Sept. 14, 2009
Center Valley, Pa.--Seven of the Patriot League's eight teams are coming off weekend victories. Two teams, Lehigh and Bucknell, are currently riding three-game winning streaks. Despite the success of the rest of the League, Navy still holds the top record among Patriot League teams. The Mids suffered their first loss of the season on Friday, but rebounded to defeat Liberty, upping Navy's overall record to 6-1-1.
Patriot League Women's Soccer Release 9.14.09 
BRINE Offensive Player of the Week (9.7.09-9.13.09)
Carissa Youker, Navy Jr., F, Potomac, Md. Youker scored both of Navy's goals on the weekend. Against perennial Mid-Atlantic region power James Madison, Youker scored in the 81st minute to pull the Mids within one goal of the Dukes. On Sunday, she netted the only goal of the match in the 24th minute of a 1-0 win against Liberty. It was her third goal in as many games and her team-leading fifth goal of the season. It was her third game-winner of the season and the ninth of her career, tying her for fourth in program history.
BRINE Defensive Player of the Week (9.7.09-9.13.09)
Kelsey Johnson, Bucknell Jr., D, Monroe, Conn. Johnson helped lead Bucknell to three victories. She was the Bison's top defender in a strong week for the team's back four. Bucknell allowed just one goal in 275 minutes, including back-to-back shutouts on the road. Johnson helped limit Bucknell's foes to 11 shots-on-goal in three games.
BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week (9.7.09-9.13.09)
Alex Lostetter, Army Jr., GK, Pittsburgh, Pa. Lostetter matched a career high with 10 saves while posting a 1-0 shutout at Saint Louis. The victory marked her third solo shutout of the season and the 19th solo shutout of her career. Army has recorded four shutouts this season, and Lostetter has been involved in each one as the Black Knights' starting goalkeeper.
BRINE Rookie of the Week (9.7.09-9.13.09)
Bridget Becker, Lafayette Fr., D, Weston, Fla. Becker notched her first career points with the game-winning goal in the Leopards' 2-1 double-overtime win against Drexel. Two minutes into the second overtime, Becker's header snuck past Drexel goalkeeper Nicole Sinclair, giving Lafayette its second win of the season.
Honorable Mention Performances Last Week
Arianna Efstathiou, American So., GK, Massapequa Park, N.Y. Allowed just one goal in two games. Recorded third shutout of the season in 1-0 victory at Radford. Made 10 saves in 1-0 loss to Maryland.
Christine O'Leary, Army Sr., D, Ft. Edward, N.Y. Scored the only goal of the game in the Black Knights' 1-0 win at Saint Louis. Blasted a 40-yard shot early in the second half for her first goal of the season and the second of her career.
Colleen Garrehy, Bucknell So., GK, Danville, Calif. Did not allow a goal in three wins last week. Picked up her first collegiate win in a 1-0 overtime victory against Mount St. Mary's. Produced back-to-back shutouts on the road in victories over Mount St. Mary's and Iona. In 185:51 of action, she made 11 saves without allowing a goal.
Ashley Walsh, Colgate Fr., GK, Cicero, N.Y. Finished the week with 21 saves while allowing two goals. Had a career-high 14 saves in the Raiders' 1-1 tie with Marist. Also stopped seven shots in Colgate's 1-0 loss to Syracuse.
Patriot League Notebook
The Week In Review Navy, which owns the best record among Patriot League teams, suffered its first loss of the season on Friday. The Mids fell to regional power James Madison. Navy rebounded with a 1-0 victory over Liberty. Lehigh extended its winning streak to three games with wins over Cornell and Quinnipiac. The Mountain Hawks outscored their foes by a 6-1 margin last week. American started the weekend with a 1-0 loss to ACC foe Maryland, before finishing strong with a 1-0 win at Radford. Army won its only game of the week, a 1-0 triumph at Saint Louis on Friday. Holy Cross recorded a win, a loss and a tie during last week's action. In home action, the Crusaders dropped Central Connecticut State and tied Providence, but Holy Cross was dealt a 3-1 loss at Siena. Bucknell won all three of its contests last week, defeating Mount Saint Mary's, Iona and Saint Francis (Pa.). Colgate picked up a 1-1 tie against Marist but fell to Syracuse by a 1-0 margin. After falling to Rider and San Jose State at home, Lafayette finished the weekend with a dramatic 2-1 win against Drexel in double overtime on Sunday.
