Oct. 14, 2011
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Another weekend is here, and that means more Patriot League contests in the sports of men and women's soccer, field hockey and volleyball. A brief rundown of the weekend's action in each sport is below.
Men's Soccer
Weekly Release
Updated Statistics
Composite Schedule
The biggest match of the week pits League leader American (5-8-1, 3-0-0 PL, nine points) against second-place Lafayette (6-3-3, 2-0-1, seven points) at Reeves Field in Washington, D.C. Both clubs are coming off non-League defeats during the week, but all of that will be forgotten when the teams kick off at 1 p.m. An Eagles win would give them a stranglehold on first place with three weeks left, while a Leopards victory would lift them into the lead and significantly tighten the standings.
Lehigh (4-2-5, 1-1-1, four points) hosts Navy (4-6-3, 1-1-1, four points) at 1 p.m. in a matchup between teams coming off League losses one week ago. The Mountain Hawks fell to Lafayette and will try to rebound from the loss to their rival, while the Mids lost a 3-2 decision to a desperate Bucknell team. Both are tied for third place with Colgate, so a win for either would create some separation in the middle of the pack.
Bucknell (6-5-1, 1-2-0, three points) will look to build on last week's victory in Annapolis, Md., when it returns home to host Holy Cross (1-8-2, 0-3-0, zero points) at 1 p.m. The Crusaders continue seeking that elusive first League win, while the Bison will look for another victory to strengthen their shot at a League Tournament berth. Bucknell is tied for sixth with Army.
Colgate (7-3-2, 1-1-1, four points) plays host to Army (5-7-0, 1-2-0, three points) at 4 p.m. The Black Knights have dropped two straight League matches after opening with a win, while the Raiders are coming off last week's victory at Holy Cross. The teams are separated by just one point in the standings. The Raiders are 9-0-1 in their last 10 meetings with Army and have won six straight in the series that dates back to 1921.
Women's Soccer
Weekly Release
Updated Statistics
Composite Schedule
The weekend's first matchup features red-hot Colgate (9-4-1, 2-0-1, seven points) visiting Navy (8-5-2, 1-2-0, three points) Saturday at 12 p.m. The Mids saw their 3-0-1 streak snapped with a pair of 1-0 losses last weekend on the road at Lafayette and Lehigh, while Colgate went 1-0-1 with a win at Holy Cross and a 1-1 draw at Army. The Raiders' League-leading offense (2.07 goals per game) will go up against a Navy defense that has the third-best goals-against average in the League (0.87). Colgate is unbeaten in its last six (5-0-1).
Lafayette (8-3-1, 3-0-0, nine points) will attempt to extend its program-best Patriot League start when it hosts Holy Cross (2-9-2, 0-3-0, zero points) Saturday at 3 p.m. It is the last home (for now) for the Leopards, who will close the regular season with three straight on the road. First-place Lafayette has a two-point lead over Army and Colgate in the standings, with games against both to come.
Lehigh's defense of its Patriot League title continues Saturday night with a 7 p.m. match at home against Army (9-2-3, 2-0-1, seven points). The Mountain Hawks (6-6-1, 2-1-0, six points) posted wins last week over American and Navy to jump into fourth place in the standings. The Black Knights, who are tied for second with Colgate and trail Lafayette by two points, own the League's best GAA (0.41) and are undefeated in their last five.
Bucknell (3-8-1, 1-2-0, three points) and American (4-10-1, 0-3-0, zero points) have the stage all to themselves Sunday at 12 p.m. at Reeves Field. With the League slate at its midway point, both teams could be faced with a must-win scenario. Only once has a team made the League Tournament with four losses since the League went to eight teams when American joined in 2001.
Volleyball
Weekly Release
Updated Statistics
Composite Schedule
It's back to the usual two-match weekend for all eight League teams. All four of Friday's matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.
American (12-9, 5-0) looks to continue rolling when it visits Lafayette (7-10, 0-5). The Eagles have won seven in a row and 27 straight against League teams during the regular season. They own the League's best team hitting percentage at .246, while freshman Sara Rishell's .310 leads the way on the individual list. Senior Christy Mebust is Lafayette's leader in digs at 4.23 per set, putting her third in the League, and she could be very busy against the American offense.
The two teams immediately chasing American are Army and Colgate, and they'll go head-to-head Saturday. Before that, the Black Knights (13-6, 4-1) will visit Bucknell (4-10, 1-4) Friday night. Bison junior Kebah Edoho has moved into second in the League hitting .293, with Black Knights Megan Wilton (third, .290) and Rachel Willis (10th, .248) also in the League's top 10. Army's Ariana Mankus enters the weekend ranked second in the League averaging 3.63 kills per set.
Before Colgate (8-11, 4-1) can set its sights on Army, it will host Holy Cross (6-15, 2-3) Friday evening in Hamilton, N.Y. The Raiders, who were the only team with a non-League match this week when they defeated Cornell 3-1 Tuesday, have won 12 in a row in the series against the Crusaders. Holy Cross' last victory against Colgate came in 2004, when it swept the season series. Megan Lynch leads the Crusaders and the League in total kills (287) and kill average (4.10 kps), while Kaylee Fifer sets up the Raider attack with 9.27 assists per set.
Navy (6-14, 1-4) visits Lehigh (11-7, 3-2) in another critical League matchup Friday night. The Mids will attempt to climb back into the race for a berth in the League Tournament, with the Mountain Hawks currently occupying fourth place in the standings. Junior Carolyn Ewert is averaging over three kills per frame since returning full-time to the Navy lineup. Lehigh leads the League averaging nearly two service aces per set, with Rachel Charles (36 aces, 0.55 per set) leading the way.
Four matches will be played Saturday, starting with Lafayette hosting Navy at 2 p.m. American will travel to Lehigh and Colgate will entertain Army at 4 p.m. The day's action concludes at 5 p.m. when Holy Cross visits Bucknell.
Field Hockey
Weekly Release
Updated Statistics
Composite Schedule
American and Lafayette have a chance to make it to another Patriot League Tournament by clinching their spots on Saturday. The Eagles play at home against Colgate while the Leopards welcome Holy Cross, and a victory for both would mean a 3-0 record and League Tournament berth. Bucknell and Lehigh try to stay in touch with the leaders and inch closer to a postseason berth when they meet in Bethlehem. Both teams come in at 1-1 in the Patriot League, with Colgate and Holy Cross at 0-2.
On Sunday, American has a big non-League test when it welcomes defending champion and No. 3 Maryland to town.