Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks visit American for PL semifinal
11/5/2009 8:30:00 AM | Field Hockey
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh heads to Washington, D.C. for the 2009 Patriot League Tournament, and will take on top seed and regular season champion American in Friday’s first semifinal. Second-seed Bucknell and Lafayette, the No. 3 seed, will tangle in the other semifinal with the two winners slated to meet on Saturday afternoon. Lehigh is looking to avenge a loss to the Eagles in its regular season finale last Sunday in Washington. The Mountain Hawks will try to beat American for the first time in school history and advance to the championship game for the first time since 1996.
Friday’s game marks Lehigh’s fifth tournament appearance all-time and its fourth in the last six seasons. Lehigh won the first tournament title in 1994, defeating Lafayette 1-0 in penalty strokes. The Mountain Hawks also reached the tournament in 1996, 2004, 2005 and 2007. Lehigh owns a 3-4 record in Patriot League tournament action, but has lost its last four games.
Freshman forward Kim Eng has made the most of her first season in the Brown and White, as she was named the Patriot League’s Rookie of the Year on Tuesday. A first team All-Patriot League selection, Eng leads the league with 13 goals and 34 points and ranks third with eight assists. Eng scored a point in ten of 16 games and recorded a hat trick in Lehigh’s 3-2 win over Holy Cross that propelled the Mountain Hawks into the postseason. Eng is Lehigh’s first Patriot League Rookie of the Year in Field Hockey.
After missing most of the last two seasons due to injury, senior forward Morgan Christopher has enjoyed good health and a breakout season on the turf in 2009. Christopher ranks second on the team with six goals and three assists for 15 points and was recently selected to the All-Patriot League first team. The speedy forward owns eight career goals.
One of the main reasons for Lehigh’s success this season has been the play of its backfield. The foursome of juniors Lauren Cawley, Taryn Hartzell, Claire Horn and Cassie Willard has started 63 of a possible 64 games between them this season and brought stability to the defensive unit. Cawley leads the Mountain Hawks with seven defensive saves, while Hartzell was a second-team All-League selection and added three goals on the offensive end of the field.
American captured its seventh straight Patriot League Regular Season title with a 4-1 league record and 9-8 overall mark. The Eagles will be gunning for their seventh straight Patriot League tournament championship this weekend. American boasts the league’s Offensive Player of the Year, Christine Fingerhuth, and the Defensive Player of the Year, Anne-Meike de Wiljes. Steve Jennings was named Patriot League Coach of the Year. Last weekend American scored eight straight goals to defeat Lehigh 8-1. Morgan Christopher netted the lone Lehigh goal.
The 2009 Patriot League tournament begins Friday morning when Lehigh meets American at 11 a.m. at Jacobs Field. The second semifinal between Bucknell and Lafayette is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The Championship game is slated for a 1:30 p.m. start on Saturday. All of Lehigh’s Patriot League tournament action can be heard live at Lehighsports.com.
