Lehigh plays a pair in Philly for final tuneup before Patriot League play
9/22/2011 4:01:00 PM | Women's Soccer
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Fresh off a strong road weekend at Quinnipiac and NJIT, the Lehigh women's soccer team looks to continue its success away from home when the Mountain Hawks (3-2-1) play a pair of Atlantic 10 foes. Lehigh heads to Saint Joseph's on Friday (5 p.m.) and La Salle on Sunday (1 p.m.). The weekend wraps up a five-game road swing, leading up to a six-game homestand beginning with the Patriot League opener against Lafayette on Oct. 1.Sunday will be extra special for current Lehigh assistant coach Amy Hough, who is a former player and coach at La Salle. Entering the weekend, the Explorers are ranked seventh in the NSCAA regional rankings and are the only team in the nation to have not allowed a goal. The Mountain Hawks' offense scored six goals last weekend and look to ride that momentum into the games on Friday and Sunday.
Two Mountain Hawks were recognized for their success last weekend as sophomore Murphee Greeley was named Patriot League and ECAC Offensive Player of the Week while freshman Darby Wiegand earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week. Greeley netted three of Lehigh's six goals, including two at Quinnipiac and the game-winner at NJIT, while Wiegand scored her first-career goal in the second half on Sunday.
Saint Joseph's is 3-3-1 on the season, defeating Mount St. Mary's (in overtime), UMBC and Fairleigh Dickinson. Lehigh and Saint Joe's have played one common opponent so far (Binghamton). The Mountain Hawks won, 1-0, while the Hawks fell, 2-0. Leading Saint Joseph's offense is Mo Hawkins with seven points (three goals, one assist) while Jen Pfeiffer is right behind with five (two goals, one assist). Three others have scored a goal. Christine Neal has seen the most action in net, posting a 1.14 GAA and .814 save percentage. Backup Lauren Jancuska is 2-0 with an .889 save percentage and 0.67 GAA.
Lehigh and Saint Joseph's have played 11 times in their history with the teams splitting the previous meetings, 5-5-1. Overall, the Mountain Hawks have won two of their last three against Saint Joe's: 4-1 last year and 1-0 in 2007 with a 4-0 defeat in '08 sprinkled in between. The sides first met in 1996, a 2-1 Lehigh victory.
La Salle enters the weekend with a 6-0-1 record and a seven-game shutout streak. The Explorers have posted impressive 1-0 wins against Northeastern and Princeton while also defeating Delaware, Rider, Albany and Cornell. Their one tie came, 0-0, against Drexel. Kelsey Haycook leads the offense with 13 points (six goals, one assist) while Renee Washington has 10 (four goals, two assists). Jess Hopton leads the way in assists with five. Melissa Sanger has started all seven games, with a 0.00 GAA and perfect 1.000 save percentage. She recently broke the school's all-time career shutout record, now with 17.
The Mountain Hawks lead the all-time series with La Salle, 7-4-1, which includes a 4-1-1 record in their last six. Lehigh won last season's matchup at home, 3-1, while the sides tied the year prior. La Salle won the first-ever meeting in 1992, 6-3, before the Mountain Hawks bounced back with two straight and three of the next four.
Following this weekend, Lehigh will return home on Saturday, Oct. 1 for its Patriot League opener against archrival Lafayette. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. That begins a string of six straight games in the friendly confines of the Ulrich Sports Complex.
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