Oct. 28, 2011
Center Valley, Pa.- The final weekend of October is always a huge one on the Patriot League calendar, and that certainly rings true again in 2011 as field hockey and women's soccer teams play their final regular-season games while men's soccer and volleyball head towards the finish line with key League contests on tap.
Below are brief previews of the weekend ahead for the four fall team sports.
Field Hockey
Weekly Release
Updated Statistics
Composite Schedule
Two games will determine the makeup of the Patriot League Field Hockey Tournament on Saturday, as American and Lafayette face off for the top seed and right to host the postseason event while Bucknell heads to Colgate with the final berth in the field on the line.
The Eagles have hosted the Patriot League Tournament for six consecutive seasons and served as the top seed for each of their eight consecutive championships, but the streaks can come to an end on Saturday if Lafayette defeats American in Easton. The 4-0 Leopards have already clinched at least a share of the regular-season title for the first time since 2002, and would host the tournament for the first time since that season with a win on Saturday. American, which comes in at 3-1 in the Patriot League, will host the tournament with a win over the Leopards by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker with Lafayette. The Eagles can also claim their ninth-straight regular-season title with a victory.
Lafayette and American have already clinched their spots in the Patriot League Tournament, and Lehigh is assured of a spot as well heading into its regular-season finale at Holy Cross. That leaves Bucknell and Colgate fighting for the fourth and final spot in the Patriot League Tournament when they play in Hamilton on Saturday. The Bison improved to 2-2 with a win over American last weekend, while the Raiders earned their first League win at Holy Cross and would make the field with a victory because of the head-to-head tiebreaker with Bucknell.
Tournament seeds are still very much at play in the final weekend as well. Lafayette can be first or second, American can still grab the top seed as well as the second or third spot, Bucknell can place anywhere from second to fourth if it makes the tournament and Lehigh will take either the third or fourth spot. If Colgate makes the field, the Raiders are guaranteed of the No. 4 seed.
The full Patriot League Field Hockey Tournament bracket will be announced after the completion of Saturday's contests, with the sport's All-Patriot League and Academic All-Patriot League honors coming out early next week. The Patriot League Field Hockey Tournament will be held at either Lafayette or American next Friday and Saturday.
Women's Soccer
Weekly Release
Updated Statistics
Composite Schedule/Results
Several matches on the women's soccer docket will have postseason implications. The first is Saturday at noon, when Bucknell (5-9-1, 3-3-0 Patriot League, 9 pts.) hosts Navy (11-5-3, 3-2-1, 10 pts.) in a winner-take-all battle for the fourth and final berth to the Patriot League Tournament. A draw also puts the Mids into the postseason. Both teams went 2-0-0 last weekend to put themselves in this position.
First-place Colgate (11-4-2, 4-0-2, 14 points) puts its nine-game unbeaten streak on the line at 7 p.m. when it hosts American (5-11-2, 1-4-1, 4 pts.) on Van Doren Field in Hamilton, N.Y. The Raiders clinch the top seed and hosting duties for the League Tournament with a win or a tie. A loss brings Lafayette back into the picture to potentially host.
Lehigh (6-9-2, 2-3-1, 7 pts.) visits Holy Cross (2-12-3, 0-5-1, 1 pt.) Saturday at 2 p.m. in the season finale for both teams. The Crusaders picked up their first point of League play a week ago at American, while the Mountain Hawks find themselves on the outside of the postseason looking in a year after capturing their first League crown in program history.
Sunday's 1 p.m. matchup at West Point between Army (10-3-4, 3-1-2, 11 pts.) and Lafayette (9-5-1, 4-2-0, 12 pts.) could determine quite a bit. If Colgate falls to American, the Leopards would clinch the tournament's No. 1 seed with a win against the Black Knights. The match means an awful lot for Army as well in terms of seeding. A victory would assure the Black Knights that they avoid having to play the No. 1 seed in the tournament semifinals.
Men's Soccer
Weekly Release
Updated Statistics
Composite Schedule/Results
What a way to start the weekend, with Lehigh (7-2-5, 3-1-1, 10 pts.) visiting American (6-10-1, 4-1-0, 12 pts.) for a 1 p.m. start Saturday. The Mountain Hawks are tied for second with Colgate and have the offense chugging, while the Eagles will try to rebound from a 2-1 loss a week ago at Navy. A Lehigh win would lift it into at least a first-place tie, depending on what Colgate does later in the day. American will become the first team to clinch a League Tournament spot with a victory. Lehigh could get in also, depending on the results of other matches during the weekend.
Speaking of Colgate, the Raiders (9-4-3, 3-1-1, 10 pts.) welcome Bucknell (7-7-2, 2-3-0, 6 pts.) to Hamilton, N.Y. for a 4 p.m. kickoff Saturday. Like Lehigh, Colgate could potentially jump into a first-place tie with a victory and just about wrap up a League Tournament bid while at the same time all but officially eliminating the two-time defending League champion Bison from the postseason. Bucknell is not necessarily out with a loss, but would see its playoff chances severely diminished with any result other than a win.
Holy Cross (1-12-2, 0-5-0, 0 pts.) heads to Navy (6-7-3, 2-2-1, 7 pts.) for a match that has been rescheduled to Sunday at 1 p.m. because of the late-October snowstorm that's forecast for parts of the Northeast. The Mids' postseason hopes came to life with last week's 2-1 win over American, putting the team in better position to make the League playoff for the first time since 2001.
Navy will keep a close eye on what happens after its match with Holy Cross. Army (7-9-0, 2-3-0, 6 pts.) hosts Lafayette (7-5-3, 2-2-1, 7 pts.) at 3:30 p.m. at West Point. The Leopards have dropped two straight League contests and are now tied for fourth with the Mids. The Black Knights are one point back, and really both teams are playing for their season. A loss would mathematically eliminate Army, while Lafayette has slightly more -- but not much -- room for error in the standings.
Volleyball
Weekly Release
Updated Statistics
Composite Schedule/Results
Three weeks remain in the regular season and tickets could be punched to the Patriot League Tournament as early as this weekend. American (16-10, 8-1) is one of the two that can qualify for the League playoff with a win over visiting Navy (6-18, 1-8) Friday at 7 p.m. The Eagles are aiming for their 11th-straight appearance in the League Tournament and have won nine of the last 10 titles. It's the start of a five-match home stand that closes the regular season for American.
Lehigh (15-8, 6-3) cannot clinch a bid to the four-team field this weekend but would be on the brink if it came up with a win at rival Lafayette (8-14, 1-8) Friday at 7 p.m. When the two last met, the Mountain Hawks built a 2-0 lead before the Leopards stormed back to force a decisive fifth set.
Colgate (10-14, 6-3), which is tied with Lehigh for third place, visits travel partner Bucknell (6-12, 3-6) Saturday at 4 p.m. The Raiders will have the benefit of knowing what Lehigh did Friday night against Lafayette. The Bison trail both Colgate and Lehigh by three in the loss column with five matches to go, making this showdown a potential turning point for its designs on a League Tournament slot.
Army (18-6, 8-1) and Holy Cross (7-19, 3-6) will have Sunday all to themselves when they play at 1 p.m. at West Point. The Black Knights are in the same exact situation as American -- a win puts them into the League Tournament. On the other side, the Crusaders are in the same position as Bucknell, sitting three back of Colgate and Lehigh entering the weekend with five to play.