Mountain Hawks welcome Colgate in PL opener
10/2/2009 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh field hockey team opens up Patriot League play on Saturday, as the Mountain Hawks welcome the Colgate Raiders to Ulrich Field. After dropping the first two games of their seven-game home stand by 1-0 scores, the Mountain Hawks offense came to life Tuesday night in a 3-2 victory over Siena, which moved Lehigh to 3-5 on the season.
Freshman Kim Eng scored twice and sophomore Madison Ingal added her first goal of the season in Tuesday night’s victory. Lehigh raced to a 3-0 lead at halftime before the Saints mustered a second-half rally, but the Mountain Hawks defense settled down over the final ten minutes to preserve the win. Eng increased her team leading goal and point totals to seven and 17 respectively. On the defensive side, junior Lilia Stefaniwsky helped preserve the victory by making ten saves on the night.
Lehigh will be looking to prove the preseason prognosticators wrong as the Mountain Hawks were picked sixth in the league’s preseason poll in August. With a win on Saturday, Lehigh will surpass its win total from last season, and pick up its first Patriot League win since a 3-2 overtime triumph over the Raiders in 2007, a win that propelled the Mountain Hawks to the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League tournament.
Colgate has struggled in its pre-league schedule. The Raiders enter Saturday’s game at 1-9 and will be looking to snap a three-game losing skid. Colgate was picked third in the preseason poll but a young backline has struggled to find its form as the Raiders have been outscored 31-13 in ten games this season.
Senior Katelyn Nerbonne paces the Raider attack with five goals and three assists for 13 points, while classmate Laura Denenga has added four goals and nine points. Sarah Pedersen has started all ten games in the goal cage, making 28 saves and posting a goals-against average of just over three.
Lehigh and Colgate have faced four common opponents this season: Rider, Saint Francis, Bryant and Siena. The Mountain Hawks are 2-2 against that quarter while the Raiders downed Saint Francis for their only win of the season.
Colgate leads the all-time series versus Lehigh 15-11 with one tie. The Raiders defeated the Mountain Hawks 3-1 in the league opener for both teams last year in Hamilton, N.Y.
Saturday’s game gets underway at 11 a.m. from Ulrich Field and all the action can be seen on Lehighsports.com.
