Sept. 4, 2012

Patriot League Field Hockey Release - 9.4.12

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Lafayette and Bucknell, which faced off in the 2011 Patriot League Field Hockey Championship game, are showing they have designs on postseason success again this year by racing off to 2-1 starts through the first two weeks of the season.

The Leopards topped James Madison 2-1 on Saturday, coming back from a halftime deficit, and fell in a hard-fought 3-2 final at No. 9 Penn State on Sunday. The Bison won their only game last week, scoring a 3-1 victory on Sunday against Lock Haven for their second consecutive win. Both Bucknell and Lafayette had their only loss come against a top 10 opponent.

Colgate also got in the win column last week, as the Raiders recorded a 5-1 win over Siena on Thursday behind two goals and an assist from junior Halle Biggar. The five points are the most for a Patriot League player in any game so far this season.

American, Lehigh and Holy Cross each fell in a pair of games last week. The Eagles lost to No. 15 Ohio State and James Madison despite strong goalkeeping from junior Ashley Dalisera, who had a combined 10 saves in the two games. Lehigh dropped a pair, but Kim Eng scored in each contest and leads the Patriot League with three goals and eight points for the year.

All six teams are in action this week, led by Bucknell with three games.

Patriot League Notebook

THE TOP FIVE @PATRIOTLEAGUE NOTES
*Bucknell, with a two-game win streak, will play three games this week.
*American is looking for its first win as it faces Dartmouth and No. 19 Massachusetts in the Terrapin Invitational in College Park, Md.
*Lafayette, Lehigh and Holy Cross each play a pair of games during the week.
*Lehigh senior Kim Eng leads the Patriot League in goals (3) and points (8).
*Lafayette's Deanna DiCroce is up to 102 career points, just one away from the Patriot League top 10.

A LOOK BACK
Patriot League teams combined for three wins last week as Lafayette, Bucknell and Colgate registered victories. The Leopards rallied from a 1-0 deficit against James Madison as Maria Machalick scored the game-winner in the final minutes of the 2-1 triumph. Three different players scored in Bucknell's victory over Lock Haven, while Halle Biggar led the way for Colgate against Siena. Ashley Dalisera made 10 saves in two games for American, but it wasn't enough as the Eagles fell 2-0 to No. 15 Ohio State on Saturday and 2-1 in overtime against James Madison on Sunday. Colgate fell 5-1 to Rider on Sunday, but sophomore Amanda DiDomizio did all she could with a career-high 19 saves in the nets. Holy Cross ran into some hard-luck with one-goal losses to both Harvard (1-0) and Sacred Heart (2-1) over the weekend.

A LOOK AHEAD
It will be a busy week with 12 games ahead for Patriot League squads. It starts Wednesday with Holy Cross at Siena and Bucknell hosting Cornell, the first of three games this week for the Bison. Lehigh is at Fairfield and Lafayette hosts Rider on Friday, while on Saturday Bucknell goes to Columbia, Colgate is at Brown and American begins play in the Terrapin Invitational against Dartmouth. Sunday's slate features two games against ranked opponents, as American faces No. 19 Massachusetts in College Park, Md. and Holy Cross hosts No. 24 New Hampshire. Three other Patriot League teams conclude the week with a game as Lehigh hosts Towson, Bucknell welcomes St. Francis (Pa.) and Lafayette visits Temple.

CHECKING THE PATRIOT LEAGUE STATISTICS
Lafayette is the only Patriot League team that has outscored its opponents thus far this season (9-5)...Despite an 0-3 record, Holy Cross leads the Patriot League with a 1.33 goals against average...Lehigh senior Kim Eng leads all players in both goals (3) and points (8)...Colgate leads the Patriot League with 77 shots, thanks mainly to firing off 46 on Wednesday against Siena...The Raiders also lead by a wide margin with 38 penalty corners after getting 15 against the Saints..Seven players are tied for second in the Patriot League with two goals apiece, while four are tied for first with two assists on the season.

PATRIOT LEAGUE FIELD HOCKEY WEEKLY AWARDS

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
HALLE BIGGAR, COLGATE Jr., A, Pepper Pike, Ohio
Biggar had the top offensive performance for a Patriot League player this season, scoring two goals and adding an assist in a 5-1 triumph over Siena on Thursday. The five points marked a career high while the two goals matched a career best that was set in her first collegiate game in 2010 against Ball State. Biggar scored the first and fourth goals for the Raiders. Biggar is named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for the first time.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JENNA SEYBERT, LAFAYETTE So., D, Lansdale, Pa.
Seybert helped Lafayette to a solid weekend that included a 2-1 win at James Madison on Saturday and a 3-2 loss at No. 9 Penn State on Sunday. She assisted on the game-winning goal with just over five minutes to play against the Dukes as Lafayette rallied from a halftime deficit. Seybert recorded two defensive saves in the second half against Penn State, helping the Leopards keep the Nittany Lions off the scoreboard after intermission. Seybert earns her first Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honor.

GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
JESSICA DEUTSCH, LAFAYETTE So., GK, Fairfield, Conn.
Deutsch came up big to keep Lafayette in the game against No. 9 Penn State, making nine saves as the Leopards fell to the Nittany Lions by a narrow 3-2 margin. She stopped four shots in the first half, and made five saves in the second half as Lafayette held Penn State scoreless after intermission. Deutsch also made a save against James Madison and had several key plays to prevent shooting opportunities as the Leopards scored a pair of second-half goals to rally for a 2-1 win. Deutsch is named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week for the first time.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
KIERSTEN SYDNOR, BUCKNELL Fr., F, Shippensburg, Pa.
Sydnor earns her second consecutive Rookie of the Week honor to start her career, as she tallied the final goal in Bucknell's 3-1 win over Lock Haven on Sunday. Sydnor has scored in consecutive games, and leads the Bison with a pair of goals for the year. She is the first Bucknell player to repeat as the Patriot League Rookie of the Week.

HONORABLE MENTION
AMANDA DiDOMIZIO, COLGATE So., GK, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.
DiDomizio had a career-high 19 saves in a 5-1 loss to Rider on Sunday after earning the win in goal versus Siena Thursday.

KIM ENG, LEHIGH Sr., F, Morristown, N.J.
Eng scored a goal in each of Lehigh's contests last week, and leads the Patriot League with three goals and eight points.

MARIA MACHALICK, LAFAYETTE Sr., M, Mountain Top, Pa.
Machalick had the game-winning goal against James Madison and played a stellar midfield versus No. 9 Penn State.