Mountain Hawks wrap up regular season at Holy Cross Saturday
10/28/2011 4:04:00 PM | Field Hockey
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh field hockey team looks to enter the postseason on a high note as it travels to Holy Cross for its regular season finale on Saturday. Gametime is set for 11 a.m. The Mountain Hawks are headed to the Patriot League Tournament for the third time in the last five years, and look to finish 3-2 in league play for the first time since 2007.
Depending upon scores from other league games Saturday, Lehigh will be the third or fourth seed in the upcoming tournament. The winner of Saturday's American at Lafayette showdown will be the top seed, and host the entire tournament. A Lehigh win over the Crusaders Saturday doesn't guarantee the third seed. However, the only way the Mountain Hawks wouldn't be the third seed with a win is if Lafayette defeats American and Bucknell beats Colgate. In that scenario, Lehigh, American and Bucknell would be tied for second, with the Eagles earning the second seed, followed by Bucknell, then Lehigh as the four.
Lehigh could still be the third seed with a loss, if Colgate defeats Bucknell. That would leave Lehigh and Colgate tied for third with the Mountain Hawks earning the tiebreaker due to their head-to-head victory.
The Mountain Hawks did well in holding Lafayette to few shots last time out, but the Leopards converted the opportunities they had, turning their first two shots into goals to put Lehigh into an early hole. The Mountain Hawks continued to hang tough, but struggled to generate much offense in dropping a 4-0 final to their crosstown rivals.
Saturday marks a reunion of sorts for Lehigh head coach Stacey Blue and Holy Cross head coach Zowie Tucker. Their playing careers at UMass overlapped by a year as Tucker graduated in 2000 and Blue in '03.
Lehigh is looking for its third straight win over Holy Cross and fourth in the last five head-to-head meetings. Each of the past four games have been one-goal affairs, including the last game in Worcester as the Mountain Hawks pulled out a big 3-2 road win. Overall, Holy Cross leads the all-time series, 16-7, due in large part to 10 straight victories spanning 1997 to 2006.
Holy Cross enters with a 1-15 record, with its lone victory coming against Siena. Jamie Caniglia leads the offense with nine points (two goals, five assists) while Kelsey Horton and Mackenzie Peet each have six via three goals. Three goalkeepers have seen action, led by Kat Matchett, who has posted a 4.23 GAA and .634 save percentage in 13 games.
Holy Cross is scheduled to run a live blog with complete game updates. To access their blog (which will be made available on Saturday), please go to their field hockey page by clicking here.
Following Saturday's tilt, the Mountain Hawks will prepare for the Patriot League Tournament to be held on Friday, Nov. 4 at either Lafayette or American. Check back to Lehighsports.com for complete information on the postseason matchups, game times and more.
Following Saturday's tilt, the Mountain Hawks will prepare for the Patriot League Tournament to be held on Friday, Nov. 4 at either Lafayette or American. Check back to Lehighsports.com for complete information on the postseason matchups, game times and more.
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