Oct. 19, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.--Just three Patriot League games remain on the schedule for each women's soccer squad, but much has yet to be determined. American remains in first place, but the Eagles find themselves in a tie with Bucknell after weekend play. American was dealt its first League loss of the season, while Bucknell produced a resounding 3-1 win over Navy.

Patriot League Women's Soccer Release 10.19.09

BRINE Offensive Player of the Week (10.12.09-10.18.09)
Christa Matlack, Bucknell Jr., F, South Williamsport, Pa.
Matlack has been named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for the third time in four weeks after scoring two goals, including the game-winner, in Bucknell's 3-1 win over Navy, a team that had allowed just eight goals all season. Matlack was named to the TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week on Sunday for her performance against the Mids. She has now received Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors four times in her career.

BRINE Defensive Player of the Week (10.12.09-10.18.09)
Calista Victor, Colgate Jr., D, Seattle, Wash.
Victor made a key defensive save to help preserve Colgate's 1-0 win over League-leading American. With an open goal, Victor stopped a rebound shot by the Eagles to maintain a scoreless tie. It is the second time in Victor's career that she has been named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week.

BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week (10.12.09-10.18.09)
Lauren Mains, Lehigh Jr., GK, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Mains recorded back-to-back shutouts, playing every minute in each of the Mountain Hawks' double-overtime draws. She made seven total saves, including five against Holy Cross. Mains made three saves in overtime against the Crusaders. She has seven solo shutouts this season and 12 for her career. It is the second time this season and the fourth time in her career that Mains has received the honor.

BRINE Rookie of the Week (10.12.09-10.18.09)
Ashley Walsh, Colgate Fr., GK, Cicero, N.Y.
Walsh made 10 saves in Colgate's 1-0 victory over League-leading American. It was her seventh career shutout and her third in Patriot League play. Walsh has now tied the Patriot League record with three Rookie of the Week awards in one season. She has also been named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week once.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Caroline Rice, Army
Fr., F, Paw Paw, Mich.
Lifted Army to a 1-0 overtime win against Lafayette with a goal from 12 yards out. Was her second career goal and first career game-winner.

Avery Atkins, Colgate
Fr., F, Dallas, Texas
Scored the game-winning goal with four minutes left in the second overtime to help the Raiders hand American its first Patriot League loss.

Mary Feketic, Holy Cross
Jr., GK, West Hartford, Conn.
Recorded one win and one shutout in two games last week. Made three saves in the Crusaders' 4-1 win over Yale. Added five saves in a scoreless draw against Lehigh.

Maura Fox, Holy Cross
Fr., M, Shrewsbury, Mass.
Scored two goals in Holy Cross' win over Yale. Her second goal proved to be the game-winner.

Hailey Coonrad, Lehigh
Sr., D, Ramsey, N.J.
Anchored a defensive unit that did not allow a goal in 220 minutes of action. Helped the Lehigh defense limit its foes to a total of seven shots on goal in two games.

Patriot League Notebook

The Week In Review
Home teams won all four of the week's Patriot League games. Home teams have now won 11 of the past 12 Patriot League games. Of the four teams that entered the week in the top half of the Patriot League standings, only Bucknell came away with a victory. The Bison stunned Navy, topping the Mids by a 3-1 count. The Bison are now in a tie with American for the Patriot League lead. The Eagles were dealt their first League loss, a 1-0 overtime defeat at the hands of Colgate. Holy Cross finished in a scoreless tie in Worctester. Army ended its four-game losing streak with a 1-0 overtime win against Lafayette, keeping the Leopards winless in Patriot League play.

On Deck
A full slate of games is on the weekend schedule. On Thursday, Army will host co-League-leader Bucknell, while Colgate will travel to Holy Cross. On Friday, co-League-leading American will meet Lafayette in Easton, and Lehigh will host Navy. All eight teams will also play on Sunday. American and Lehigh will battle in Bethlehem. Bucknell will square off against Holy Cross in Worcester. Army will host Colgate in West Point. Lafayette will host Navy. If any of the top four teams in the League standings wins twice this weekend, they would clinch a spot in the Patriot League Tournament.

Bucknell Breaking Barriers
Bucknell's 3-1 win over Navy was significant beyond the current Patriot League standings. The Bison became just the 11th different team to score more than one goal against the Mids since the start of the 2006 season, a stretch of 85 games. Bucknell also snapped Navy's 16-game unbeaten streak in Patriot League play for Navy. Its Last loss also came at the hands of Bucknell, a 2-1 decision on October 29, 2006 in Annapolis.

