Oct. 5, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.--Defense was the name of the game during the first weekend of Patriot League play. Five teams held their opponents scoreless and half of the League's first four games ended in scoreless ties. American and Holy Cross emerged from the pack as the only teams to pick up victories.

Patriot League Weekly Release 10.5.09

BRINE Offensive Player of the Week (9.28.09-10.4.09)

Kelsey Brasher, American Sr., F, Hagerstown, Md. Brasher accumulated seven points in two games last week. She tallied two goals in the Eagles' 3-0 win over Delaware State, her fourth career multi-goal game. She then added a goal and an assist in American's 3-1 Patriot League triumph over Bucknell on Saturday, giving her 24 career goals.

BRINE Defensive Player of the Week (9.28.09-10.4.09)

Shelly Moeller, Navy Sr., D, Milford, Ohio Moeller helped limit Colgate to just five shots on goal in a double-overtime scoreless tie. She was responsible for a team save in the 29th minute, blocking a shot from the six-yard box. Moeller has now started 82 consecutive games since her freshman season, ranking her fourth all-time in program history. Moeller has now been named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week a record 10 times.

BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week (9.28.09-10.4.09)

Ashley Walsh, Colgate Fr., GK, Cicero, N.Y. Walsh made seven saves against regionally ranked Navy, holding the Mids scoreless for all 110 minutes of action on Friday. Walsh has recorded shutouts in four of her first 12 collegiate contests. She has not given up a goal in her past three games and has a .907 save percentage this season.

BRINE Rookie of the Week (9.28.09-10.4.09)

Michelle Montilio, American Fr., M, Hanover, Mass. Montillio helped the American defense hold its opponents to just six shots on goal. Montillio controlled the middle of the field, helping the Eagles record their fourth shutout of the season, a 3-0 victory over Delaware State.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Erin Koch, American Sr., D, Perkasie, Pa. Anchord American's defensive unit in a pair of decisive victories. Also notched two assists in the Eagles' 3-1 win over Patriot League foe Bucknell.

Shelby Stand, Holy Cross Sr., F, Douglas, Mass. Scored the lone goal in the Crusaders' 1-0 victory at Lafayette. Now tied for the League-lead with six goals.

Lauren Mains, Lehigh Jr., GK, Scotch Plains, N.J. Made three saves to earn her fifth shutout of the season, a scoreless tie against Army. Preserved the shutout with a save in overtime.

Patriot League Notebook

The Week In Review For the first time in the history of the Patriot League, no goals were scored on the opening night of League play. Only one losing team, Bucknell, scored a goal during weekend action. On Friday, Army and Lehigh battled to a scoreless tie in Bethlehem, while Navy and Colgate also finished scoreless in Annapolis. On Saturday, Holy Cross recorded a 1-0 triumph at Lafayette. American, the only home team to a record a victory, topped Bucknell by a 3-1 margin.

On Deck Each squad will play two Patriot League games this weekend. On Friday, the only two teams with wins, American and Holy Cross, will meet in Washington. The only two teams with losses, Lafayette and Bucknell, will battle in Lewisburg. Also on Friday, rivals Army and Navy will duel in Annapolis, and Colgate will host Lehigh. On Sunday, American will be at home against Army while Navy will host Holy Cross. Lafayette will close the weekend at Colgate, while Lehigh and Bucknell will square off in Lewisburg.

Shutout or Bust Three of four opening-weekend Patriot League games ended with shutouts, including two scoreless ties. Patriot League teams have been involved in 63 shutouts through 86 non-League games. Patriot League defensive units have recorded 35 shutouts in that span. Each of the League's eight teams has recorded at least three shutouts, and five teams have at least five shutouts. Navy leads the way with eight shutouts in its 13 games. Colgate has recorded shutouts in four of its past five games, including its current string of three straight.

Let's Stay Home Tonight Patriot League teams currently possess a strong home field advantage. League squads own a 24-15-5 record on their home fields, while going 20-21-8 away from home. Patriot League teams are 18-18-6 in true road games, and 2-3-2 at neutral sites.

Road Warriors Lehigh is the only Patriot League team without a road loss. The Mountain Hawks are 4-0-1 in true road games. Lehigh has played just three home games, going 1-1-1. Navy, which had its 11-game road unbeaten streak snapped on Sept. 26, owns the most road victories among Patriot League teams. Navy has won five of its six road games.

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 is one of two teams with a win in Patriot League play, thanks to a 3-1 win over Bucknell on Saturday. The Eagles also notched a 3-0 non-League win over Delaware State. Kelsey Brasher scored three goals last week and now has 24 for her career, moving her into fourth place in school history. Goalkeeper Arianna Efstathiou's lone goal allowed in two games last week was on penalty kick against Bucknell. American will Holy Cross and Army in Patriot League action this weekend.

Army went 1-0-1 last week, tying Lehigh in the Black Knights' Patriot League opener and falling to Penn in a non-League bout. Sophomore Monica Lee drew her first significnt time in the goal this season, playing the second half and both 10-minute overtime periods against Lehigh. She finished with four saves in the scoreless draw. Army, which opened a five-game road slate with two games over the weekend, heads south this weekend to take on Navy and American in Patriot League play.

Bucknell dropped its Patriot League opener to American on Saturday, 3-1. The Bison surrendered a goal in the ninth minute and trailed for the remainder of the contest. It was the first time in six games that Bucknell lost to American. Caitlin Holtz scored her second goal of the season in the defeat. The Bison will resume Patriot League competition at home this weekend, taking on Lafayette and Lehigh.

Colgate played regionally ranked Navy to a scoreless draw in Annapolis on Friday. Ashley Walsh, who has not surrendered a goal since Sept. 20, recorded her third straight shutout. She made seven saves against the Mids. The Raiders have outscored their opponents by a 10-9 margin this season, despite being outshot, 239-154. Colgate will continue Patriot League play at home this weekend against Lehigh and Lafayette.

Holy Cross was one of two teams to pick up a victory during the first week of Patriot League play. Shelby Stand's goal gave the Crusaders a 1-0 victory over Lafayette. Stand now has three game-winning goals and shares the League lead with six goals. Her 18 career goals rank 17th in Holy Cross history. The Crusaders will look to surpass their Patriot League win total from last season when they square off against American and Navy this weekend.

Lafayette extended its opponents' scoreless streak to 337 minutes before Holy Cross scored the game-winning goal in the 15th minute on Saturday. The Leopards allowed just six shots and three shots-on-goal, but they were only able to produce five shots themselves. Lafayette will next play at Bucknell and Colgate.

Lehigh battled Army to a scoreless draw in its Patriot League opener. The Mountain Hawks surrendered just six shots and three shots-on-goal. Junior goalkeeper Lauren Mains stopped three shots to pick up her fifth shutout of the season. She has a 0.57 GAA and has not been scored upon in the past 224 minutes of play. Lehigh will play at Colgate and Bucknell this weekend.

Navy finished with a 0-0 tie against Colgate on Friday. The Mids are now 9-0-5 in their last 14 Patriot League regular season contests. Navy is 7-7-2 all-time in League openers. The Mids are 5-0-1 in their last six matches against Colgate. Navy will put its three-game home unbeaten streak on the line this weekend against League foes Army and Holy Cross.