Sophomore forward/midfielder Lexi Chang dribbles the ball down the field in a practice drill on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015 on Goodman Campus. The women’s soccer team is preparing to face rival Lafayette College on Wednesday, Oct. 21. (Danielle Schwartz/B&W Photo)
The Lehigh women’s soccer team will look to snap a two-game skid when the Mountain Hawks host rival Lafayette College in a highly anticipated, crucial Patriot League matchup on Wednesday.
Despite dropping its last two matches against tough opponents in Princeton University and Boston University, Lehigh (6-6-3) has put together a solid season. The Hawks have already accumulated their highest win total since 2011.
The coming weeks will prove telling for the rest of the Hawks’ season, as they enter Wednesday’s match tied for seventh in the Patriot League standings at a mark of 1-3-2. Two of the final three matches are at Ulrich Sports Complex, where the team has yet to lose this season.
“It’s a huge game,” coach Eric Lambinus said. “We’re a little bit behind from a couple games where we didn’t perform as well as we would’ve liked. It’s also at home and you want win all your home games in the Patriot League. It’ll actually be a determining match of whether we make the playoffs or not.”
With or without the playoff implications, the upcoming Lehigh-Lafayette matchup is no ordinary game. It’s a rivalry that dates back to 1991 and emotions will run high when the Leopards and Hawks step onto the turf.
“The Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry comes down to pride,” senior goalkeeper Ani Nahapetian said. “It’s not about who’s better than whom, it’s about who has the desire and passion to win.”
According to Nahapetian, Lehigh has an annual ritual for the last practice prior to the Lafayette match with a “destroying the Leopards” theme.
Last year, the team had a Lafayette poster put inside the goal and each player lined up to fire shots at the target. The Mountain Hawks also had leopard tape underneath their cleats to signify them stepping all over the Leopards of Lafayette. The players have not yet chosen what they are going do for this year’s practice.
Offensively, Lehigh has been anchored by a newcomer. Freshman midfielder Sabrina Mertz leads the team with 17 points derived from a team-high seven goals. Mertz has already garnered two Patriot League weekly awards in her short career. The Orefield, Pennsylvania, native was a recipient of the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week.
Mertz credited her teammates on her early success. Fellow freshman midfielder Clare Severe is tied with Mertz for the lead in assists (3) while junior defender Laura Courtney is the runner-up in points with eight. Nahapetian has started all 15 games in goal and has tallied 95 saves so far. She also has accumulated a solid save percentage of .824.
“Sabrina has had a good season for us, but she’s not new anymore.” Lambinus said. “She’s a really good player who can change the game, but now teams will start keying on her. We’re really happy with the way she’s developed and she’s not afraid of the moment.”
Lafayette (6-5-1, 1-4-1 Patriot) picked up its first Patriot League victory on Saturday. The Leopards sit in last place in the league, but only trail Lehigh by one point in the standings.
Lambinus believes that Lehigh will need to balance managing emotions and dictating the tempo to take down their archrival.
“There’s a different passion about this game,” Lambinus said. “There’s also a duel dynamic to this game. It’s huge a game we need to win for the Patriot League, but it’s also Lafayette and no one wants to lose to Lafayette.”
The Mountain Hawks have a young team that includes a freshman class of eight. Those eight players will be experiencing the historic rivalry for the first time.
“I’m excited, I live around here so I know how big the rivalry is,” Mertz said. “Everyone will be really hyped up about it and it will be a good matchup.”
Lehigh owns the all-time series against Lafayette with a record of 15-7-2. The Mountain Hawks will look to take the down Leopards for a second straight year after defeating them 2-1 in Easton last fall.
The match will be played on Wednesday at 7 p.m. from Ulrich Sports Complex.
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