Lehigh heads to Providence and Binghamton

by Lehigh Athletics

August 30, 2012

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh women’s soccer team will play the first two road games of its 2012 season this weekend, looking to bounce back from a 2-0 season-opening loss to Seton Hall. The Mountain Hawks travel to Providence to face off against the Providence Friars on Friday and then go to Binghamton, N.Y. on Sunday to battle the Binghamton Bearcats at 1 p.m.

Lehigh enters the road trip with a 0-1-0 record after falling to Seton Hall last Friday. Sophomore goalkeeper Ashley Blanks led the Mountain Hawks’ effort in the defeat, making a career-high 13 saves and helping Lehigh keep the game scoreless until the 59-minute mark, when a Brittney Albrecht cross found Marie Klemme, who headed the ball into the top corner. Blanks earned honorable mention on the Patriot League Weekly Honor Roll for her performance.

Junior forward Paige Dyrek and sophomore forward Darby Wiegand each had two shots to lead the Lehigh offense.

Providence owns a 1-2-1 record on the season, its lone win coming against defending Patriot League Champion Army on Aug. 19. The win against Army is Providence’s only home match thus far, as the Friars lost to Boston College and Quinnipiac on the road and tied Holy Cross in another away game.

Senior forward Laura DiClemente leads the Friars in goals with two and sophomore goalkeeper Jessica Goudreault has played all 380 minutes in goal and owns a .600 save percentage. Senior midfielder Mary Vercollone has also tallied a goal for Providence, a late equalizer against Holy Cross to help her side earn a tie.

Friday will be the first-ever meeting between Lehigh and Providence.

Binghamton enters the weekend with a 2-1-0 record. The Bearcats have yet to play a home game, as the match against Lehigh marks their home opener. Senior forward Sarah Furminger leads the team with three points via a goal and assist, and three other players have chipped in with a goal each.

Juniors Stephanie Speirs and Carrie Martin have each seen time in goal for Binghamton, with Spears holding a 0.92 goals against average through 196:12 of play and Martin owning a 1.22 GAA during her 73:48 in net.

The Bearcats started off their season with two straight wins, defeating Bucknell (3-0) and Niagara (1-0) before dropping a 3-0 decision to Saint Joseph’s.

Lehigh owns a 3-1 all-time record against Binghamton. The two teams first met in 2000, which resulted in a 2-0 win for the Mountain Hawks, and most recently squared off last season, when the Mountain Hawks won (1-0).

Lehigh and Providence are set to kick off at 4 p.m. Friday at Glay Field in Providence, R.I. and the Mountain Hawks begin their match against Binghamton at 1 p.m. Sunday in Binghamton, N.Y.

Like Lehigh Women’s Soccer on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.

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