Saturday, February 26
Piscataway, N.J.
1 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Rutgers
Photo by: Justin Lafleur
Mountain Hawks Set to Face No. 14 Rutgers on the Road Saturday
2/25/2022 1:41:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Following its season opener last Wednesday, the Lehigh women's lacrosse team hits the road on Saturday for a showdown at No. 14 Rutgers. Gametime is set for 1 p.m. on Big Ten Plus. The Mountain Hawks are coming off a 13-11 defeat at Saint Joseph's in a game of runs, seeing Lehigh jump out to a 7-2 lead after one quarter before the Hawks responded and outscored Lehigh 4-0 in the fourth quarter to prevail.
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Last Wednesday, the Mountain Hawks were up 3-0 before the game was four minutes old. Sophomore Olivia Memeger got the scoring started, and went on to finish with a career-high three goals for her first-career hat trick. Sophomores Gabby Schneider, Katia Carnevale and Emma Eberhardt each scored twice. Schneider added three assists to move to 49 in her career. Eberhardt's second first-quarter goal was a highlight-reel backhand bounce shot that went viral on lacrosse social media, and was the No. 10 Play of the Day on ESPN's SportsCenter.
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Sophomore goalkeeper Hayley Hunt impressed in her Lehigh debut, making 13 saves, including a number of strong stops. Senior Jenna Garden led the defense with two caused turnovers.
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The Mountain Hawks and Scarlet Knights will square off for the first time since the 2016 season, a 9-5 Lehigh win at home. The last time the teams played at Rutgers, Lehigh picked up a thrilling 10-8 victory that went down to the wire. The Mountain Hawks will be facing a much-improved Scarlet Knights' program that's currently No. 14 in the national rankings after a trip to the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 1999.
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Lehigh will be vying for a win over a nationally-ranked opponent for the second straight season. Last April, the Mountain Hawks topped No. 21 Navy, 12-7.
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Last season, Rutgers advanced to its first NCAA Tournament since 1999 and was ranked No. 17 in the initial ILWomen/IWLCA Division I Poll. The Scarlet Knights finished 7-9 last season, 5-7 in the Big Ten, beating No. 10 seed Drexel in the NCAA Tournament. Rutgers is out to a 3-0 start this year with wins over Delaware, Army West Point and Georgetown. Stephanie Kelly leads the Scarlet Knights in assists (9) and points (16) while Taralyn Naslonski owns a team-leading 12 goals. Kelly's assist total is sixth in the country and tops in the Big Ten. Meghan Ball leads Rutgers in groundballs (8), caused turnovers (6) and draw controls (17). Sophia Cardello has started all three games in goal, owning an 11.52 goals against average and 35.6 save percentage. Rutgers stands 13th nationally in scoring offense (16.33 goals/game) and fourth in free-position percentage (66.7).
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Lehigh has won 10 straight against Rutgers to take a 21-3 lead in the all-time series. Lehigh's last loss came in 1990 at home, 8-7, and hasn't lost since. The teams have played twice since the turn of the century, with the Mountain Hawks winning at Rutgers in 2015 (10-8) before winning at home the following year (9-5).
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After Saturday's game, the Mountain Hawks return home for the first time. Lehigh will have a busy stretch of three home games in eight days, beginning on Wednesday, Mar. 2 as they host La Salle at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
Like Lehigh Women's Lacrosse on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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Last Wednesday, the Mountain Hawks were up 3-0 before the game was four minutes old. Sophomore Olivia Memeger got the scoring started, and went on to finish with a career-high three goals for her first-career hat trick. Sophomores Gabby Schneider, Katia Carnevale and Emma Eberhardt each scored twice. Schneider added three assists to move to 49 in her career. Eberhardt's second first-quarter goal was a highlight-reel backhand bounce shot that went viral on lacrosse social media, and was the No. 10 Play of the Day on ESPN's SportsCenter.
Â
Sophomore goalkeeper Hayley Hunt impressed in her Lehigh debut, making 13 saves, including a number of strong stops. Senior Jenna Garden led the defense with two caused turnovers.
Â
The Mountain Hawks and Scarlet Knights will square off for the first time since the 2016 season, a 9-5 Lehigh win at home. The last time the teams played at Rutgers, Lehigh picked up a thrilling 10-8 victory that went down to the wire. The Mountain Hawks will be facing a much-improved Scarlet Knights' program that's currently No. 14 in the national rankings after a trip to the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 1999.
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Lehigh will be vying for a win over a nationally-ranked opponent for the second straight season. Last April, the Mountain Hawks topped No. 21 Navy, 12-7.
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Last season, Rutgers advanced to its first NCAA Tournament since 1999 and was ranked No. 17 in the initial ILWomen/IWLCA Division I Poll. The Scarlet Knights finished 7-9 last season, 5-7 in the Big Ten, beating No. 10 seed Drexel in the NCAA Tournament. Rutgers is out to a 3-0 start this year with wins over Delaware, Army West Point and Georgetown. Stephanie Kelly leads the Scarlet Knights in assists (9) and points (16) while Taralyn Naslonski owns a team-leading 12 goals. Kelly's assist total is sixth in the country and tops in the Big Ten. Meghan Ball leads Rutgers in groundballs (8), caused turnovers (6) and draw controls (17). Sophia Cardello has started all three games in goal, owning an 11.52 goals against average and 35.6 save percentage. Rutgers stands 13th nationally in scoring offense (16.33 goals/game) and fourth in free-position percentage (66.7).
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Lehigh has won 10 straight against Rutgers to take a 21-3 lead in the all-time series. Lehigh's last loss came in 1990 at home, 8-7, and hasn't lost since. The teams have played twice since the turn of the century, with the Mountain Hawks winning at Rutgers in 2015 (10-8) before winning at home the following year (9-5).
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After Saturday's game, the Mountain Hawks return home for the first time. Lehigh will have a busy stretch of three home games in eight days, beginning on Wednesday, Mar. 2 as they host La Salle at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
Like Lehigh Women's Lacrosse on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content, team updates and more.
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