first multi-point game last time out when he had a goal and an assist in a 7-2 win at Holy Cross last weekend. He surpassed that output with two goals and an assist against Army. Brandau's two goals give him seven multi-goal games in 10 outings this season. Buckley and Mele also had multiple-point nights with a goal and an assist.

Top scorer Austin Winter (Boonton Township, N.J./Mountain Lakes) was held to just one assist, but he extended his points streak to 25 games dating back to the start of his career.

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2008-04-05