Sept. 8, 2009

Center Valley, Pa. -- The Bucknell and Lafayette field hockey teams are off to fast starts and each team garnered two weekly awards. Bucknell's Morgan Kauffman was named the Offensive Player of the Week, while Tayler Siegrist was named the Defensive Player of the Week. Lafayette's Kelsey Andersen was named the Goalkeeper of the Week and Deanna DiCroce was selected as the Rookie of the Week.

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Offensive Player of the Week (8.31.09-9.7.09)

Morgan Kauffman, Bucknell Jr., F, Millersville/Penn Manor Kauffman led the Bison to a 2-0 record last week with a game-winning goal and two assists. Her first assist came in a 3-1 win over Vermont on Friday. She scored the deciding tally in a 2-1 win over Towson Sunday. She also had an assist in that game.

Defensive Player of the Week (8.31.09-9.7.09)

Tayler Siegrist, Bucknell Fr., D, Madison, N.J./Madison Siegrist helped her defense hold their two opponents to two goals last week. She also scored the game-tying goal in a 3-1 win over Vermont. She later assisted on the game-winning goal for her first career multiple-point game.

Goalkeeper of the Week (8.31.09-9.7.09)

Kelsey Andersen, Lafayette Jr., GK, West Long Branch, N.J./Shore Regional Andersen was pivotal in the Leopards' 2-0 week, stopping three of four penalty strokes to clinch a 3-2 win on Friday against Longwood. She then turned around and won a 1-0 shutout against Radford. She made six saves during the week for a .750 save percentage. She played every minute of both games and currently has a 135-minute scoreless streak.

Rookie of the Week (8.31.09-9.7.09)

Deanna DiCroce, Lafayette Fr., MF, Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West DiCroce had a goal in her first collegiate game and followed it up with another tally during the penalty-stroke rounds. She leads the team in shots on goal (4) and shots (5). The freshman started in both games for the Leopards.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Courtney Callahan, Holy Cross Sr., MF, Acton, Mass./Lawrence Academy Callahan led the Crusaders with three goals in three contests last week. She scored once in a 4-1 loss to No. 5 UConn and twice against No. 14 Boston College.

Lindsay Majno, Lafayette Sr., F, Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury Majno scored a goal in the Leopards' 3-2 win over Longwood and assisted on the game-winner in their 1-0 over Radford.

Jessie Atieh, Bucknell Sr., GK, North Caldwell, N.J./West Essex Atieh limited Vermont and Towson to one goal each as Bucknell improved to 3-1 on the season with the two wins. She made nine saves overall, including six against Towson.

Patriot League Notebook 

Stay Strong

Two of American's three major award winners return for the 2009 season after leading the Eagles to their sixth straight League title. Defensive Player of the Year Anne-Meike De Wiljes and Rookie of the Year Tatum Dyer will look to lead American to title No. 7. Led by the reigning five-time Patriot League Coach of the Year Steve Jennings, American also returns its tournament MVP from 2008 in junior Christine Fingerhuth, who figures to take over for the 2008 Offensive Player of the Year, graduated senior Irene Schickhardt. As a sophomore, Fingerhuth was named to the Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-America third team. This season, she's off to a fast start, scoring two goals in three games.

Scoring Morgan

Bucknell's Morgan Kauffman hasn't lost a beat from her Second-Team All-Patriot League performance in 2008. The junior midfielder, who was second on the team with 27 points in 2008, is in the lead in 2009 with seven points. She has two goals and three assists for the Bison, who are off to a 3-1 start. With her two assists last week, she now ranks fifth for career assists at Bucknell with 18. Kauffman also tallied the game-winner in a 2-1 win over Towson Sunday.

