BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Looking to bounce back from a 1-0 Patriot League opening defeat against Loyola, the Lehigh women's soccer team makes the short trek across the Lehigh Valley to face archrival Lafayette on Saturday. Opening kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on the Patriot League Network. The Leopards will also be eyeing their first league victory after dropping their opener to Bucknell.
 
Last Saturday, the Mountain Hawks outshot Loyola 6-5 in the first half and 4-3 in the second, but the Greyhounds controlled the early part of the second half and turned that pressure into the game's only goal (in the 70th minute). That goal snapped Lehigh's shutout streak at 469:36. The loss for Lehigh snapped a four-game unbeaten streak and dropped its record to 2-3-4 overall. It was the Mountain Hawks' first regulation defeat since the season opener vs. Delaware (29 days prior).
 
Lehigh continues to feature an impressive defense, allowing just 0.67 goals per game. Junior Mirands Royds owns a 0.60 goals against average (No. 2 in the Patriot League, only behind Loyola's Paige Sim who has played approximately one third as many minute as Royds). Royds' save percentage of 88.2 is tops in the league.
 
Lafayette is 4-4-1 on the season, most recently dropping a 2-1 final to Bucknell last Saturday. This came after two straight wins, at Saint Peter's (6-0) and vs. Marist (2-1). The Leopards are 1-2-0 at home and 3-2-1 on the road. Krista Kissell leads the Leopards with nine points via three goals and three assists. Sophie Saldivar isn't far behind with seven points (three goals, one assist). Camryn Monfort is tied for the team lead (with Kissell) in assists with three. A pair of goalkeepers have split time with Natalie Neumann owning a 76.0 save percentage and 1.25 GAA in 432:31 while Maggie Pohl has tallied a 73.3 save percentage and 0.89 GAA in 405:00.
 
Lehigh leads the all-time series vs. Lafayette, 19-8-2, including two straight victories and five of the last six. Last season, the Mountain Hawks' offense came alive in a 4-1 victory, tied for the most goals scored in a Patriot League contest in program history.
 
Following Saturday's game, Lehigh returns home for a midweek showdown against Bucknell on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. It will mark a rematch of last year's Patriot League Quarterfinal, a thrilling 2-1 victory for Lehigh in double overtime.
 
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