March 31, 2009

Center Valley, Pa. - With the 12-11 win over Holy Cross last Saturday, Bucknell moved to 4-0 in Patriot League play and clinched a tournament berth. Colgate sits at 3-0 and would clinch its spot in the Patriot League Tournament with a win over Lafayette on Saturday. If both Lehigh and Navy win their League games this week, both teams would lock up the final two tournament berths. Student-athletes from Lehigh and Colgate earned Player of the Week awards.

Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Release - 3.31.09

Offensive Player of the Week

Lauren Dykstra, Lehigh So., M, Mendham, N.J.

Dykstra scored both game-winning goals in Lehigh's 18-4 win over Davidson and 20-7 win over La Salle last week. The sophomore finished last week with 12 goals, 13 points and 13 groundballs in the two wins. Dykstra has scored 20 goals in the last three games and leads Lehigh in goals (40) and points (46) this season. She now has 104 career goals.

Defensive Player of the Week

Maddie Kearns, Colgate Sr., D/M, Chevy Chase, Md.

Kearns was instrumental in Colgate posting two victories over Binghamton and Navy, anchoring a defense that allowed a combined 10 goals in the two games. Kearns also scored a goal and had five groundballs and three draw controls in the 13-6 win over Binghamton. The senior also helped Colgate hold high-scoring Navy to a season-low four goals in the 10-4 win.

Goalkeeper of the Week

Christina Roa, Colgate Fr., Potomac, Md.

Roa earned her first two wins as a starter at Colgate with a 13-6 victory over Binghamton and 10-4 win over Navy. Roa had a combined 18 saves in both games and an average save percentage of .667 for the week. The freshman is now 3-0 in the net for the Raiders.

Rookie of the Week

Kelly Draper, Lehigh Fr., A, Ocean Port, N.J.

Draper equaled her career-high with six goals in Lehigh's 18-4 win over Davidson and tallied one goal in the Mountain Hawks' 20-7 win over La Salle. The freshman also picked up six groundballs in the Davidson win. Draper is second to teammate Lauren Dykstra in goals scored with 28, and has scored 15 goals in Lehigh's last four games.

Patriot League Notebook

Tournament Field Could Be Set This Weekend

With the 12-11 win over Holy Cross last Saturday, Bucknell moved to 4-0 in Patriot League play and clinched a tournament berth. Colgate sits at 3-0 and would clinch its spot in the Patriot League Tournament with a win over Lafayette on Saturday. If both Lehigh and Navy win their League games this week, both teams would lock up the final two tournament berths.

Patriot League Recap

Colgate earned a 10-4 win on the road at Navy on Saturday, moving the Raiders to 3-0 in League action while the Mids dropped to 2-1. American earned its first League win of the season, beating Lafayette 12-11 in Easton. Bucknell clinched its Patriot League Tournament berth with a 12-11 win over Holy Cross.

Patriot League Preview

There will be mid-week Patriot League action this week, as American hosts Navy on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Two League games are on the docket Saturday, as Lehigh heads to Worcester to face Holy Cross at Noon, while Colgate will host Lafayette at 1 p.m.

2009 Patriot League Tournament

The 2009 Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Championship will once again use the two-day format that gives a day of rest in between the semifinals and the championship game for the top four teams in the Patriot League. The tournament will be held at the highest seed on Friday, April 24 and Sunday, April 26.

Team Notebooks

American The Eagles earned their first Patriot League win of the season with a 12-11 victory over Lafayette last Saturday. American also lost, 18-8, at George Mason last week. The Eagles will host mid-week League action as Navy heads to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. American also hosts Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Bucknell Bucknell clinched a Patriot League Tournament berth and snapped a four-game losing streak to Holy Cross with a 12-11 win last week. The Bison reached the eight-win mark for the first time since 2004, and will be in the postseason for the first time since 2006. Bucknell will host St. Bonaventure on Wednesday before beginning a two-game road trip at Le Moyne on Sunday.

Colgate The Raiders picked up a 10-4 win over Navy last week and could clinch a tournament berth with a win over visiting Lafayette on Saturday. In 12 games, sophomore Colleen Bubnack has already surpassed her point total from last season with 42 points this season. Bubnack had 38 in 2008. Colgate also won, 13-6, over Binghamton.

Holy Cross The Crusaders lost a close game at Bucknell, 12-11, on Saturday. Junior Katie Gardner has recorded at least one point in 22 straight games for Holy Cross, which sits at 0-3 in Patriot League action this season. The Crusaders host Yale on Wednesday at 4 p.m. and Lehigh on Saturday at noon.

Lafayette Lafayette went 0-2 last week, losing 12-9 to Sacred Heart and dropping a close, 12-11 game to American in League play. The Leopards are currently 0-11 overall and 0-4 in League play, but will look to tally their first win of the season at Colgate on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks are currently on a five-game winning streak, their longest since 2003. Lehigh picked up two wins last week, beating La Salle, 20-7, and Davidson, 18-4. Lehigh also defeated Drexel, 11-6, on Monday. The Mountain Hawks could clinch a tournament spot with a win at Holy Cross on Saturday and a Navy win over American.

Navy Navy went 0-2 last week after losing 15-14 in overtime to Villanova and dropping a 10-4 League game to Colgate. The Mids will make the short trip to Washington, D.C. to face American on Wednesday before kicking off a four-game homestand against Davidson on Saturday.