Oct. 26, 2010
Center Valley, Pa. — It was an interesting weekend in women’s soccer as six of the eight games played between League teams went into overtime and five ended in draws. What results is a tight race for the Patriot League tournament with three bids secured, one up for grabs and home-field advantage still to be won.
Patriot League Women's Soccer Release - 10.26.10 
Army posted a 1-0-1 weekend with a dramatic 2-1 overtime win at Bucknell and a scoreless draw at Colgate. With 12 points, the Black Knights have clinched a tournament bid and return to the postseason for the 16th time overall, third in the last four years and the first since winning the League crown and advancing to the NCAA Tournament in 2008.
After losing to Army, the Bison rebounded with a 3-2 victory over Holy Cross Sunday in Lewisburg. Also at 12 points, Bucknell has secured a berth in the League tournament for the sixth consecutive year and 15th overall.
Lehigh posted two 1-1 ties over the weekend, knotting Navy Friday in Annapolis and American Sunday in Washington, D.C. The Mountain Hawks have made the Patriot League Tournament for the fifth time in school history and first since 2006.
The fourth and final berth in the League bracket will be determined this weekend. Navy and Colgate are vying for the last remaining spot, and the Raiders still have a chance to host the four-team tournament, though they would need a lot to go in their favor.
Patriot League Weekly Awards
BRINE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
KELLIANN DOHERTY, BUCKNELL Sr., M/F Voorhees, N.J.
Doherty scored two goals and had an assist as the Bison went 1-1 in Patriot League play last week. She had an assist in Bucknell’s 2-1 overtime loss to Army and netted her first two-goal game since her freshman year in a 3-2 win over Holy Cross. She scored the game-winner and added an insurance goal later in the second half.
BRINE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
CALISTA VICTOR, COLGATE Sr., D, Seattle, Wash.
Victor led the Raiders defense to back-to-back shutouts last week, including a 2-0 win over Holy Cross and a 0-0 double-overtime tie with Army. She scored the game-winning goal against Holy Cross and recorded a defensive save in the game that kept the score at 1-0.
BRINE GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
ALEXIS LONGWELL, COLGATE So., GK, McLean, Va.
Longwell picked up her first two collegiate shutouts with a 2-0 win over Holy Cross and a 0-0 double-overtime tie against Army. She made four saves against the Crusaders and five against the Black Knights.
BRINE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
KIM AN, ARMY Fr., Oak Ridge, N.J.
An scored in the 85th minute to force overtime with Bucknell, where the Black Knights scored to win 2-1. An’s nine goals are the most by any Army freshman since 1995. It also was her first League goal.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
ALEX LOSTETTER, ARMY Sr., GK, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Lostetter allowed just one goal in a 2-1 overtime win over Bucknell and held Colgate scoreless in a 0-0 double-overtime draw. She made four saves overall. The goal allowed to Bucknell ended a scoreless streak that spanned six games for Army’s opponents. Her shutout against Colgate was her ninth this year and 29th of her career.
MICHELLE MONTILLIO, AMERICAN So., M, Hanover, Mass.
Montillio played all 220 minutes of American’s two double-overtime 1-1 ties last week, moving out of position for 79 minutes in the Eagles game against Lehigh to man the center-back position after a red card left American with 10 players.
LAUREN SMEDLEY, LAFAYETTE So., GK, Hamilton, N.J.
Smedley recorded 17 saves in two games for the Leopards, including 11 in a 0-0 shutout of Navy. She also posted six saves in a 1-1 tie with American. Her save percentage for the week was .944. She now has a 0.82 GAA with 109 saves and a school record eight shutouts.
ALYSSA MANOOGIAN, COLGATE So., M/F, Peabody, Mass.
Manoogian recorded two assists in the Raiders 2-0 win over Holy Cross. She now has 13 points, with four goals and five assists on the season.
Patriot League Notebook
DOWN THE HOME STRETCH
The time is drawing near for the 2010 Patriot League Tournament, which begins Friday, Nov. 5 at the site of the regular season champion and No. 1 seed. The two semifinal contests will take place Friday, with the winners taking the pitch opposite one another in the championship match Sunday, Nov. 7. Army, Bucknell and Lehigh have already qualified for the four-team tournament. The Black Knights are chasing their second championship in the last three years and third overall, while the Bison are also looking for their third all-time and first since 2005. Meanwhile, this is Lehigh’s fifth appearance in the Patriot League Tournament and the Mountain Hawks have yet to capture the title.
BUCKNELL ENTERS POSTSEASON FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT YEAR
Bucknell’s victory over Holy Cross Sunday secured the Bison their sixth consecutive bid to the Patriot League Tournament, which is the longest active streak in the League. It’s not the longest, however, in school history. Bucknell qualified for seven straight tournaments from 1991-97, which is the third-longest streak in League annals.
WELCOME BACK
Lehigh entered the weekend seeking a win to better secure its spot in the Patriot League Tournament, but it turns out two ties was enough. The Mountain Hawks posted a pair of 1-1 road draws over the weekend, tying Navy Friday night in Annapolis and doing the same Sunday in Washington, D.C. Sunday’s tie actually helped the Mountain Hawks, as it secured their spot in the postseason by helping to eliminate the Eagles. It’s Lehigh’s fifth appearance in the Patriot League Tournament in school history and first since 2006. That year the Mountain Hawks were the No. 3 seed and lost in the semifinals to second-seeded Navy.
