While Bucknell will have a different look at attack this year, head coach Frank Fedorjaka is confident in this unit because of its talent and versatility.
The Bison will miss Tommy Sopko, a 2021 graduate who started all 44 of their games during his time in Lewisburg. Despite his final two campaigns being abbreviated, he finished just three goals shy of cracking Bucknell’s all-time career top-10 list; his final stat line read 118 points on 91 goals and 27 assists, along with 64 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers.
Tommy will be missed,” Fedorjaka said. “He was a really good scorer for four years. You knew something would be created when you put the ball in his stick. That said, our attack unit will be better this year than last year.”
The 2022 attack will be led by senior Alston Tarry, who has started since arriving in Lewisburg in 2019. In 29 career games, 26 of which were starts, he has totaled 86 points on 50 goals and 36 assists. In each of the past two truncated seasons, he led the Bison in helpers, totaling 14 in six 2020 games and 11 in eight 2021 contests.
Alston is one of our leaders at attack,” Fedorjaka said. “he’s ready to have a really good season. He loves to play behind the goal and has outstanding vision and lacrosse IQ. He understands our offense very well and knows where everybody needs to be.”
Fedorjaka is excited to see what sophomore Dutch Furlong will accomplish at his natural position. Though Furlong started four games as an attackman, he spent the majority of his rookie campaign as a midfielder, ultimately totaling 12 points (7g-5a).
Dutch has really stepped up, and we expect him to have a breakout sophomore year,” Fedorjaka said. “He played a lot as a midfielder last season, but his true position is attack. He’s a dynamic player with great vision who can create his own shot and can create opportunities for his teammates.”
Freshman Connor Davis is expected to contribute right away. An all-state attackman out of the Bullis School, he impressed Fedorjaka during the fall by how quickly he adapted to the college game.
Connor had an exceptional fall,” Fedorjaka said. “He’s a big, strong kid who runs well, can shoot the ball well and has great hands. He’s a complete player who is very mature for a freshman. He plays with a lot of composure.”
Another freshman, Grant Malas, also has the potential to have an immediate impact. Bucknell fans should recognize the last name; his older brother, Reed, was an All-Patriot League midfielder and three-time Academic All-Patriot League team member for the Bison from 2016 to 2019. The younger Malas logged 112 career points during his days at Mamaroneck High School, leading the team in goals (30) and points (55) as a senior.
Grant had a real good fall as a freshman,” Fedorjaka said. “He has exceptional vision and really relies on his skills and his lacrosse IQ to make plays. He’s also very creative.”
Returnees: Jack Billitier, Patrick Ciquera, Jack Feda, Dutch Furlong, Alston Tarry
Newcomers: Tommy Armstrong, Connor Davis, Grant Malas
The Bison open their campaign on February 5 with an 11 a.m. game at Mercer. Their first home game is scheduled for February 19 against St. John's. Highlights of their 2022 schedule include a home tilt with Penn State on March 15 and a full compliment of eight Patriot League games for the first time since 2019.
Fedorjaka said that Bucknell, which features a deep roster with talent across all four classes, is poised to excel in both non-conference and Patriot League competition.
I’m really excited to coach this team," Fedorjaka said. “We have a senior class that provides not only talent but great leadership. Our seniors are surrounded by many other classes that have a lot of talent and play-making ability. We have really strong team chemistry. I’m looking forward to getting back to a normal schedule and working with this particular group of student-athletes. We’ll be tested by our non-conference schedule, and we’re looking forward to getting on the road and playing some good competition so that we’re ready for our Patriot League opponents.”
Photos by Noel Gyllenhaal, Brett Hosterman and Marc Hagemeier