Lehigh hits the road for Wednesday night showdown at Princeton
10/12/2010 5:07:00 PM | Women's Soccer
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh women's soccer team looks to ride the momentum of two crucial Patriot League wins when it travels out of conference to face Princeton on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Mountain Hawks are riding a three-game winning streak to improve their overall record to 7-2-2 on the season, 2-1-0 in league play.Princeton marks Lehigh's fourth regionally-ranked opponent of the season. The Tigers are currently tied for fifth in the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic poll, behind only Hofstra, Dayton, Army and Columbia. The Mountain Hawks have played neck and neck with the region's best this season, dropping overtime heartbreakers to Dayton and Army while tying Columbia.
The Mountain Hawks' strong season thus far is evident in the first NCAA RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) released last week. Lehigh came in at No. 83 as not only the top ranked team in the Patriot League, but the Ivy League as well.
Senior Natalie Hojnacki has been on fire as of late, scoring three of Lehigh's five goals last weekend (two vs. Colgate and one against Bucknell). She was honored with Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week laurels. Since she was inserted into the starting lineup on Oct. 3, Hojnacki has recorded 11 points via four goals and three assists in only three games. She is currently riding a three-game goal streak.
Princeton marks Lehigh's second of three Ivy League opponents this season. The Mountain Hawks battled Columbia to a hard-fought 1-1 draw in New York City. While it will be Lehigh's penultimate nonconference game, it's the last for Princeton, who enters with a 7-4-0 record and a perfect 3-0-0 in league play.
Overall, the Tigers have won four of their last five games with three coming in the conference. They recently played American out of the Patriot League, suffering their only loss in over two weeks when they fell to the Eagles, 2-1.
Caitlin Blosser by far and away leads the team with 19 points via six goals and seven assists. Jen Hoy has 12 points on six goals while Lauren Whatley has five (1g, 3a) and four others have two. Kristin Watson has seen the majority of time in goal, playing in all 11 games (starting nine) with a 0.81 GAA and .833 save percentage along with four shutouts.
The Tigers have controlled the all-time series, winning 12 of 13 meetings. Lehigh played to its first positive result last season when the squads finished in a scoreless draw.
Live stats and video are available for Wednesday's game courtesy of Princeton Athletics.
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