Lehigh plays a pair this weekend, beginning with #6 Penn State Friday
9/13/2012 8:36:00 PM | Field Hockey
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Coming off its first win of the season the Lehigh field hockey team will host #6 Penn State Friday night at 6 p.m. before heading south to face Georgetown Sunday (4 p.m.). After a series of hard-fought losses, the Mountain Hawks jumped out to a 5-0 lead and looked dominant throughout their 6-3 win over Towson on Sunday.
Lehigh opened a 4-0 lead in the opening 30 minutes of Sunday's game, eventually extending its advantage to five. The Mountain Hawks' six goals were their most since Oct. 23, 2004 in a 6-4 win at Bucknell. Sophomore Lindsay Metzger finished with a hat trick on her 20th birthday en route to Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Senior Kim Eng, junior Caitlyn Mitchell and freshman Erin Ricker also added goals in the exciting victory while freshman goalkeeper Sophie Fitzpatrick earned her first-career win.
Metzger netted all three of her goals in the first half to become the first Mountain Hawk to record a hat trick since Caitlyn Donnelly had three against Saint Joseph's on Sept. 15 2010. Mitchell scored her first of the season exactly seven minutes after Metzger, deflecting a hard pass from senior Mercedes Grubb to make it 3-0 with 21.32 remaining in the first half.
In the second half, Eng fed Ricker for a shot to give Lehigh a five-goal advantage. Towson responded with two consecutive goals, but Eng would erase any doubt with a nifty goal of her own off a steal to make it 6-2.
Out of the Big Ten conference the Penn State Nittany Lions enter Friday's game ranked #6 in the country and are coming off a 5-0 shutout of Lock Haven. Penn State owns a 6-2 record and is led offensively by senior Kelsey Amy, sophomore Laura Gebhart and juniors Whitney Reddig and Brittany Grzywacz. Amy enters the game with 18 points on the season via eight goals and two assists and is coming off First Team NFHCA All-America recognition last season. She was sixth in the country and tied for the Big Ten lead in goals.
A Second Team All-Big Ten honoree, Grzywacz is second on the team in points with 12 (six goals) while Reddig has a goal and team-leading six assists. Meanwhile, redshirt senior Ayla Halus has played all but 21:09 in goal, owning a 1.55 goals against average and .727 save percentage.
Lehigh is 0-7 all-time against the Nittany Lions and has not played them since Sept. 18, 1990, a 7-1 road loss. The sides first met at home on Oct. 27, 1984.
Meanwhile Georgetown enters the weekend with a 2-4 record, coming off a 4-1 road win at Saint Louis. The Hoyas are playing all of their home games this season at the University of Maryland. Kimberly Keating leads the team in goals with three, and is tied for the team lead with six points. Annie Wilson also has six points (two goals, two assists) while Catherine Shugrue owns five (two goals, one assist). Three others have posted two points on the season, including Meghan Murphy who's recorded the team's only defensive save thus far. Briana Pereira has played all but one half in the cage, owning a 3.97 GAA and .653 save percentage.
Lehigh is 6-3 all-time against Georgetown with its last meeting coming last September when it lost 3-2 in overtime. The first meeting finished in a 3-1 road loss on Oct. 15, 2003. The Mountain Hawks have won six of their last eight against the Hoyas.
Lehigh returns home for two next weekend to host Sacred Heart on Friday (7 p.m.) and Monmouth Sunday (12 p.m.).
Like Lehigh field hockey on Facebook and follow on Twitter for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks throughout the 2012 season.
Lehigh Sports Central: Field Hockey
Wednesday, September 24
Field Hockey vs. Temple
Sunday, September 14
2025 Lehigh Field Hockey Season Preview
Wednesday, August 27
Field Hockey vs. UAlbany
Sunday, October 13
