WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross women's soccer team will play its final regular season game of the season this Friday, Nov. 1, at 5:05 p.m. against Bucknell.
Holy Cross is currently tied for fourth in the conference standings with the Bison with 11 points. With a win, the Crusaders can guarantee their spot in the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2000.
A tie or a loss would not necessarily mean the end of Holy Cross' season, but it would then come down to how the rest of the league's games played out. A breakdown of potential playoff scenarios is as follows:
- With a win, the Crusaders would finish anywhere from second to fourth place in the Patriot League, depending on what two of the three teams currently ahead of them, Army and Loyola, do in their final games.
- A tie would put Holy Cross anywhere from third to potentially out of the playoffs. To make it in with a tie, the Crusaders would need two of Lafayette, Lehigh, and Colgate, to drop points (tie or lose).
- To make the postseason with a loss in its final game, Holy Cross would need two of the same three teams mentioned above, Lafayette, Lehigh, and Colgate, to not just drop points, but lose flat out.
Things to know about Holy Cross (4-3-8, 2-1-5 PL):
- Over the Crusaders' last two games, a 2-1 win at Boston University and a 1-1 tie against Lafayette, Paige Epp, Kelly Crowley, and Katie Quinn have all recorded goals. Both Epp and Quinn picked up their first collegiate strikes, while Crowley's was her team-leading third of the season.
- Carly Flahive and Jenna Barnes had an assist each over the last week, both of their second on the year.
- As a team, the Crusaders' goals against average is .83, good for third in the league behind just Lehigh at .82 and Navy at .38.
Things to know about Bucknell (5-10-2, 3-3-2 PL):
- Last year, the Bison held off the Crusaders for a 1-0 win in Lewisburg, Pa. Kate Henesey scored the game-winner in the 13th minute, but she has since transferred to Delaware. Holy Cross outshot Bucknell, 17-16, in the game.
- This season, Gabby Bair and Abby Gearhart share the team lead of seven points, both from three goals and an assist. Kaylee Donnelly has started 16 of Bucknell's 17 games in goal and has posted a 1.20 goals against average with a .808 save percentage.
- The Bison have allowed 22 goals this season, eight more than the Crusaders' 14, which gives the Bison the fourth most of any team in the conference.
