2009 women's lacrosse schedule announced
10/16/2008 7:30:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh head women’s lacrosse coach Jill Redfern has announced the 2009 schedule, which includes nine home games, a trip to sunny Florida, and matchups versus Boston College and Penn State. “This will be one of our more challenging schedules in recent memory,” Redfern explained. “We are excited to add two top twenty teams to our schedule with games against Boston College and Penn State. This progress toward a greater strength of schedule is one of our main goals. Our aim is that this stronger schedule will pay big dividends in league play.”
The Mountain Hawks open their season on February 15 at home against St. Joseph’s, a team Lehigh has beaten three straight times, including a pair of one-goal affairs. Lehigh’s road opener takes place on February 22 at Mount St. Mary’s in Maryland, while on March 1 the Brown and White heads to the Sunshine State to take on the Boston College Eagles in Wellington, Florida.
Upon return from Florida, Lehigh begins Patriot League play on March 7 when the Mountain Hawks play host to Bucknell at the Ulrich Sports Complex. The annual showdown with archrival Lafayette takes place in Easton on March 14 beginning at 1:00. Lehigh has owned the Leopards of late winning three of the last four meetings, including a dominating 22-10 victory last year in Bethlehem.
Four straight home games highlight the mid-March portion of the schedule, as Columbia (March 18), American (March 21), La Salle (March 24) and Davidson (March 28) each make the trip to Bethlehem. In American’s last trip to the Ulrich Sports Complex in 2007, the Mountain Hawks earned a dramatic overtime victory on the strength of a Meghan Tranter goal which earned the Brown and White a top-two seed in the Patriot League Tournament.
Following the four-game home stand, Lehigh hits the road for a quartet of tough contests, beginning at Drexel on March 30. The long trip to Worcester, Massachusetts to take on Holy Cross is slated for April 4, while on April 8 the Mountain Hawks head to Happy Valley to take on a Penn State team that played one of the tougher schedules in the nation a year ago. Lehigh and Penn State have not met since 2001.
The Brown and White closes out the road trip with its first-ever visit to Annapolis to take on the Navy Midshipmen on April 11. Last season, the Mountain Hawks unleashed a furious second half comeback to down the Mids in what was the first meeting ever between the schools in women’s lacrosse.
A pair of home games with Monmouth (April 15) and Colgate (April 18) round out the regular season. The 2009 Patriot League Tournament will take place on the campus of the league’s top seed beginning on April 24 with the Championship game scheduled for April 26.
Lehigh returns all six of All-Patriot League selections from a season ago for the upcoming season, including the last three Rookies of the Year and adds a potent freshmen class to their roster.
