BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Two teams searching for their first Patriot League win meet Saturday night as the Mountain Hawks welcome arch rival Lafayette to the Ulrich Sports Complex. Despite a five game winless streak, Lehigh has been playing better as of late, and the Mountain Hawks will be looking for a win over their rivals to keep pace in the league standings, as Lehigh looks to qualify for the Patriot League tournament for the fourth straight year.
“I think Saturday is going to be a huge game for us,” said senior co-captain Michaela Pawlewicz. “Obviously it's Lafayette and so we are always going to be extra excited for that game, but we are also in a position in our season where we need to get a win.”
The Mountain Hawks picked up their first Patriot League point of the season, playing defending league champion Navy to a scoreless draw on Sunday. On Wednesday night, Lehigh hung tough with a regionally-ranked Princeton team, and put forth a solid showing, despite losing the game 1-0. Lehigh will look to jump start its offense, which has been held off the scoreboard for two straight games. Lehigh has just 13 goals in 14 games, and the Mountain Hawks will look to senior Melissa Montalvo and sophomore Liz Carlos to spark the attack in the stretch run. Defensively, Lehigh’s back four continues to play well, while goalkeepers Julie Kafka and Lauren Mains continue to play well as a tandem in net.
Lehigh enters the weekend seventh in the league standings, three points behind fourth place Navy. The top four teams in the regular season qualify for the league tournament.
“Patriot League games are always tough, competitive and unpredictable and that is even truer with Lafayette,” notes Pawlewicz. “I think we often see the best Lafayette has because of the rivalry and they always come out ready to play. We will need to match their intensity and work hard, and if we do both of those things I don't think there is any reason why we can't come out with a win.”
“We’re looking to turn around our performance in league play, and it start’s with this game,” added senior Shannon Lockwood. “We want a spot in that tournament, and we will need to get past Lafayette in order to get there. The rivalry always makes this game very intense, but we are confident and looking forward to meeting them under the lights at home.”
Like Lehigh, Lafayette enters tonight’s game winless in the Patriot League. The Leopards lost 3-0 to Navy and 5-0 to American last weekend, and also suffered a 2-1 league loss to Army. Lafayette has lost eight of its last nine games. Seniors Caroline Tuttle and Kelly Koryeva have combined for 11 of Lafayette’s 13 goals, while senior Mary Kate Erdman has seen the majority of playing time in goal.
Lehigh leads the all-time series versus Lafayette 10-4-2. The Mountain Hawks have won the last five meetings, including a 1-0 overtime triumph in Easton last season. Lehigh head coach Manny Oudin is 5-0 versus Lafayette.
“Every season, this game against Lafayette is always a battle because every player feels the intensity of the rivalry,” concludes junior co-captain Hailey Coonrad. “What this rivalry ultimately comes down to is pride. We all know how important this game is for us and our Patriot League standing, but for ultimately for us to win would go beyond the standings; it would be about being proud to be a Mountain Hawk and winning for Lehigh.
Saturday night’s game gets underway at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast online at Lehighsports.com with streaming video powered by Yahoo! Sports.
