Mountain Hawks to open league play at Colgate
10/3/2008 11:15:00 AM | Field Hockey
 |
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh continues its five game road swing this weekend with a pair of games in central New York. First up for the Mountain Hawks is a Saturday afternoon showdown at Colgate, which marks the 2008 Patriot League opener for both teams. Lehigh will be looking to snap a three game slide as the Mountain Hawks begin their quest for a fourth Patriot League tournament appearance in five years in Hamilton, N.Y. The weekend concludes with a Sunday afternoon tilt at Cornell.
The Mountain Hawks enter Patriot League play at 3-6 overall, having dropped three straight games including setbacks at La Salle and Villanova last weekend. Despite the results, head coach Julie Mazer did see bright spots, especially in the way her team performed in the first half of both contests. Mazer is hoping that this weekend, the Mountain Hawks can put together a consistent effort for the full 70 minutes.
“The energy and intensity of the league games is different,” said Mazer. “We tried to put our team in position in September to be prepared for the intensity of the league games we will play.
Mazer continues, “We will be doing a lot of traveling for the rest of the season, so we will need to be able to play well on the road. We are facing two good teams this weekend in Colgate and Cornell and we will need to play our best and compete for the full 70 minutes. If we can do that, we should be pleased with our results at the end of the weekend.”
Sophomore back Taryn Hartzell has stepped up as an anchor of the Lehigh defense. Hartzell leads Lehigh’s field players in defensive saves, and has also contributed on the offensive end with her first goal of the season in the loss to Villanova last Sunday. Junior Kelly Fox continues to lead the Mountain Hawks in scoring with six goals and 12 points. Senior Kara Zweizig and junior Lindsey Smith are tops in the assist department, with three apiece this season.
“Colgate is always a very competitive game for us,” said Mazer. “It’s usually a tight game, and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to start league play with a good performance.”
Colgate enters Saturday’s game at 6-4 and on the heels of a three-game winning streak in which the Raiders have outscored their opponents 9-0. The Raiders upset then-No. 18 Albany 1-0 on September 24, and also own recent victories over Saint Francis and Bryant, two teams Lehigh defeated earlier this season.
Senior Lauren Carey paces the Raider attack with five goals and 12 points, while Laura Flisnik and Mika Ella-Tang have also eclipsed the ten point barrier this season. Defensively, junior Sarah Pedersen is Colgate’s top keeper with a 2.89 goals-against average and 64 saves.
The Raiders lead the series versus Lehigh 14-11-1. The Mountain Hawks won last year’s meeting 3-2 in overtime in Bethlehem, a victory which clinched a Patriot League tournament berth for the Brown and White. Lehigh will be looking to pick up its first victory in Hamilton since 1996 after five straight setbacks on the Raiders’ home turf.
Game time for Saturday’s Lehigh-Colgate tilt has been moved to 1 p.m. from Tyler’s Field.
On Sunday, the Mountain Hawks will battle Cornell at Marsha Dodson Field. The Big Red enters the weekend at 4-4 and will host Yale on Saturday. Sunday’s game gets underway at 12 p.m.
