BOSTON, Mass.  – Sophomore Sebastiaan Blickman scored two goals, including the game-winner 1:54 into overtime, to lead the Bucknell men’s soccer team to a 3-2 win over top-seeded and 24th-ranked Boston University in the Patriot League Championship Game Sunday afternoon at Nickerson Field. The fifth-seeded Bison won the Patriot League title for the fourth time in the last nine years and earned the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Blickman, a native of nearby Lincoln, Massachusetts, entered the game without a goal in his career, but he scored in the 54th minute to put Bucknell ahead 2-1 and then scored the golden goal in the opening minutes of the first overtime period. Terriers keeper Nick Thomson come off his line to punch away a free kick, but Jack Zollicoffer headed the ball back toward the goal, and Blickman flicked it in from the top of the 6-yard box. 

“Sebastiaan came up big,” commented Bison head coach Brendan Nash, who is leading Bucknell to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time (2006, 2009, 2010, 2014). “He is our energizer bunny. We don’t expect him to score goals, but today he saw we would need goals to win and he came through.”

Bucknell (10-9-3) never trailed in the contest, but the score was tied twice as the teams alternated goals. The Bison’s Jesse Klug netted the first goal of the match in the 32nd minute. The Terriers tied it in the 52nd minute. Blickman put Bucknell back on top in the 54th minute before Boston U.’s Lucas McBride scored the final tying goal in the 70th.

“Our 26 student-athletes are excited. I am excited. Our administration is excited,” said Nash after the victory. “This championship is for the whole athletic department. It was a super game that showed a lot about our character. When they tied it up, our guys kept fighting.”

Bucknell outshot Boston U. (12-4-4) 15-12, including 10-6 in the first half. Bison goalie Clarke Fox was called upon to make two saves, while his counterpart Nick Thomson made five, including four in the first half when Bucknell seemed to dominate possession in its side of the field.

Klug put the Bison on the board with a one-on-one goal in the 32nd minute. He took a pass from Chris Thorsheim in the middle of the field with teammates on both wings and a defender in front of him. He dribbled the ball right at the defender, putting him on his heels, and fired a hard shot from just inside the box that found the back of the net for his team-high 11th of the season.

Boston U. evened the score just over six minutes into the second half when Jordan Barker headed in a cross from Cameron Souri. The goal snapped the Bucknell defense’s 251:06 scoreless streak in this year’s Patriot League Tournament. Barker’s goal was the first the Bison allowed in 331:48, dating back to last Saturday’s regular-season finale against the Terriers.

However, the score was not tied for long as less than three minutes later Blickman headed in his first goal of as he redirected a free kick off the foot of Thorsheim, who now has a team-high seven assists on the season thanks to his two helpers on Sunday.

In the 70th minute, Boston U. tied the score once again as Lucas McBride headed in his third goal of the season off a looping pass from Bjarki Benediktsson. McBride jumped up along with Bison goalie Clarke Fox just a few feet from the goal and was able to get his head on the ball and bounce it in.

Boston U. had a couple decent chances to end the game in the final minutes of regulation as a shot from a steep angle by Duff Bedrosian hit the outside of the post and a bicycle kick by McBride off a corner went a few feet over the crossbar of the goal.

It then took Bucknell little time in the extra session to record its 10th win of the year.

Just two teams all season (Princeton, Boston College) had scored more than one goal against Boston U., which ranked among the nation’s leaders in goals-against average.

Just prior to the trophy presentation, Bucknell’s Brian Ward, Mark Leibensperger, Thorsheim and Blickman were named to the All-Tournament Team. Blickman was recognized as the tournament MVP.

The NCAA selection show is scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. The first round of the NCAA Tournament is Thursday at non-predetermined campus sites.

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