The Lehigh women’s lacrosse team will be taking on Lafayette College in a key Patriot League game Wednesday.
“This game has little to do with talent and skill,” senior captain Kendall Garden said. “It has more to do with who steps on the field with more heart and passion.”
The game isn’t only a big rivalry, but it also is a much-needed win for Lehigh. If the team wins out, it has the opportunity to host a game in the quarterfinals for the Patriot League Tournament. As of now, Lehigh (10-3, 4-2 Patriot) is ranked fourth in the Patriot League and Lafayette (6-8, 2-4 Patriot) is ranked seventh.
Junior attacker Allison LaBeau has led the team offensively thus far, tallying 37 goals and 27 assists in the team’s 13 games. Freshman attacker Courtney Henig is second on the team in goals with 22.
The last time the team had a better start was in 1988 when it started 11-2. This year’s team had a chance to tie that mark before losing to Loyola University (Maryland) on Saturday in an overtime heartbreaker. Now their minds are locked into beating Lafayette.
“At this point in the season, I think a win against Lafayette will be a great way to gain momentum for our last few regular season games,” senior Hannah Street said when describing the Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry. “Winning will get us one step closer to gaining home field advantage for a postseason game.”
Lehigh has had a lot of success outside of the Patriot League, which has contributed to one of its best starts ever. However, losses to Loyola on Saturday and Navy on March 30 have dropped them in the league standings.
The team hasn’t lost to Lafayette in three years but knows to not take it lightly, even with the Leopards’ less-than-stellar year.
“It’s a great opportunity to represent Lehigh,” junior defender/midfielder Julianne D’Orazio said. “In a huge rivalry like this our records don’t matter. Anyone can win in an emotional game like Le-Laf.”
The game is set for this Wednesday at Banko Field at 7 p.m. Lehigh will be looking to capture its fourth-straight rivalry win.
After this, Lehigh will have two more league games before the end of the regular season. The Hawks will face Colgate University on April 23 and Bucknell University on April 29. The quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament will begin May 3.
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