Oct. 7, 2008

Center Valley, Pa. - The second weekend of Patriot League field hockey action features a meeting of the League's hottest teams in Hamilton. No. 20 American, winner of both of its contests over the weekend, takes on host Colgate, which has won five consecutive outings. Both teams are 1-0 in Patriot League play. Lafayette will also try to move to 2-0 in the Patriot League when it travels to Holy Cross, while Lehigh and Bucknell each go for their first League victory when they meet in Lewisburg.

Patriot League Field Hockey Release - 10.7.08

Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week

Irene Schickhardt, American
Sr., A, Ludwigsburg, Germany

Schickhardt tallied five goals and one assist to lead American to a 3-0 victory over La Salle and 4-0 shutout of Holy Cross last week. She recorded two goals in the win over the Explorers, and tallied three goals and an assist in the Patriot League matchup with the Crusaders. Schickhardt also scored the game-winner in both contests. She moved into a tie for fifth in the American record book in goals (114) and assists (32) and sole possession of fifth in goals (40).

Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week

Anne-Meike de Wiljes, American
Jr., D, Hannover, Germany

De Wiljes played a significant role in two shutouts for the Eagles as they blanked Holy Cross and La Salle over the weekend. She also recorded one assist in the 4-0 win over the Crusaders, and a pair of assists in the 3-0 triumph over the Explorers. All of her assists came on penalty corners. De Wiljes earns her second Defensive Player of the Week honor of the year.

Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week

Alyssa Poorman, American
Jr., GK, Doylestown, Pa.

Poorman earns her third Goalkeeper of the Week award this season after shutting out both Holy Cross and La Salle over the weekend. She stopped all four shots she faced in the win over the Crusaders, and turned away the only shot on goal in the victory over La Salle. Poorman now has four shutouts this season.

Patriot League Rookie of the Week

Sarah Zargarpour, Bucknell
Fr., GK, North Vancouver, Canada

Zargarpour was strong in net in two games for the Bison, with seven saves in a 3-0 victory over St. Joseph's and five saves in a 2-1, double overtime loss at Lafayette. She entered the game in the second half in both contests, and stopped 12 of the 14 shots she faced in the two games. Zargarpour made three saves in overtime against the Leopards.

Patriot League Notebook

American, Lafayette and Colgate Take Early Lead

Three of the four participants in last year's Patriot League Field Hockey Championship have the inside track to return to the event in 2008 after winning their League opener on Saturday. Defending champion American blanked Holy Cross, 4-0, behind three goals and an assist by Irene Schickhardt. Lafayette, last year's runner-up, rallied for a 2-1, double overtime victory over Bucknell with Maggie Condon scoring the game-winner. Colgate knocked off Lehigh, 3-1, in a matchup of 2007 semifinalists.

Eagles and Raiders Set to Meet in Hamilton

The second weekend of Patriot League action features a meeting of the League's hottest teams in Hamilton. No. 20 American, winner of both of its contests over the weekend, takes on host Colgate, which has won five consecutive outings. The game is a rematch of the 2007 Patriot League semifinal matchup won by the Eagles, 4-1, and the winner will have at least a share of first place with a 2-0 League record. Lafayette will also try to move to 2-0 in the Patriot League when it travels to Holy Cross, while Lehigh and Bucknell each go for their first League victory when they meet in Lewisburg. American will stay in Central New York for a big non-League matchup at No. 2 Syracuse on Sunday.

Home Is Where the Win Is

All three Patriot League contests were won by the home team on Saturday, highlighting a stretch where the home squad has won eight straight games involving Patriot League schools. Holy Cross capped the stretch with a 2-1 win over Stanford on Monday. American and Colgate both won a pair of games at home over the weekend, while Lafayette and Bucknell split their games last week.

Schickhardt Moving Up The Charts

A five-goal, one-assist weekend sent American senior Irene Schickhardt rising up the Patriot League career leaderboard. Schickhardt now has 114 points in her career, good for fifth in League annals. She is up to third in League history with 34 assists, and her 40 goals leave Schickhardt just one shy of cracking the League's top 10 list. Teammate Alyssa Poorman also made a move on the Patriot League charts, as two shutouts over the weekend boosted her career total to 11 and placed her in a tie for ninth in Patriot League history.

2008 Patriot League Championship

The 2008 Patriot League Field Hockey Championship will be held Friday-Saturday, Nov. 7-8 at the site of the highest seed. Two semifinal games will take place on Friday, Nov. 7 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. 8.

Team Notebooks

American No. 20 American had a strong start to its Patriot League schedule, knocking off Holy Cross, 4-0, on Saturday. The Eagles completed a perfect weekend and moved their overall mark to .500 (5-5) with a 3-0 win over La Salle on Sunday. Irene Schickhardt had five goals and one assist for 11 points over the two games, while Alyssa Poorman recorded a pair of shutouts. Schickhardt is fifth in Patriot League history in points and third in assists, and is just one goal outside of the top 10. Poorman cracked the League's career top 10 with 11 shutouts. American takes on a challenging weekend, visiting Colgate in Patriot League action on Saturday and traveling to No. 2 Syracuse on Sunday

Bucknell Bucknell dropped its Patriot League opener in heartbreaking fashion, dropping a 2-1, double overtime contest at Lafayette on Saturday. The Bison held a 1-0 lead in the game. Bucknell did record a 3-0 victory at St. Joseph's on Tuesday. Corinne Raczek tied Bucknell's single-game record with three assists in the game. Katie Ruiz scored a career-high two goals in that contest. Bucknell plays host to Lehigh in Patriot League action on Saturday.

Colgate Colgate won a pair of home games over the weekend, knocking off Lehigh, 3-1, on Saturday and Maine, 2-1, on Sunday. The Raiders have won five consecutive contests to improve to 8-4 this season, and are a perfect 4-0 at home. The eight wins equaled the total from last season. It is Colgate's first five-game winning streak since 2004, and it has outscored opponents, 14-2, during the stretch. Colgate will have a chance to pad its home mark this week, taking on Cornell on Thursday and No. 20 American in Patriot League action on Saturday.

Holy Cross Holy Cross fell at No. 20 American, 4-0, in Patriot League action on Saturday but rebounded with a 2-1 triumph in overtime over Stanford on Monday. Kristina Schultz scored the game-winner against the Cardinal. Erin Singleton made five saves in the win. Holy Cross hosts Lafayette in a Patriot League matchup on Saturday, and hosts Columbia on Sunday.

Lafayette Lafayette won its Patriot League opener over Bucknell, 2-1, in double overtime on Saturday. Maggie Condon scored the game-winner, her fourth such goal in five games. Condon has 11 goals this season, topping her total of 10 in 2007. It was Lafayette's first Patriot League season-opening win since 2002. The Leopards rallied from a 1-0 deficit to earn the win, scoring with less than five minutes remaining in regulation. Kelsey Anderson recorded a career-high nine saves in Lafayette's 3-0 loss at No. 14 Penn State on Wednesday. Lafayette travels to Columbia on Wednesday, and goes to Holy Cross for a Patriot League contest Saturday.

Lehigh Lehigh dropped a pair of games last week, falling at Colgate, 3-1, in Patriot League action on Saturday and losing at Cornell, 2-0, on Sunday. Kalynn Davies gave Lehigh an early 1-0 lead against the Raiders. Lehigh concludes a five-game road trip with a Patriot League contest at Bucknell on Saturday. The Mountain Hawks have dropped their first four games on the trip.