Lehigh welcomes Holy Cross in PL opener
10/3/2008 11:30:00 AM | Women's Soccer
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh returns to the pitch for the first time in eight days as the Mountain Hawks welcome the Holy Cross Crusaders to the Ulrich Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon in the Patriot League opener for both teams. The Mountain Hawks have won their last two matches to enter league play with a 4-4-1 record.
Junior Liz Carlos, Lehigh’s leading scorer a year ago, netted her first goal of the season to propel the Mountain Hawks to a 1-0 win over Fairleigh Dickinson last Friday night. Lehigh was slated to face Mount St. Mary’s on Sunday, but the Mountain Hawks’ final tune-up before Patriot League play was postponed due to heavy rains.
The Mountain Hawks now have seven goals as a team in nine games, with the seven goals scored by seven different players. Defensively, the Brown and White have posted 180 consecutive minutes of scoreless soccer, with sophomore keeper Lauren Mains securing back-to-back shutouts. All four of Lehigh’s victories this season have come by 1-0 scores.
Despite its 1-9 record, Holy Cross could be a dangerous first league opponent for the Brown and White. The Crusaders were 2-5 last season in league play, but did stun Lehigh with a 2-1 victory last year in Worcester, a win that ultimately kept Lehigh out of the Patriot League tournament.
Holy Cross enters today’s game on the heels of a 4-1 loss at Brown on Wednesday. Junior Shelby Stand and freshman Katherine Donnelly lead the Crusaders with four goals apiece. Junior goalkeeper Jessica Stone has played every minute between the posts and has made 61 saves in ten games.
The Crusaders lead the all-time series 11-6, but Lehigh had won the last four meetings prior to last year’s setback. Lehigh is 4-2 in Patriot League openers under head coach Manny Oudin.
Saturday’s game kicks off at 4:30 p.m. from the Ulrich Sports Complex. The game will be broadcast online at Lehighsports.com with streaming powered by Yahoo! Sports College Broadcast.
