Oct. 15, 2010
Center Valley, Pa. - League play continues this weekend in the sports of field hockey, men and women's soccer and volleyball. The first postseason tickets could be punched as American, Lafayette and Bucknell all have a chance to clinch spots in the four-team field hockey tournament, which takes place Friday-Saturday, Nov. 5-6 at the site of the highest seed.
Below is a quick preview of what's coming up this weekend.
Field Hockey
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American, Lafayette and Bucknell have emerged as the top field hockey programs of the past few seasons, and if all three win on Saturday they will earn spots in the 2010 Patriot League Field Hockey Tournament set for Nov. 5-6 at the site of the highest seed.
The red-hot Eagles (11-2, 2-0 Patriot League), up to No. 9 in the country with 10 consecutive wins, can qualify for the Patriot League Tournament with a win at Colgate (4-9, 1-1). The seven-time defending champions are trying to remain perfect by making their 10th Patriot League Tournament in as many seasons, a mark that would tie Holy Cross (1997-2006) for the longest consecutive streak in League history. American's Christine Fingerhuth comes into the weekend after setting a League precedent with her third consecutive Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honor on Monday. Colgate counters with senior goalkeeper Kirsten Lalli, who earned her third weekly honor on Monday and was also named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. Lalli leads the nation with 126 saves.
Lafayette (5-7, 2-0) can also punch its Patriot League Tournament ticket with a victory at Holy Cross (0-12, 0-2). A berth for Lafayette would keep the Leopards at the top of the all-time list with 14 Patriot League Tournament appearances. The Leopards have only missed the event three times, and are trying to qualify for the field for the fifth year in a row. That would tie their own stretch from 1999-2003 for the third-longest streak in Patriot League history.
If American and Lafayette both win, then Bucknell (5-8, 1-1) can also make the field if it wins at home against Lehigh (2-11, 0-2). The Bison are in search of their third consecutive Patriot League Tournament appearance, and fifth in the past six years. The Bison would also stay one behind Lafayette with 13 overall Patriot League Tournament appearances.
American and Holy Cross each play a non-League game on Sunday, with the Eagles visiting No. 18 Albany. American has defeated four ranked opponents during its 10-game winnings streak, and is undefeated in true road games this season.
Men's Soccer
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Four matches are on the weekend docket in men's soccer, with Army (1-9-0, 0-3-0 Patriot League) traveling to Bucknell (4-6-1, 1-1-1) in the first tilt Friday at 6 p.m. The Bison were in position to win at Holy Cross last Saturday before Tom Van Grinsven's goal in the 90th minute tied the game and forced Bucknell to settle for the tie and just one point. Army is seeking its second win of the year and first in League play and would love to capture it against the Bison, who are in a three-way tie for third place with Navy and Lehigh.
Speaking of Lehigh (4-5-2, 1-1-1), the Mountain Hawks entertain Holy Cross (3-7-2, 0-2-1) Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Bethlehem. Lehigh will be most interested in what happens the night before in Lewisburg and will wait to see if it will need to keep pace with the Bison. For the Crusaders, Saturday's contest is critical if they want to make a run for a berth in the Patriot League tournament. They have one point after salvaging the tie with Bucknell last week but currently sit in seventh place. For the latest updates during the game, stay tuned to the Patriot League's Twitter page.
The other 1 p.m. game Saturday features local rivals Navy (6-2-2, 1-1-1) and American (6-6-0, 3-0-0) taking the field against one another at Reeves Field in Washington, D.C. The Eagles are coming off a tough 1-0 double-overtime loss at No. 17 Penn Tuesday in Philadelphia. American remains in great position within the League picture as they are tied for first with Colgate. The Midshipmen have been idle since last week's tie with Lehigh and look to get back into the win column against American. It would do wonders for their positioning for a playoff berth as they look for separation from Bucknell and the Mountain Hawks.
Lafayette (5-5-2, 1-2-0) visits Colgate (6-3-2, 3-0-0) in the fourth contest of the weekend, and both teams are coming off losses to Ivy League opponents Tuesday night. The Raiders outshot Cornell 17-3 but lost 2-0 to the Big Red, while Lafayette dropped a 3-0 decision to Princeton. After their quick start, the Leopards are sixth in the League standings and need a win to get back into the playoff picture at the halfway point, but it won't come easy against Colgate, which is undefeated in League play and one week removed from being ranked in the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com national top 25 poll.
Women's Soccer
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The League schedule turns the corner on the halfway mark this weekend with all eight teams in action against one another. Three games will take place Saturday while one is slated for Sunday.
The first of Saturday's three matches pits Bucknell (4-11-0, 2-1-0 Patriot League) at Navy (9-6-1, 2-1-0) at 11 a.m. in Annapolis. This is a crucial contest on a number of levels, as both teams are part of a three-way second-place tie in the League standings. The winner earns the important head-to-head tiebreaker over the other as the two attempt to break the knot in the middle of the standings.
Holy Cross (3-7-2, 0-2-1) hits the road for a 4 p.m. contest Saturday at Lehigh (7-3-2, 2-1-0). Crusaders coach Darren Gallagher said earlier this week his team is due for more scoring, and he's right. Holy Cross has been shut out in each of its last four contests, posting an 0-3-1 record during that stretch. The Mountain Hawks are coming off their first regulation loss of the season Wednesday, a 1-0 decision at Princeton. The Patriot League will be at live at the Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem providing updates courtesy of the GameDay Blog following the conclusion of the Bucknell-Georgetown football game.
The third and final Saturday contest features first-place Army (11-3-1, 2-0-1) visiting Lafayette (6-7-1, 0-2-1). The Leopards are vying for their first League win since the end of the 2006 season, which ironically came against the Black Knights in Easton. Black Knight goalkeeper Alex Lostetter moved into fifth all-time in League history with 27 shutouts after posting two last week. Army is two wins shy of tying the program's all-time mark of 13 victories set back in 1993.
Sunday's lone contest pits Colgate (4-10-0, 1-2-0) against American (5-9-1, 1-1-1) in Washington, D.C. at 12 p.m. The Eagles hope to build upon last week's 1-0-1 weekend, which featured a hard-earned tie at Army and a win at Holy Cross. The Raiders also picked up a victory last week on the road at Lafayette with freshman keeper Emma Geigerich earning the first victory of her career. The Eagles have turned their season around after an 0-8 start, going 5-1-1 over their last seven.
Volleyball
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Composite Schedule
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Eight games dot the weekend schedule in Patriot League volleyball as the teams near the halfway point. It's an exceptionally important weekend because of the implications that will be seen in the standings when Saturday's matches conclude.
All four of Friday's matches will begin at 7 p.m. Bucknell (6-11) hits the road at Army (11-10), Colgate (10-9, 3-2 Patriot League) visits Holy Cross (10-14, 2-3), American (17-2, 5-0) entertains Lafayette (4-15, 0-5) while Lehigh (8-9, 2-3) travels to Navy (6-15, 0-5). The match at West Point will feature two teams knotted in a second-place tie with a 4-1 record, while in Worcester the Crusaders will attempt to pull even with the Raiders at 3-3. Lafayette will have a steep hill to climb for its first League win of the season at American, while the Midshipmen will look for that same first League victory against Lehigh.
The first contest on Saturday's schedule features Navy hosting Lafayette at noon while American welcomes Lehigh to Bender Arena at 2 p.m. Colgate visits Army and Holy Cross hosts Bucknell, with both those matches taking place at 4 p.m.