Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh and Navy set to clash on CBS Sports Network Saturday
4/21/2011 4:26:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Coming off perhaps its most impressive win of the season, the Lehigh women's lacrosse team looks to continue that momentum into the Patriot League Tournament when it wraps up the regular season at Navy on Saturday. Opening draw is set for 3 p.m. and will air live nation-wide on CBS Sports Network with Brent Stover and Tracy Wiener on the call. Saturday also marks a rematch of last year's Patriot League Championship Game.
The Mountain Hawks (9-6, 4-1 Patriot League) and Midshipmen (12-4, 4-1 PL) are currently tied for first place in the league standings, along with Colgate. With one game remaining, all three teams still have a chance to capture the regular season title and the right to host next weekend's Patriot League Tournament. Navy controls its own destiny as a win clinches the No. 1 seed. Lehigh needs to win and hope Bucknell beats Colgate while the Raiders need a win coupled with a Lehigh loss to be the top seed. Regardless of this weekend's results, American will be the No. 4 seed in the tournament which begins next Thursday (Apr. 28).
Lehigh bounced back from two straight heartbreaking defeats with a dominant all-around effort in a 15-4 win over Holy Cross last Saturday. The Mountain Hawks broke open a slim 5-3 advantage with 10 of the game's final 11 goals spanning the game's last 37:36. Lehigh received contributions from all over the field. That included a career-high eight-point effort behind two goals and a career-high six assists from junior Kelly Draper. That earned her Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week laurels for the first time in her career.
Also strong was the Mountain Hawks defense, which allowed only 13 Holy Cross shots on cage. In the process, Lehigh held the Crusaders to a season-low four goals. It also marked the fewest the Mountain Hawks have allowed against Holy Cross since a 14-4 win in 1996. Junior Leigh Ann Torcivia helped spearhead the effort with five groundballs and a caused turnover while freshman goalie Alexandra Fitzpatrick finished with nine saves.
The preseason Patriot League favorite and defending league champion, Navy has enjoyed a strong follow-up season in 2011, coming in with a 12-4 record and (like Lehigh), tied for first in the standings with a 4-1 league mark. The team started 5-0 and 8-1, but has enjoyed its ups and downs as of late, losing two in a row against William & Mary and Holy Cross before reeling off three straight wins entering Saturday - against Colgate (14-11), American (11-10) and Longwood (9-6).
Leading the offense is Jasmine DePompeo, who owns 71 points via 42 goals and 29 assists. Freshman Aimee Gennaro isn't far behind with 57, including a team-leading 43 goals. Three others also have 30 or more points - Caitlin Mandrin Hill (48), Kathy Young (38) and Katrinia Nietsch (33). Claire Olechowski leads the team with 16 caused turnovers and is second with 26 groundballs while Mandrin Hill leads the way in draw controls with 62. Elaina Ponchione has seen the majority of time in goal, starting 13 times while posting an 8.88 GAA and .442 save percentage.
A tight all-time series has seen the Mountain Hawks win three-of-five meetings. Lehigh won the inaugural matchup in 2008, 15-12, while also winning the first meeting in '09, 11-7. Navy has won both postseason showdowns, both in 2009 (12-11) and again in 2010 (11-9). The Mountain Hawks are 1-0 all-time in Annapolis, with the only meeting coming in 2009.
Following Saturday's game, the Mountain Hawks will look ahead to the Patriot League Tournament which begins with the semifinals on Thursday, Apr. 28. Depending on Saturday's results, the tournament will be held at either Navy, Colgate or Lehigh. The championship game will take place on Saturday, Apr. 30 at 3 p.m. and will air nationally on the CBS Sports Network.
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