Lehigh heads to Holy Cross for big showdown

October 30, 2014

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Needing a win to clinch a Patriot League Tournament berth, the Lehigh women's soccer team heads to Holy Cross on Saturday for its regular season finale. Opening kickoff is set for 5 p.m. The Mountain Hawks stand in sole possession of sixth place in the league standings, one point ahead of Loyola. A win would clinch a postseason berth. Lehigh could still get in with a loss or tie, but that would open the door for Loyola to leapfrog the Mountain Hawks with a win at Lafayette.
 
Live video of Saturday's game will be available for free on the Patriot League Network.
 
Lehigh's offense has struggled as of late, but the defense has continued to impress. Last Saturday, the Mountain Hawks allowed just one goal to the league's leading team Colgate, while pitching consecutive shutouts earlier this month against Loyola and Army. The offense scored twice in a win at Lafayette then another against Boston University three days later, but hasn't scored in league play since. The team has earned its share of chances, firing 16 shots in Tuesday's loss to Penn (eight on goal). Last Saturday at Colgate, Lehigh had a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal, but couldn't slip one past goalkeeper Brenna Mason.
 
Lehigh could still move up in the Patriot League standings. With a win on Saturday and Bucknell loss to Boston University, the Mountain Hawks would move up to fifth.
 
Holy Cross won its first six games this season and stood undefeated after 11 games. The Crusaders have struggled to pull out wins in league play, despite some strong efforts. Holy Cross is 1-5-2 in the league, but three of its five losses have come by a single goal. Aly Spencer leads the team in scoring with 25 points behind 11 goals and three assists. Annie Galvin has nine (three goals, three assists) and Caitlin Harty eight (three goals, two assists). Carly McCabe has played all but 29 minutes in goal and owns a strong 0.85 goals against average and .837 save percentage. Holy Cross has impressed in the first half, outscoring opponents 16-3, but has been outscored 11-9 in the second.
 
The Crusaders lead the all-time series, 12-9-1, but the Mountain Hawks are undefeated over the last four (3-0-1). The last time Lehigh traveled to Holy Cross was in 2011, a game which had to be called midway through the game due to snow.
 
Should the Mountain Hawks advance to the Patriot League Tournament, it would begin on Tuesday at the #3 or #4 seed.
 
Like Lehigh Women's Soccer on Facebook and follow on Twitter for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks in their quest for the postseason.

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