Nov. 2, 2009
Center Valley, Pa--Colgate was one of four Patriot League teams to defend its home field during the final weekend of Patriot League play. As a result, the Raiders will get to play another weekend on its home turf. Colgate topped Bucknell and clinched the top seed in the tournament. The Raiders will host American, Bucknell and Navy starting Friday.
Patriot League Weekly Release 11.2.09 
BRINE Offensive Player of the Week (10.26.09-11.1.09)
Anna Baldwin, Colgate Jr., F, Woodbury, Conn.
Baldwin scored her second goal of the season in the sixth minute of overtime, helping Colgate claim a 2-1 win over Bucknell. The win vaulted the Raiders past the Bison to the top of the Patriot League standings and clinched homefield advantage for Colgate in the Patriot League Tournament. It is the first time in Baldwin’s career that she has been named Patriot League Offensive Player of the WEek.
BRINE Defensive Player of the Week (10.26.09-11.1.09)
Erin Stebbins, American Sr., M, Huntington Station, N.Y.
Stebbins helped limit Navy to just three shots and two shots on goal in the Eagles’ 3-0 win over the Mids. Stebbins also scored her second goal of the season on her only shot of the game. It is the first time this season and the second time in Stebbins’ career that she has been named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week.
BRINE Goalkeeper of the Week (10.26.09-11.1.09)
Brittany Fearnside, Army Sr., GK, Niskayuna, N.Y.
Making her first start of the season, the senior co-captain made a career-high 10 saves, five in each half. In just her third career start, Fearnside picked up the win on Senior Night in the Black Knights’ 2-1 season-ending win against Holy Cross. It is the first time she has been named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week.
BRINE Rookie of the Week (10.26.09-11.1.09)
Michelle Montilio, American Fr., M, Hanover, Mass.
Montilio scored what proved to be the decisive goal in American’s victory over Navy. She also helped the Eagles win numerious possessions in a match that was largely contested at midfield. Montilio, who now has two career goals, has been named Patriot League Rookie of the Week twice.
Honorable Mention Performances Last Week
Kelsey Brasher, American
Sr., F, Hagerstown, Md.
Registered a goal and an assist in American’s 3-0 win over Navy.
Ariana Efstathiou, American
So., GK, Massapequa Park, N.Y.
Recorded sixth shutout of the season in the Eagles’ 3-0 win against Navy.
Christine O’Leary, Army
Sr., D, Ft. Edward, N.Y.
Snapped a 1-1 tie in the 67th minute of Army’s 2-1 win over Holy Cross with her second goal of the season, her first career game-winner.
Ashley Walsh, Colgate
Fr., GK, Cicero, N.Y.
Allowed just one goal and made six key saves in Colgate’s dramatic 2-1 win over Bucknell.
Hailey Coonrad, Lehigh
Sr., D, Ramsey, N.J.
Anchored a defensive unit that limited Lafayette to four shots and two shots on goal.
Lauren Mains, Lehigh
Jr., GK, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Made two saves to notch her ninth shutout of the season.
Patriot League Notebook
Colgate Clinches Top Seed
Colgate secured the top seed and homefield advantage in the 2009 Patriot League Tournament in dramatic fashion. Anna Baldwin scored the game-winning goal in the sixth minute of overtime, giving the Raiders a 2-1 win over Bucknell. Without a victory against the Bison, the Raiders would have surrendered the top seed to Bucknell, which entered the day leading the Patriot League. The Bison dropped to third place in the standings. Colgate closed the regular season with five straight wins, while snapping Bucknell’s five-game winning streak.
Elsewhere Around The League
Besides Colgate’s late victory, there were three Patriot League games on the schedule. American finished the regular season in second place, thanks to a 3-0 win over Navy. With the loss, the Mids fell to fourth place. Rival Lehigh produced a 1-0 victory over rival Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks closed the year in fifth place, while Lafayette finished Patriot League play winless for the third straight season. Army, the 2008 Patriot League champion, edged Holy Cross for sixth place with a 2-1 win over the Crusaders. It was Army’s second Patriot League win of the season.