Shutout or Bust
Through 16 Patriot League contests, shutouts have been a prevailing theme. Shutouts were recorded in three of the League's four weekend games. Eleven of the 16 Patriot League games that have been played have ended with at least one team notching a shutout, including three scoreless ties. Seven of the League's eight teams have recorded a shutout during League play. Colgate and Navy each have three shutouts through four Patriot League games.

Defend Your Turf
Of the 16 Patriot League games that have been played so far, only two have been lost by the home team. The home squad is currently 11-2-3 in League contests. No home team lost during the most recent weekend of Patriot League action. The lone Patriot League home team that did not win its game over the weekend was Holy Cross, which finished with a scoreless draw against Lehigh. Colgate, which lost to Lehigh in Hamilton, and, Lafayette, which dropped a home contest to Holy Cross, are the only home squads to lose a Patriot League game this season.

Betterbed a Finalist for Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Army senior midfielder Elizabeth Betterbed is one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in the women's soccer division. A nationwide voting process begins immediately and fans can vote online beginning today and ending Nov. 13 at www.seniorclassaward.com.To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - classroom, character, community and competition.

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 suffered its first Patriot League loss of the season on Saturday, a 1-0 double-overtime defeat at the hands of Colgate. Arianna Efstathiou made six saves before the deciding goal was scored. The Eagles lost despite outshooting the Raiders, 18-12. American has outshot its foes by a 231-170 margin this season. The Eagles will resume Patriot League play this weekend in the Lehigh Valley. American will play at Lafayette on Friday and at Lehigh on Sunday.

Army snapped its four-game losing streak with an overtime win against Lafayette on Saturday. The Black Knights also played a non-League tilt against Manhattan, falling by a 1-0 count. Army is  now 4-1-1 at home and 1-7-1 on the road. The Black Knights will play their next three games in West Point, starting with weekend contests against Bucknell and Colgate.

Bucknell moved into a tie for first place with a 3-1 triumph over preseason favorite Navy on Senior Day. The Bison have now won three straight games. Christa Matlack and Chelsea McGorry each had points in those three victories. Head coach Ben Landis moved into second place on Bucknell's career wins list. At 53-34-7, he is nine wins behind Chrissy Findlay for the program's record for wins. Bucknell will play its final three games on the road, starting with games at Army and Holy Cross this weekend.

Colgate jumped into the top half of the Patriot League standings with a 1-0 win over League-leading American. Freshman Avery Atkins scored the game's lone goal, while freshman goalkeeper Ashley Walsh made 10 saves to record her seventh shutout of the season. The Raiders will spend the weekend on the road with games at Holy Cross and Army.

Holy Cross played to a scoreless tie against Lehigh on Saturday. Junior goalkeeper Mary Ferketic made five saves to record her fourth shutout of the season. Earlier in the week, freshman forward Maura Fox scored two goals to lead the Crusaders to a 4-1 non-League win over Yale. Holy Cross will close out the home portion of its schedule this week, hosting Brown and Patriot League foes Colgate and Bucknell.

Lafayette was handed its fourth straight defeat, a 1-0 overtime loss at Army. Freshman goalkeeper Lauren Smedley made 10 saves in defeat. Lafayette has been outshot by its opponents, 242-155. The Leopards' foes also hold an 87-49 advantage in corner kicks. Lafayette will host American and Navy this weekend.

Lehigh dropped into fifth place in the Patriot League standings, despite picking up a point at Holy Cross. The Mountain Hawks played the Crusaders to a scoreless draw. Lehigh, which also recorded a scoreless tie against Princeton during the week, has not allowed a goal in its past 233 minutes of action. The Mountain Hawks' five ties this season are a school record. Lehigh will host Navy and American this weekend.

Navy had its 16-game Patriot League unbeaten streak came to an end with a 3-1 loss at Bucknell on Saturday. It was the first time in seven the past seven matches that a game between the Mids and the Bison was decided by more than one goal. A fifth-minute goal by Bucknell ended Navy's shutout streak at 385:16. Katelyn George scored the Mids' lone goal, her second goal in as many games. The Mids will play at Lehigh and Lafayette this weekend.