Mountain Hawks return home for rivalry game
10/17/2008 11:45:00 AM | Field Hockey
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh returns home for the first time in over a month as the Mountain Hawks welcome their arch rivals the Lafayette Leopards to the Ulrich Sports Complex on Saturday night. The Mountain Hawks have dropped their last six games to fall to 3-9 overall and 0-2 in the Patriot League, but are looking forward to playing their next three games on their home turf and can get right back into the mix for a Patriot League tournament berth with a win over their the Leopards.
“Every game within the league so far has been a tight game,” said Lehigh head coach Julie Mazer. “If you look at the Lehigh-Lafayette games, there’s always an extra energy and electricity in the atmosphere. I know our team is looking forward to being back home and playing our best game on Saturday night.”
The Mountain Hawks return home after a winless five game road trip, which included league losses at Colgate and Bucknell. Lehigh will be looking to jump start its offense, which scored just three goals on the road trip, two of which came from senior Kalynn Davies. Despite the recent rough stretch, the Mountain Hawks are looking forward to proving that they can raise their game to a higher level.
“The rivalry to me is all about Lehigh pride,” said Davies, who is tied for second on the team in goals and points. “We want to represent our school and the program in the best way possible. We are all excited to take the field and show everyone how we know we are capable of playing.”
Prior to Saturday night’s game, Lehigh will honor its three member senior class which consists of Davies, Kara Zweizig and Jennifer Cochran. With upcoming renovations to the Ulrich Sports Complex, the team is also cherishing its final three games on the turf.
“This game means so much to both the past and present field hockey programs at Lehigh,” said junior midfielder Julie Kuhns. “We have the opportunity to beat our biggest rivals on senior night on one of the final three games on our field. If that doesn't pump you up to play the best game of the season, I don't know what will.”
It will not be easy for the Brown and White however, as Lafayette enters Saturday’s game at 9-5 overall and 2-0 in the league, which leaves the Leopards tied atop the league standings with American. The Leopards own one-goal league wins over Bucknell and Holy Cross and can clinch a Patriot League tournament berth with a win over the Mountain Hawks.
Lafayette is led by senior Maggie Condon, the Patriot League’s leading scorer, who has 12 goals and three assists for 27 points last night. Condon has gotten help from Kelly Hilovsky and Jaclyn DiSanti, who have each produced double-digit points this season. Sophomore Kelsey Andersen has played every minute this season in goal for the Leopards and owns a 1.37 goals-against average.
The Leopards lead the all-time series versus Lehigh 29-12-3 and have won three straight overall. The two teams met twice last year, with Lafayette winning 3-2 in Easton in the regular season, and then 2-0 in the Patriot League semifinals.
Saturday’s game gets underway at 7 p.m. from the Ulrich Sports Complex. The game can be seen on Lehighsports.com with streaming powered by Yahoo! Sports College Broadcast.
