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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Coming off its second consecutive Patriot League victory, the Lehigh women’s lacrosse team returns home on Wednesday for a midweek matchup against Lafayette in The Rivalry presented by Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute. Opening draw is set for 7 pm on ESPN+. It will be the first of three home games in 120 hours, as Lehigh also hosts Holy Cross on Saturday (11:30 am) and American next Monday (7 pm).
This busy stretch follows a weekend without games, as the April 9 American game was postponed. The Mountain Hawks returned to the field on Saturday at Boston University and picked up a 13-12 victory. Lehigh controlled play for the majority of the game, only trailing once at 9-8, but the Mountain Hawks’ largest lead was three and they couldn’t create separation. The Terriers made a fourth-quarter charge to within one, but neither team scored for the game’s final 10:36.
Senior Nora Giordano led the offense with a career-high five points via three goals and two assists. It marked her second consecutive hat trick after one her entire career entering this April. For the season, her 18 goals, seven assists and 25 points have already shattered previous career highs. Junior Emma Eberhardt also recorded a hat trick on Saturday while classmate Gabby Schneider had two goals and two assists. Junior Cassie Marte scored twice, caused two turnovers and set a career high in draw controls (7). Boston University won the first seven draws of the game, but Lehigh responded with 10 of the next 17. The Terriers won the game’s final five (to finish the game with a 19-10 edge).
Defensively, senior Jenna Garden recorded two groundballs and caused a turnover defensively while sophomore Hayley Hunt posted 10 saves, including two big stops – with 6:13 and 2:41 remaining – as the Terriers looked for the equalizer. The win was Lehigh’s third straight at Boston University and fourth in its last five against the Terriers overall.
The Mountain Hawks stood all alone in sixth place in the league standings (which would be the final Patriot League Tournament spot), with now four regular season games remaining. After this busy three-game home stretch, Lehigh closes the regular season next Thursday, Apr. 28 at Colgate.
Lafayette stands 2-10 on the season, 1-5 in Patriot League play with its win coming at Boston University, 16-13. After that game, the Leopards lost at home vs Holy Cross (16-4) and at Colgate (13-12). Lafayette also owns a nonleague victory against La Salle, 11-9. Olivia Cunningham leads Lafayette in goals (24) and points (33) while Clare Culligan is second in both categories with 23 goals. Abby Romano (15 goals, six assists) is also over 20 points. Izzy Reh leads Lafayette in draw controls (29). Lindsay Geiger is tops on the Leopards in groundballs (27) and caused turnovers (14). Lexie Coldiron has seen the majority of time in goal, tallying a 14.94 goals against average and 40.1 save percentage.
Lehigh has won seven straight against Lafayette and 13 of the last 14 to take a 30-22 lead in the all-time series. The Mountain Hawks’ last loss came at Lafayette on Mar. 29, 2013 by a 6-5 final. Last season, the Mountain Hawks outscored the Leopards 9-1 in the second half to pull away for the 18-5 victory. In the last game at Lehigh, the Mountain Hawks picked up a 12-6 win on Apr. 18, 2018. Lehigh has won six straight against Lafayette at home, last falling on Apr. 22, 2016. Lafayette won the first-ever meeting between the sides in 1975, 5-1. Lehigh’s first win was also later in 1975 by a 10-9 final.
Following Wednesday’s game, the Mountain Hawks remain home to host Holy Cross on Saturday. It will be Senior Day with opening draw set for 11:30 am and senior recognition planned for postgame.
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