Villanova University

Oct. 5, 2009

VILLANOVA, Pa. - The Villanova field hockey team (6-3, 1-1 BIG EAST) will travel to Bethlehem, Pa. on Wednesday, Oct. 7th to take on interstate rival Lehigh University (4-5, 1-0 Patriot League) at Ulrich Stadium on the Lehigh campus. The contest is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Villanova leads the all-time series vs. Lehigh 13-9-1 and took home a 4-1 victory last year in Villanova, Pa.

The Mountain Hawks are riding high after beginning Patriot League play on Oct. 3 when they took on the Raiders of Colgate in a home contest. Lehigh scored their second consecutive win in a decisive 4-1 victory as freshman Kim Eng tallied her eighth goal and third assist of the season. Senior forward Morgan Christopher added a goal and an assist for the Mountain Hawks in the win. Earlier this week, Eng picked up her third Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor as announced on Monday, Oct. 5th by the conference office.

Lehigh boasts a powerful attack from Eng (7 goals, 3 assists, 17 points), senior Lindsey Smith (1 goal, 3 assists, 5 points) and senior Morgan Christoper (2 goals, 4 points). On the defensive side, Lehigh junior goalies Lilia Stefaniwsky (324 minutes, .860 save pct) and Jessica Miller (235 minutes, .469 save pct) have been splitting time for the Mountain Hawks.

The Wildcats will be led by the offensive firepower of junior Meredith Sabatini (9 goals, 3 assists, 21 points), junior Lauren Wuzzardo (7 goals, 4 assists, 18 points), redshirt junior Dana Ramsden (6 goals, 3 assists, 15 points), junior Meg Ryan (5 goals, 5 assists, 15 points) and senior captain Emily Donaldson (2 goals, 6 assists, 10 points).

Earlier this week, sophomore goalie Megan Goelz (Yardley, Pa.) earned her third consecutive BIG EAST Honor Roll accolade after her performance vs. BIG EAST Conference rival Providence College. Against the Friars, Goelz recorded 17 saves and 70 minutes in cage for Villanova in the 4-2 loss, which marked the first conference defeat for VU on the season. For the year, Goelz has recorded over 442 minutes in cage for the Wildcats and boasts a .800 save percentage, placing her tied for 8th place amongst NCAA Division I goalies. She has faced a total of 94 shots while making 40 saves for the year.