Sept. 28, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.--Patriot League freshmen stole the spotlight last week. As a result, three freshmen claimed Patriot League weekly awards. Colgate freshmen Sarah Henderson and Ashley Walsh were named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week and Patriot League Rookie of the Week. Lafayette freshman Lauren Smedley was tabbed Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week. The lone non-freshman to win an award was Bucknell's Christa Matlack. The junior received Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Patriot League Women's Soccer Release 9.28.09

BRINE Offensive Player of the Week (9.21.09-9.27.09)

Christa Matlack, Bucknell Jr., F, South Williamsport, Pa. The Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year broke out with a five-point outing against Cornell. Matlack broke a 1-1 tie by scoring twice in a row, then assisting an insurance goal. Matlack now has 48 career points, putting her in ninth place in Bucknell history.

BRINE Defensive Player of the Week (9.21.09-9.27.09)

Sarah Henderson, Colgate Fr., D, Rochester, N.Y. Henderson helped lead the Raiders to a pair of shutout victories. In addition, she scored the game-winning goal in Colgate's 1-0 victory over Columbia. She also notched her first career assist in the Black Knight's 2-0 triumph over Vermont.

BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week (9.21.09-9.27.09)

Lauren Smedley, Lafayette Fr., GK, Hamilton, N.J. Smedley recorded three shutouts last week, holding Lafayette's opponents scoreless for 323 straight minutes. Smedley made 21 saves, including two nine-save efforts. She has not allowed a goal since Sept. 20.

BRINE Rookie of the Week (9.21.09-9.27.09)

Ashley Walsh, Colgate Fr., GK, Cicero, N.Y. Walsh notched back-to-back shutout victories during the weekend, giving her four career shutouts. She made seven saves in the Raiders' 2-0 win against Vermont. She added 10 saves in Colgate's victory over Columbia.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Caitlin Holtz, Bucknell Jr., D/M, Freehold, N.J. Registered a goal and an assist in Bucknell's win over Cornell. Also helped the Bison back line hold Penn State scoreless.

Kathryn Sutton, Bucknell Sr., GK, Coatesville, Pa. Made 18 saves in two games while helping Bucknell go 1-0-1 last week. Made 11 saves in the Bison's scoreless draw against Penn State, becoming the first Bucknell goalkeeper to blank the Nittany Lions. Also made seven saves in a 4-2 win over Cornell.

Jillian Kinter, Colgate Fr., F, Newburyport, Mass. Contributed to both goals in Colgate's 2-0 win over Vermont. Recorded a goal and an assist against the Catamounts.

Patriot League Notebook

The Week In Review Patriot League teams played 16 games last week, including 12 road contests. Patriot League squads went 6-4-2 on the road and 3-0-1 at home. Playing road games on back-to-back days, Navy split its weekend contests. The Mids suffered a 1-0 defeat at Monmouth on Saturday, despite eight saves by senior goalkeeper Beth Reed. Navy rebounded for a 2-0 win at Delaware State. Lehigh recorded a road win in its only game of the week, blanking Fairleigh Dickinson, 1-0. Holy Cross also won its only contest of the week, claiming a 2-1 win at New Hampshire. Army won a home battle with Fairfield after falling on the road against Brown. Bucknell claimed a scoreless draw against Penn State and a 4-2 win at Cornell. Colgate notched a pair of home victories, topping Vermont and Columbia. American's losing streak stretched to four games with road losses against George Washington and Robert Morris. Lafayette held all three of its opponents scoreless, recording a win against NJIT and ties against Wagner and Saint Peter's.

On Deck Patriot League play will get underway this weekend with two games on Friday and two more on Saturday. The top two teams in the preseason poll will square off on Friday, as preseason favorite Navy will host Colgate, which received the most first-place votes in the poll. Also on Friday, Lehigh will host Army. On Saturday, Bucknell will travel to American, while Lafayette will host Holy Cross. In addition, three Patriot League teams will play non-League games this week. Holy Cross will travel to Cambridge for a Tuesday meeting with Harvard. On Wednesday, American will attempt to break out of its four-game skid with a home contest against Delaware State. On Sunday, Army will play at Penn.

