Orange Host Bucknell Thursday

Syracuse vs. Bucknell
Game Details	Thursday, Sept. 1 \| Syracuse, N.Y. \| SU Soccer Stadium \| 4 p.m.
Game Coverage	Live Coverage: ACC Network Extra \| Stats Twitter: @cusewsoc
Syracuse Links	Notes \| News \| Roste r \| Schedule
Bucknell Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse women's soccer looks to continue its positive start to the season with a Thursday match against Bucknell at the SU Soccer Stadium at 4 p.m. The Orange are off to a 3-0-1 start to the 2016 season, while the Bison come into the match with a 3-0 record.

"Bucknell is undefeated and they have some dangerous players up front," head coach Phil Wheddon said. "They attack with five and they'll press our backline with five players, so we have to be quick on the ball and make good decisions."

The Orange are riding a three-game winning streak with victories against Delaware, Army and Albany. Five different Syracuse athletes have scored this season and Alana O'Neill is the only Orange player with multiple goals.

Junior goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan has put together three-straight shutouts and has allowed only one goal this season. Her 0.21 goals against average is one of the best in the country and her three clean sheets leads the ACC and is tied for the NCAA lead.

Blending newcomers in with a solid veteran core has been a focus for the Orange this season. Four freshmen have started in the first four games of the season and six total have seen action.

"I think the best thing we did was we went away for the first five days of preseason," Wheddon said. "We trained together and the players lived together in cabins. That really helped us with our chemistry and I think you can see it on the field. We want our young players to play. We don't believe in a class system here, the best players play."

Bucknell has not lost in 2016 and has wins against Monmouth, St. Francis and Wright State. The Bison goalkeeper, Jessica Ratner, recently became the program's shutout leader with two shutouts this season. The Bison has had six different scorers this season. Bucknell was picked to finish second in the Patriot League.

Thursday's match will be streamed live by the ACC Network Extra and live stats can be accessed here.

Syracuse will also play on Sunday at Cornell at 1 p.m. Cornell is currently 1-0-0 on the season and have a 9-0-3 unbeaten streak in non-conference matches dating back to Oct. 13, 2014. Cornell was undefeated through the first 11 games last season and was the last Division I women's team to concede a goal in 2015.

For complete coverage of Syracuse and Syracuse women's soccer, follow us on Facebook (Syracuse Orange & Syracuse Women's Soccer), Twitter (@Cuse & @CuseWSOC), Instagram (@CuseWSOC).

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Players Mentioned

Courtney Brosnan

Alana O'Neill

Syracuse University Athletics