On Deck Navy will attempt to maintain its League-best record with weekend bouts against VMI and Mount Saint Mary's. Lehigh will welcome Virginia Commonwealth University to Bethlehem for a Friday showdown before hitting the road to take on Monmouth on Sunday. Also hosting VCU will be Bucknell. The Bison will host the Rams on Sunday after a Friday meeting with Marist in Lewisburg, Pa. American will take on traditional ACC power Virginia on Sunday, two days after hosting Loyola (Md.). Army will spend the weekend in the Empire State, traveling to Iona before hosting Hartford. Holy Cross will host a pair of contests this week. The Crusaders will welcome Wagner to Worcester for a Tuesday pairing before meeting Fairfield on Friday. Colgate will play three games this week, starting with a Wednesday match-up against Cornell. The Raiders will then host Saint Bonaventure on Friday before traveling for a Wednesday showdown at Albany. Lafayette will host Monmouth on Friday before hitting the road to take on Marist.
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.
2009 Patriot League Preseason Poll The United States Naval Academy was chosen to win the 2009 Patriot League Women's Soccer Championship in a vote by head coaches and sports information directors. The Mids received six first-place votes and 90 overall points, marking the third straight season Navy has been selected as the preseason favorite. Colgate, which garnered a League-best seven first-place votes, followed closely behind Navy, with 83 points. Bucknell received three first-place votes and was selected to take third place with 76 points. Defending Patriot League Tournament champion Army was picked fourth with 61 points, followed by American (50), Lehigh (39), Holy Cross (35) and Lafayette (14).
Patriot League Tournament The 2009 Patriot League Tournament will be held Friday and Sunday, November 6 and 8 at the site of the highest seed. The teams with the top four regular-season records will qualify for the Patriot League tourney.
Team Notebooks
Army recorded a 1-0 win at Saint Louis on Patriot Day. Christine O'Leary blasted a 40-yard shot early in the second half to score the game's only goal. It was Army's first win over the Billikens in five tries. Four of Army's first six decisions have been shutouts, marking the most shutouts to start the season since the 1986 squad appeared in four shutouts in its first six games. The Black Knights will close their four-game road slate at Iona on Friday.
Bucknell has won three straight games after picking up victories against Saint Francis (Pa.), Mount Saint Mary's and Iona. All three contests were decided by one goal. Four different Bucknell players scored last week. The Bison have scored seven goals this season, with all of them coming from seven different players. Four of those seven players have registered their first collegiate goals. Bucknell will host Marist and VCU this week.
Colgate suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Syracuse on Friday before reaching a 1-1 draw with with Marist on Sunday. Avery Atkins scored her first collegiate point with a goal in the final 50 seconds of regulation against Marist, sending the game into overtime. The Raiders will play three games this week, starting with a Wednesday match-up against Cornell.
Holy Cross went 1-1-1 during the week. The Crusaders reached a scoreless draw against Providence on Wednesday before recording a 2-0 win over Central Connecticut State. On Saturday, Holy Cross was dealt a 3-1 defeat by Siena in Loudonville, N.Y. Kelsey Dillon and Liz Early each recorded their first collegiate goals against Central Connecticut State. Holy Cross will host Wagner and Fairfield this week.
Lafayette finished the weekend with a dramatic 2-1 double-overtime victory over Drexel. That followed home losses to Rider and San Jose State. Freshman Nicole Brownell notched a pair of assists during the week, including an assist on the game-winner against the Dragons. Lafayette will host Monmouth on Friday before hitting the road to take on Marist.
Lehigh scored a pair of resounding victories last week. The Mountain Hawks topped Cornell, 4-1, before knocking off Quinnipiac, 2-0. Lehigh's four goals were the most since producing nine goals against Delaware State on Oct. 22, 2003. Lehigh has won three straight games and is unbeaten in their last four. The Mountain Hawks will host VCU on Friday before traveling to Monmouth on Sunday.
Navy dropped a 3-1 decision to James Madison on Friday, the Mids' first loss of the season. Navy then rebounded to claim a 1-0 decision over Liberty on Sunday. Navy has shut out six of its eight foes this season. Fourteen of Navy's 20 goals this season have been scored in the first half. Navy will attempt to improve upon its League-best record with weekend contests against VMI and Mount Saint Mary's.
