Mountain Hawks visit the Big Apple Wednesday
10/20/2009 4:15:00 PM | Field Hockey
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh will play its final non-league game of the season Wednesday evening when the Mountain Hawks head to New York to take on Columbia. The Mountain Hawks will be looking to bounce back from a tough 3-0 loss to rival Lafayette on Saturday, and with critical league games remaining at Holy Cross and American, Wednesday’s game will allow Lehigh to try and get back on track heading into its final two games of the regular season.
Junior Lilia Stefaniwsky did her part to try and keep Lehigh in the game against rival Lafayette as she was credited with 11 saves on a day in which the Mountain Hawks were out-shot 27-4 by the Leopards. Offensively, the Mountain Hawks will try to get freshman Kim Eng going offensively. Eng was held in check by Lafayette but did net a goal and an assist in Lehigh’s 3-2 overtime victory over Fairfield last Wednesday.
The Mountain Hawks enter Wednesday’s tilt at 5-8 overall and could double their win total from last season with a victory over the Lions.
Columbia comes into Wednesday’s game at 5-6 overall and 1-2 in the Ivy League. The Lions fell 4-2 to in-state foe Hofstra last week but had Saturday’s scheduled league match-up with Penn postponed due to weather. The Lions last two victories came at the expense of Patriot League foes, a 4-1 win at Lafayette on October 7 and a 1-0 win over Holy Cross four days later.
Julia Garrison and Katie DeSandis lead Columbia with four goals apiece this season, while Garrison also leads the team with ten points. Christie O’Hara has seen the bulk of the playing time in the goal cage, with a 5-5 record and a 2.62 goals-against average.
The all-time series favors Columbia by an 8-4 margin. The Lions have won the last four meetings including a 2-0 win last year at the Ulrich Sports Complex.
Wednesday night’s game gets underway at 7 p.m. from the Columbia Field Hockey Venue.
