Bucknell Men’s Soccer picked up another win at home against Old Dominion on Sunday, Sept. 7. The Bison used their home-pitch advantage to earn four goals, taking down the Monarchs 4-2.
“The emotions were very high, we knew we gave the George Mason one away … we knew we had to rectify it against ODU.” Winston Oziri ’27 said. “I think we knew it would be a physical game, but our goal was just to be stronger than them and beat them physically throughout the 90 minutes.”
The first half opened up strong for Old Dominion as it scored its first goal within two minutes of the match. The Bison quickly turned the momentum to dominate the rest of the half. 22 minutes in, a shot by Cade McGrath ’26 deflected off a Monarch defender and into the Bison goal, tying the game for the Monarchs. Soon after, Kasper Piela ’27 won a 50-50 ball that sent possession to Cade Whitmire ’27. Whitmire carried his pass to Jakub Samelko ’27, who secured a bottom right corner shot, giving Piela and Whitmire the assists. This upped the Bison 2-1 by halftime.
The Orange and Blue proceeded to pressure the Monarchs for the remainder of the match. Seven minutes into the second half, Jack Lucas ’27 scored on a penalty kick, giving the Bison a stronger 3-1 lead. Lucas’s strong performances against Old Dominion and George Mason awarded him Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors. In the 81st minute, Oziri scored the final Bison point and his first ever career goal.
“It felt amazing, honestly. It was pure relief when the ball crossed the line. The goal is a result of countless hours of training and striving to be great every single day.” Oziri said. “Even though we won the championship and I played a part, I still had some doubt over myself … to score before Patriot League play starts, just gives me the confidence to stay hungry and stay ready for what’s ahead.”
The Orange and Blue concluded the match with their third win of the season. The team will face its first Patriot League opponent of the season in Lafayette on Saturday, Sept. 13.
