March 25, 2011
Center Valley, Pa. - The 2011 campaign continues with several League contests scheduled this weekend in men's and women's lacrosse. There are three League tilts in each sport, with the two combining for five on Saturday. The lone Sunday showdown is the renewal of an old rivalry as Lafayette welcomes Lehigh to Fisher Stadium in women's lacrosse.
Men's Lacrosse
Weekly Release (3.22)
Updated Statistics
Composite Schedule
Four games are on the weekend schedule in men's lacrosse, all on Saturday, with three starting at noon and the fourth beginning at 1 p.m.
Army (6-2, 1-0), ranked ninth in the latest Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and tied for No. 8 in the USILA Poll, plays its second League game of the week on Saturday when it hosts Lafayette (2-5, 0-2) at Michie Stadium at West Point for a noon start. The Black Knights held off Lehigh 12-9 on Tuesday night to officially begin their defense of last year's Patriot League title, and senior Jeremy Boltus was a big reason why. He scored a hat trick and added four assists for a seven-point night, and leads the Patriot League with 40 points (16g, 24a). The game will feature two of the League's premier snipers in Army sophomore Garrett Thul (2.50 goals per game) and Lafayette senior Tom Perini (2.57). The Leopards are trying to bounce back from Tuesday's 18-5 loss at Drexel, and a loss would drop them to an 0-3 League record, putting their postseason hopes in a precarious position.
Colgate (5-3, 1-0) heads south to Annapolis for a critical matchup at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium against the Mids (4-4, 2-2). Navy's defense has improved of late, leading to its current three-game win streak, and a victory would move the Mids to 3-2 in Patriot League play with one contest remaining against Army next month. Raider sophomore Peter Baum is the League's leading scorer averaging 2.88 goals per game, while Navy boasts three of the League's top four players in points in Sam Jones (3.62 per game), Andy Warner (3.50) and Tucker Hull (3.50). Four of Hull's 12 goals on the season are with the extra man, and Navy freshman Harrison Chaires, who was named the League's Rookie of the Week on Monday, has a League-best six goals in man-up situations. Colgate keeper Jared Madison has the League's third-best goals-against average at 7.63, and sits third in save percentage (.556). The Raiders received votes in Monday's USILA Coaches Poll.
Lehigh (4-4, 1-1), which dropped its first League contest of the season Tuesday at Army, visits Holy Cross (0-7, 0-2) for a noon faceoff in Worcester. Manning the X for the Mountain Hawks is Ryan Snyder, who has won 66 percent (100-of-151) of his faceoffs this season, and he leads the League with 68 ground balls. The Crusaders, on the other hand, have not fared as well on faceoffs, winning 40 percent of the possessions as a team. Lehigh's offense has been spread around, as four players have scored at least 11 goals and five have double-digit points. Dante Fantoni holds the team lead with 23 points and is tied for first on the Mountain Hawks with 16 goals.
No. 18/17 Bucknell (6-2, 2-0), which saw its five-game win streak snapped in a 7-5 loss at Robert Morris Tuesday, looks to rebound against a very tough Albany team. Opening faceoff is slated for 1 p.m. in Lewisburg, Pa. The Great Danes are ranked 15th in the Nike/IL Media Poll and No. 16 by the USILA coaches, but have lost two straight, including an 18-13 loss at top-ranked Syracuse and a 12-7 defeat Tuesday against Marist. Ryan Klipstein leads the Bison with 18 goals and 25 points, and five of his teammates have recorded at least 13 points on the season. Bucknell is averaging just under 10 goals per game, but goalkeeper Kyle Feeney is second on the League with a 7.49 goals-against average.
Women's Lacrosse
Weekly Release (3.21)
Updated Statistics
Composite Schedule
It's a rivalry weekend for two schools, while another gets some rest.
Lehigh will travel to Lafayette for a Patriot League tilt at 1 p.m. Sunday, and the League's defending champion Navy will be idle as two other Patriot League contests face off Saturday. American will host Bucknell at 1 p.m. and Colgate will travel to Holy Cross for a 4 p.m. game.
Lehigh (5-4, 1-1 Patriot League) will look to cut Navy's lead to a half game with a win Sunday, and with some help from Holy Cross, move into a second-place tie with Colgate. The Mountain Hawks have been led by Lauren Dykstra, who is closing in on the Patriot League career goals record after scoring two more Thursday in an 18-6 win over Temple. Dykstra now has 221 goals and she is 21 away from tying former Lehigh attack Jill Altshuler (242 goals, 1993-96). Dykstra, who has scored in 41 straight games, tallied six goals in the Mountain Hawks' 20-4 win over Lafayette last season. It was Lehigh's fourth consecutive win over Lafayette and sixth in the last nine seasons. The Leopards (1-7, 0-1) have been led by Addie Godfrey, who has 16 goals and three assists.
Colgate (4-4, 2-0) will head to Worcester, Mass., for a chance to take a 3-0 lead in the standings. The Raiders have been among the League's top scoring teams, averaging 14.62 goals per game. Lehigh is first with 14.67 and Navy is third with 14.27. Colleen Bubnack (29 goals, 12 assists) and Courtney Miller (18 goals, 20 assists) have played a big role in the Raiders' offense combining for 79 points. Holy Cross (3-7, 0-1) has struggled on offense, averaging just 7.92 goals per game. When the Crusaders do score, it has been Kat Sutton a good amount of the time. She's scored a team-high 20 goals this season, and she has scored in 39 straight games.
After dropping a close contest to Colgate, American (4-4, 1-1) will look to keep pace with a win at Bucknell (2-8, 0-2) Saturday. The Eagles had a three-game winning streak prior to last week's 15-12 loss to Colgate, and with five goal scorers in double-digits, including Chiara Speziale (16 goals, two assists), American is ready to take on the youthful Bison. Bucknell has lost six of its last seven and has averaged just 7.67 goals per game. A bright spot for the Bison has been freshman Ali Carey, who has 15 goals and three assists -- a goal behind team-leader and senior Julia Braun.