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS ARE SURGING
Colgate was voted to defend its Patriot League title from last season, but after losing 1-0 to St. Bonaventure Sept. 12, the Raiders stood at 1-6-0. They quickly rebounded with a pair of 2-0 victories, but lost their next four, including their first two League contests to Navy and Lehigh. Since that 3-1 loss to the Mountain Hawks Oct. 8, Colgate has not lost a match, going 3-0-1 during that span, with all contests coming against League opponents. The Raiders are on the rise heading into their final match of the season, which is Saturday at 4 p.m. at Bucknell. With a victory, Colgate would clinch its League-leading 18th appearance in the Patriot League tournament.
HOSTING DUTIES STILL UP FOR GRABS
With one League game remaining for each team, the hosting responsibilities for the 2010 Patriot League Tournament are still up in the air. Here’s how the scenarios play out: if Army defeats Holy Cross Friday night in Worcester, the Black Knights will secure the No. 1 seed and hosting duties. Should Army lose to the Crusaders and Bucknell tie or defeat Colgate, then the Bison will host for the first time since 2007. Lehigh has a chance to host should it defeat rival Lafayette Saturday night and both Army and Bucknell either tie or lose. And then there’s Colgate. The Raiders can host with a win over Bucknell and losses by Army and Lehigh. Navy is the only team still eligible for the tournament that cannot host.
NAVY CAN QUALIFY, BUT THE MIDS NEED HELP
Of the two teams still eligible for the one remaining spot in the Patriot League tournament, Navy is the one that does not control its own destiny. The Mids absolutely need a win Friday night in Annapolis against American to remain alive for the fourth and final bid, but it would not secure their spot. Navy would also need Colgate to lose or tie Bucknell to earn the final berth. Because of tiebreakers, the highest seed Navy can achieve is No. 4.
LOSTETTER BLANKS COLGATE, GETS NO. 29
Army senior goalkeeper Alex Lostetter tallied one more shutout last weekend against Colgate to give her the 29th shutout of her career. That pulls her into a four-way tie for second on the League’s all-time career clean sheets list, along with three esteemed names in League history: Annah Castellini (Army, 1990-93), Tiffany DeCoff (Holy Cross, 1997-2000) and Lizzie Barnes (Navy, 2005-08). Colgate’s Kelly Tyrell, who played from 1996-99, holds the League record for career blankings with 31. With nine blankings on the season, Lostetter also appears on the League’s top 10 for shutouts in a season, where she is tied for 10th.
Team Notebooks
AMERICAN Sunday’s tie with Lehigh ended the Eagles’ chances of making the Patriot League Tournament. They were seeking their second straight berth, third in four years and seventh overall … American finishes out the regular season hoping to play spoiler to local rival Navy Friday in Annapolis. The Eagles would eliminate Navy from the postseason by defeating or tying them. That would put Colgate into the tournament regardless of what the Raiders do Saturday against Bucknell.
ARMY The team has now played four overtime games in its last six matches. The team is 2-1-3 in extra time this year … Bucknell’s goal Friday was the first surrendered by the Black Knights since bowing 1-0 to Fordham Sept. 26 … Army broke the school record for shutouts with its 14th of the year, which came Sunday at Colgate … The Black Knights will secure home field for the League tournament with a win at Holy Cross Friday night.
BUCKNELL Kelliann Doherty, the BRINE Offensive Player of the Week, notched the first two-goal game of her career since her freshman season in Sunday’s 3-2 win over Holy Cross. The victory put the Bison into the Patriot League Tournament for the sixth straight year. Caitlin Holtz notched three assists in the win, one shy of the program record … The Bison close with Colgate Saturday afternoon in Lewisburg. The Bison need a victory and an Army tie or loss Friday to clinch home field for the tournament.
COLGATE With four goals and five assists, Alyssa Manoogian has taken the team lead in points with 13, one ahead of Jillian Kinter … Alexis Longwell earned the first weekly award of her career Monday after posting back-to-back shutouts over the weekend … The Raiders had scored two goals in each of their previous three matches before drawing Army 0-0 Sunday … Colgate finishes at Bucknell Saturday needing a win to qualify for the Patriot League Tournament.
HOLY CROSS Goals are not coming easily for the Crusaders, and neither are wins. Holy Cross is 0-7-1 in its last eight and has tallied only two goals over that stretch, with both coming Sunday at Bucknell … The Crusaders host Army in their final game of the season Friday night in Worcester. Holy Cross is 4-15-3 all-time against the Black Knights and has not defeated them at home since 1995.
LAFAYETTE The Leopards finish up the season Saturday night hosting Lehigh in Easton. It is the last Patriot League regular season game on the schedule, as it starts at 7 p.m. Two games take place Friday night, while Colgate-Bucknell starts at 4 p.m. Saturday … Sunday’s scoreless draw with Navy was Lauren Smedley’s eighth blanking of the year and 12th of her career, both Lafayette records … Saturday’s game will be broadcast via LSN All-Access.
LEHIGH While the Mountain Hawks posted a program-best 7-0-0 record at home, they remain winless at the sites of their opponents, going 0-2-4 this season. They are 1-1-0 at neutral locations … Lehigh has made its first League tournament since 2006 and can host its first since the 2005 season. As the No. 1 seed, the Mountain Hawks lost to fourth-seeded Bucknell on penalty kicks in the semifinals … Lehigh is 1-2-4 in overtime contests this year.
NAVY The Mids need a victory Friday night against American to remain mathematically alive for the Patriot League Tournament. Should they win, it would force Colgate to need a victory at Bucknell to get into the four-team bracket … Ashlynn Soellner and Carissa Youker are tied with a team-best 15 points, while Paloma Perez is second with 12 … Goalkeeper Hannah Legler has appeared in 17 of the team’s 19 contests, posting a 5-4-3 record along the way.
