Mountain Hawks head to Connecticut to face Sacred Heart, #14 Maine
9/22/2011 3:17:00 PM | Field Hockey
Mountain Hawks head to Connecticut to face Sacred Heart, #14 Maine
Saturday's contest will be played at Quinnipiac University and will mark Lehigh's first game against a ranked foe since facing #14 American last October.
Despite sophomore goalkeeper Sierra Segear's 14 saves against Saint Joseph's on Sunday, the Mountain Hawks fell, 1-0. The Lehigh defense kept the Hawks scoreless for 59 minutes until Meghan Githens found the back of the cage against Segear at the 59:09 mark. Hawks' goal keeper Liz Messaro made two saves during the game, one in the first half against King Eng shot and again with less than two minutes remaining in regulation against senior Abby Tilton.
Segear was later recognized for her efforts with honorable mention on the Patriot League weekly honor roll. She finished the week with more saves and fewer goals allowed than the week prior when she was named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week.
Sacred Heart enters Friday's game with a 2-6 record, defeating Holy Cross and Saint Louis but falling to Missouri State, Dartmouth, Longwood, Drexel, Yale and Fairfield. The Pioneers recently dropped a 2-0 final against Fairfield on Wednesday. Freshman Sarah Bergman and junior Kate Boyd are leading the offense, posting nine points apiece behind three goals and three assists. Three others have four points each, including Chelsea Carlson (two goals), Lindsay Kasten (one goal, two assists) and Leah Salindong (two goals). Two goalkeepers have seen action this season; senior Kim Stow has started in all seven games and is currently leading the way with a total of 44 saves, a .661 save percentage and 4.43 GAA.
Friday will mark Lehigh's fifth all time meeting with Sacred Heart since 2004 with the Mountain Hawks holding a 1-3 record. Lehigh managed its first win against the Pioneers last year, beating them 4-1 to open the season.
Lehigh will then head to Quinnipiac on Saturday to face an up-and-coming Maine team for the first time in school history. The Black Bears enter with an 8-1 record, falling only to Northeastern in their first game of the season followed by an eight-game winning streak against Siena, Boston College, Bryant, Dartmouth, Saint Louis, Cornell, Providence and Michigan State. That has propelled them all the way to #14 in the NFHCA poll and #11 in WomensFieldHockey.com national rankings.
Maine leads the nation in scoring with 5.2 goals per game (47 in nine games). Senior Kelly Newton leads the team with 27 points (six goals, 15 assists), while senior Stephanie Gardiner has 23 points (10 goals, three assists). Senior Brittany Fleck has started six games in goal, making 22 saves and managing a .688 save percentage and 1.66 GAA.
The Mountain Hawks will return home next Wednesday to host Siena before heading back on the road for their Patriot League opener at American on Saturday, Oct. 1.
Photos by Leah Kulp '12.
Photos by Leah Kulp '12.
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