Saturday, September 21
Hamilton, N.Y.
11 a.m.
Lehigh University
at
Colgate
Lehigh set for Patriot League opener at Colgate Saturday, nonleague tilt at Wagner Sunday
9/20/2019 10:28:00 AM | Field Hockey
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Standing 3-1 for the first time since 2000, the Lehigh field hockey team hopes to ride the success into Patriot League play when it travels to Colgate for an 11 a.m. matchup on Saturday. The Mountain Hawks then head to Wagner for a nonleague matchup on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Lehigh has enjoyed an impressive start to 2019, with even its one loss being a very competitive contest against a strong program in Richmond.
Along with the strong record, the Mountain Hawks find themselves near the top of several Patriot League statistics leaders. Lehigh stands No. 1 in nine different team or individual categories, including scoring margin (1.25), shutouts (2), goals against average (1.25) and fewest goals allowed (5). The Mountain Hawks are also No. 6 nationally in shutouts per game (0.50), freshman Maddie Kahn is sixth in save percentage (83.9) and junior Drew Pecora is eighth in goals per game (1.0). Pecora is tied for first in the Patriot League in that category.
Most recently, Pecora scored two goals in Lehigh's 3-0 shutout of Georgetown, her second-career multi-goal effort and second in the last three games (also scoring twice vs. Towson). Junior Maddie Monahan scored Lehigh's other goal in the win over the Hoyas while the defense pitched its second shutout after no shutouts all of last year.
Lehigh hopes to continue the success in Patriot League play. The last time the Mountain Hawks won their league opener was also the last time Lehigh faced the Raiders to open league play, 2009. That year, the Mountain Hawks earned a 4-1 victory.
The Raiders enter Saturday's game with a 2-4 record, defeating Saint Louis (4-1) and Towson (4-3 in overtime). Since that win, Colgate has fallen at Rider (5-1) and against No. 20 Albany (4-0). Nicole Salamone leads Colgate in goals (3) and points (8) while Taylor Casamassa owns a team-leading three assists to go with two goals for seven points. Emily Kness leads the way with two defensive saves while Campbell Matheis has one as well. Anna Unger has started all six games in goal, tallying a 2.85 goals against average and 64.7 save percentage. Emma Goldberg has also gotten into four games (106:16 of action), recording a 3.95 GAA and 53.3 save percentage.
Colgate leads the all-time series against Lehigh, 19-17-1, but the Mountain Hawks have won each of the last four seasons. Three of those four victories were slim one-goal wins with the other being a dominant 6-0 triumph for Lehigh in Bethlehem in 2016.
Wagner is 1-2 on the year heading into a home matchup vs. Yale Friday. The Seahawks opened the year with a 3-0 win at Hofstra while falling vs. La Salle (6-0) and at Villanova (8-3). Freshmen Kira Mordvinov and Hannah Meyer, and junior Grace Gibson have scored all six Wagner goals with three, two and one, respectively. Meyer also leads the team with two assists for six points, tied for the team lead (with Mordvinov). Gibson also has one of Wagner's two defensive saves. A pair of goalkeepers have each seen 90 minutes of action so far, with Annabel Zandvoort leading the way with a 3.89 GAA and 72.2 save percentage.
Sunday will mark the first-ever meeting between Lehigh and Wagner.
Following this weekend, the Mountain Hawks head to New England for a pair of games, at Holy Cross on Saturday, Sept. 28 and Bryant on Sunday, Sept. 29.
Like Lehigh field hockey on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Along with the strong record, the Mountain Hawks find themselves near the top of several Patriot League statistics leaders. Lehigh stands No. 1 in nine different team or individual categories, including scoring margin (1.25), shutouts (2), goals against average (1.25) and fewest goals allowed (5). The Mountain Hawks are also No. 6 nationally in shutouts per game (0.50), freshman Maddie Kahn is sixth in save percentage (83.9) and junior Drew Pecora is eighth in goals per game (1.0). Pecora is tied for first in the Patriot League in that category.
Most recently, Pecora scored two goals in Lehigh's 3-0 shutout of Georgetown, her second-career multi-goal effort and second in the last three games (also scoring twice vs. Towson). Junior Maddie Monahan scored Lehigh's other goal in the win over the Hoyas while the defense pitched its second shutout after no shutouts all of last year.
Lehigh hopes to continue the success in Patriot League play. The last time the Mountain Hawks won their league opener was also the last time Lehigh faced the Raiders to open league play, 2009. That year, the Mountain Hawks earned a 4-1 victory.
The Raiders enter Saturday's game with a 2-4 record, defeating Saint Louis (4-1) and Towson (4-3 in overtime). Since that win, Colgate has fallen at Rider (5-1) and against No. 20 Albany (4-0). Nicole Salamone leads Colgate in goals (3) and points (8) while Taylor Casamassa owns a team-leading three assists to go with two goals for seven points. Emily Kness leads the way with two defensive saves while Campbell Matheis has one as well. Anna Unger has started all six games in goal, tallying a 2.85 goals against average and 64.7 save percentage. Emma Goldberg has also gotten into four games (106:16 of action), recording a 3.95 GAA and 53.3 save percentage.
Colgate leads the all-time series against Lehigh, 19-17-1, but the Mountain Hawks have won each of the last four seasons. Three of those four victories were slim one-goal wins with the other being a dominant 6-0 triumph for Lehigh in Bethlehem in 2016.
Wagner is 1-2 on the year heading into a home matchup vs. Yale Friday. The Seahawks opened the year with a 3-0 win at Hofstra while falling vs. La Salle (6-0) and at Villanova (8-3). Freshmen Kira Mordvinov and Hannah Meyer, and junior Grace Gibson have scored all six Wagner goals with three, two and one, respectively. Meyer also leads the team with two assists for six points, tied for the team lead (with Mordvinov). Gibson also has one of Wagner's two defensive saves. A pair of goalkeepers have each seen 90 minutes of action so far, with Annabel Zandvoort leading the way with a 3.89 GAA and 72.2 save percentage.
Sunday will mark the first-ever meeting between Lehigh and Wagner.
Following this weekend, the Mountain Hawks head to New England for a pair of games, at Holy Cross on Saturday, Sept. 28 and Bryant on Sunday, Sept. 29.
Like Lehigh field hockey on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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