Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh welcomes league foe American to town
3/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – On Saturday, Lehigh welcomes the American Eagles to the Ulrich Sports Complex. The Mountain Hawks will be looking to rack up a third consecutive win after defeating Columbia this past Wednesday at home. That win boosted the Mountain Hawks overall season record to 4-3, while American enters this weekend’s game with an overall record of 1-6. American will try to shake off their recent losses to Bucknell, Columbia, Colgate and Old Dominion, as it plays the first of a three-game road trip. For both teams, this game marks the third Patriot League game of the season.
Lehigh will return to the field after holding off a late rally by Columbia to down the Lions 15-13 on Wednesday afternoon. Freshman Kelly Draper netted a career-best six goals, while sophomore Lauren Dykstra added another four to the scoreboard. With eight minutes remaining, the Mountain Hawks were leading the game 15-9 when Columbia scored four straight goals to pull within two scores at the 4:20 mark. Lehigh, however, managed to hold onto the ball and run out the clock to mark its second consecutive win. Rachael Ryan netted five goals for the Lions who fell to 5-2 following the loss. The Mountain Hawks did a great job of protecting the ball and keeping it away from the Lions down the stretch to come away with the victory.
Dykstra leads the Mountain Hawks with 20 goals and 25 points this season, while Draper and Sara MacIntyre have scored 19 and 12 goals, respectively. Dykstra and Allison Thomas lead the team in ground balls, with Dykstra continuing to lead the team in draw controls with 16. Goal keeper Kelsy Ferris has made 60 saves in 435 minutes of action this season.
The Mountain Hawks have lost eight of the ten meetings with American, but Lehigh did down the Eagles in the last contest played in Bethlehem in 2007. That day, Meghan Tranter scored on a rebound in the second overtime to lift the Brown and White to a dramatic 10-9 victory.
This will be a tough game for American as it is in the midst of a four game losing streak. Amanda Makoid leads the Eagles with 10 goals, while Leslie Fischer closely follows with nine goals. Anne Marie Person leads in assists with four and Frankie Solomon has made 59 saves in 376 minutes of playing time.
Lehigh and American will get things started at 1:00 on Saturday.