Shutout or Bust Patriot League teams have been involved in 60 shutouts through 83 non-League games. Patriot League defensive units have recorded 34 shutouts in that span. Each of the League's eight teams has recorded at least three shutouts. Navy leads the way with seven shutouts in its 12 games. Lafayette, which had just one shutout prior to last week, has recorded three consecutive shutouts and now has four.

Now That's Teamwork When Caitlin Holtz scored her first goal of the season on Sunday, it was Bucknell's 10th goal of the season, each of which had been scored by a different player. Christa Matlack eventually became the first Bucknell player to score her second goal of the season. She scored twice against the Big Red and now has a team-leading three goals.

Road Warriors Lehigh is the only Patriot League team without a road loss. The Mountain Hawks are 4-0-1 in contests away from the Ulrich Sports Complex. Navy, which entered last week with a 4-0 road record, fell at Monmouth on Saturday. The loss snapped the Mids' 11-game road unbeaten streak. It was Navy's first road loss since an Aug. 29, 2008 setback at Stanford.

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.

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 American dropped two consecutive one-goal losses, falling by a 2-1 margin to George Washington before suffering a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Robert Morris. The Eagles have now lost four straight games. Sixteen different players have recorded a shot this season, including Kelsey Brasher, who has a team-high 26 shots. She leads the team with two goals. American will open Patriot League play at home against Bucknell on Saturday.

Army split its games last week, winning at home against Fairfield and dropping a road decistion at Brown. Army's Sunday win against Fairfield, a 2008 NCAA participant, snapped the Stags' five-game winning streak. Liz Betterbed notched the game-winner. She now has five career game-winning goals, two shy of breaking into the Black Knights' top 10 list. Army will begin Patriot League play on Friday at Lehigh.

Bucknell recorded a scoreless draw against Big Ten power Penn State on Wednesday, giving the Bison their first point against the Nittany Lions in 14 all-time meetings. Kathryn Sutton made 11 saves against Penn State, becoming the first Bucknell goalkeeper to shut out the Nittany Lions. The Bison also registered a 4-2 win over Cornell. Bucknell will commence the Patriot League season at American on Saturday.

Colgate picked up a pair of shutout wins, defeating Vermont and Columbia. Jillian Kinter and Sarah Henderson each recorded a goal and an assist during the week. All four of Colgate's wins have come at home. The Raiders will aim for their first road win of the season on Friday when they open Patriot League play at Navy.

Holy Cross surpassed its win total from last season with a 2-1 win at New Hampshire on Thursday. The Crusaders' five victories are the most for the program since winning five times in 2002. Paige Harrison and Chelsi Pugliese each scored for the Crusaders, while Jessica Stone improved to 3-1 in goal. Holy Cross will travel to Harvard on Tuesday before opening Patriot League action on Saturday at Lafayette.

Lafayette has not allowed a goal for 323 straight minutes. The Leopards shut out all three of their opponents last week, going 1-0-2 in the process. Junior forward Stephanie Bereday scored the lone goal of the week, a 43rd-minute strike against NJIT. The Leopards will begin the Patriot League season at home on Saturday. Lafayette will host Holy Cross at 1 p.m.

Lehigh played just once last week, recording a 1-0 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in Teaneck, N.J. Sophomore Ali McLeod netted her first goal of the season in the victory. Defensively Lehigh limited Fairleigh Dickinson to just four shots and two shots on goal as the Mountain Hawks posted their fourth shutout of the season. Lehigh has lost just once in its last six games. The Mountain Hawks will host Army in the teams' Patriot League opener.

Navy suffered its first road defeat of the season, a 1-0 overtime loss at Monmouth. The Mids rebounded to claim a 2-0 win at Delaware State one day later. Senior goalkeeper Beth Reed made eight saves in the loss to Monmouth, but did not have to make any saves in the shutout win against the Hornets. Navy has outscored its foes by a 17-3 margin the first half. Senior defender Shelly Moeller made her 81st consecutive start on Sunday. Her 81 starts rank fourth all-time at Navy. The Mids will begin Patriot League competition Saturday at home against Colgate.