Patriot League Tournament
The 2009 Patriot League Tournament will be held Friday and Sunday, November 6 and 8 at Van Doren Field in Hamilton, N.Y., the home of top-seeded Colgate. The Raiders will meet fourth-seeded Navy, last year’s host team, in the first semifinal on Friday at 5 p.m. In the night’s other semifinal, second-seeded American will take on third-seeded Bucknell. The two semifinal winners will square off on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Follow The Tournament With Patriot League All-Access
Fans unable to attend the 2009 Patriot League Tournament can catch all of the action on their computer, thanks to Patriot League All-Access. Live video will be streamed from Van Doren Field, bringing the action into fans’ homes. A monthly All Access pass can be purchased for $7.95. For more information, log onto www.patriotleague.org
Bucknell Breaking Barriers
Earlier this season, Bucknell scored a 3-1 win over Navy, making Bucknell just the 11th different team to score more than one goal against the Mids since the start of the 2006 season, a stretch of 87 games. Over that span, Navy had shut out 53 of its opponents. The Mids have held their opponents scoreless in 61 percent of their games since the start of 2006. Navy has shut out a League-best 12 of its opponents this season.
Shutout or Bust
Seventeen of the 28 Patriot League games that were played this season, ended with at least one team notching a shutout, including three scoreless ties. Seven of the League’s eight teams recorded a shutout during League play. Navy and Lehigh each had a League-best four shutouts in Patriot League contests.
Defend Your Turf
Home teams finished 16-9-3 in Patriot League play, capped off by a final weekend in which home squads went a combined 4-0. The lone weekend of road dominance was the second-to-last week of Patriot League play, in which visiting teams went 7-1. Three of the top four teams in the Patriot League standings did not lose a home game in League play this season. The lone tournament qualifier to lose a home Patriot League game this season is top-seeded Colgate, which will host the tournament starting Friday.
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.
Team Notebooks
American recorded a resounding 3-0 victory over preseason favorite Navy, moving the Eagles into second place in the Patriot League standings. Ariana Efstathiou notched her sixth shutout of the season in the process. The second-seeded Eagles will begin their quest for American’s second-ever Patriot League Championship and first since 2003 when they open the Patriot League Tournament against third-seeded Bucknell on Friday.
Army will not get a chance to defend its 2008 Patriot League Championship. The Black Knights finished the Patriot League season in sixth place. Army closed out the season on a winning note with a 2-1 triumph over Holy Cross, Army’s 14 straight game against Holy Cross without a loss. Making just her third career start, Brittany Fearnside made 10 saves to pick up the win in goal. Fearnside was one of five seniors to play their final game at West Point.
Bucknell entered the week at the top of the Patriot League standings but fell to third thanks to a 2-1 overtime loss at Colgate. The loss snapped Bucknell’s five-game winning sterak. The Bison will return to Hamilton on Friday as the third seed in the Patriot League Tournament. Bucknell will meet second-seeded American in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m.
Colgate won its fifth straight game, a 2-1 overtime triumph over Bucknell. The win gave Colgate the top seed and hosting duties in the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2000. The Raiders own a League-best 10 Patriot League Championships and will be chasing their first since 2004. The Raiders have never gone more than four years without a League title.
Holy Cross closed the season with its third straight loss, a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Army. The Crusaders maintained a winning record all season until finishing the year with three straight losses. Senior Shelby Stand finished the season with a League-leading 10 goals.
Lafayette dropped to 0-7, marking the Leopards’ third straight winless campaign in Patriot League play. Lafayette has one win in League play since the start of the 2004 season. The Leopards finished the 2009 season a 1-0 defeat at rival Lehigh. Jill Dozier and Dana Moyer finished the season tied for the team-lead with five points apiece.
Lehigh finished the regular season with a 1-0 win against rival Lafayette. Senior Alex Warren converted a penalty kick in the 59th minute for her first career goal and the Lehigh defense pitched its ninth shutout of the season. With the victory Lehigh ends its season at 9-4-5 overall and 3-2-2 in the Patriot League.
Navy dropped into fourth place with a 3-0 loss at American. The Mids will take on top-seeded Colgate in the Patriot League Tournament on Friday. Navy has three Patriot League titles, the second most since the League began play in 1990. The Mids have won two of the last three Patriot League crowns.
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