Several Raiders Ready To Raid Record Book

Colgate goalie Sarah Pedersen is two wins short of moving into the top five all-time at Colgate for wins in her career. The senior net minder has 17 in her career. Mika Ella-Tang is inching her way closer toward moving into Colgate's top 10 all-time for career assists. The senior has 10 for her career, which is tied for 14th. In 2008, she produced nine assists, which was ranked tied for sixth all-time in a single-season. Katelyn Nerbonne has nine career assists and needs five more to move into Colgate's top 10.

Keep Track of the Patriot League Through Social Media

In addition to visiting www.patriotleague.org, League fans and followers have plenty of new ways to stay updated and involved during the 2009 season and beyond. The Patriot League has accounts on Facebook and Twitter, and has now started a blog to give more information on the action on the field. All three accounts are accessible through the multimedia link at the right-hand sidebar on the front page of www.patriotleague.org.

Preseason Polls

American was selected to finish first in the 2009 Patriot League Field Hockey Preseason Poll for the seventh straight season. The Eagles, coming off their sixth straight Patriot League Tournament title, earned 49 points and nine first-place votes in the preseason poll, which is voted on by the League's six field hockey coaches and six field hockey sports information directors. Lafayette was selected to finish second with 42 points and three first-place votes. Colgate (34 points), Bucknell (27), Holy Cross (16) and Lehigh (12) round out the League's standings in the preseason poll. American also was recognized nationally by being ranked 14th in the NFHCA Division I Preseason Poll. Bucknell was the only other Patriot League school recognized in the poll, receiving votes and placing just outside the nation's top 20.

2009 Patriot League Championship

The 2009 Patriot League Field Hockey Championship will be held Friday-Saturday, Nov. 6-7 at the site of the highest seed. Two semifinal games will take place on Friday, Nov. 6, with the No. 1 seed facing the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed facing the No. 3 seed. The championship game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 7. 

American The Eagles lost 5-1 to Michigan State at the University of Ohio on Saturday. Savannah Graybill scored her first goal of the season in the loss. American will return to the field with two games in two days at the D.C. Classic at the University of Maryland. The Eagles will face Towson at 1 p.m. Saturday and Penn State at noon Sunday.

Bucknell The Bison improved their winning streak to three games with wins at home over Vermont and Towson last week. Morgan Kauffman, the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week, had an assist in a 3-1 win over Vermont on Friday and the game-winning goal and an assist in a 2-1 victory over Towson Sunday. Freshman Tayler Siegrist, the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week, also scored a goal for the Bison, who are now 3-1 on the season. Bucknell has outscored its opponents 11-3 in its three wins. The Bison will hit the road this weekend with contests at Columbia at 1 p.m. Saturday and at Sacred Heart at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Colgate The Raiders dropped to 0-3 with a 3-1 loss to Rider Sunday. Senior Katelyn Nerbonne, a Second-Team All-League selection in 2008, scored her first goal of the season in the loss. Colgate will travel to Orono, Maine, for two games this weekend. The Raiders will face Yale at 2 p.m. Saturday and Maine at noon Sunday.

Holy Cross The Crusaders lost on back-to-back days last weekend, falling to Harvard 4-1 on Saturday and to Boston College 6-2 on Sunday. Courtney Callahan led the Crusaders with two goals against Boston College. Holy Cross will look for its first win of the 2009 season when it hosts Dartmouth at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Lafayette The Leopards opened the season with two wins last week, defeating Longwood in a stroke-off, 3-2, and Radford 1-0. The Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week, Kelsey Andersen, played a big part in the wins, stopping three of four shots in the stroke-off, while stopping all three shots Radford took to collect her first shutout of the season. She has a streak of 135 minutes without conceding a goal that she will take into the Leopards' next contest on Friday against Temple. The 4:30 p.m. matchup was switched to a home game for the Leopards. Lafayette also will host Georgetown at noon Sunday.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks dropped two contests last week to fall to 0-3 on the young season. Lehigh lost 5-0 at West Chester on Wednesday and 3-1 at Bryant on Friday. Freshman Kim Eng scored the lone goal for the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh will host Georgetown at noon Saturday in its home opener.