The Leopards are now 2-1 after having played their first top 25 team James Madison. The Dukes moved to 15 in the Coaches poll this week while JMU in the RPI calculation is 11th ( .25 won/lost, .5 strength of schedule and ,25 from opponents strength of schedule). The RPI is the same calculation the NCAA relies on to decide on entrants to the national tournament who have not won their conference. Lafayette is ranked 19th nationally in the RPI calculation and 24th using the ACR ranking ( .5 goal differential using a maximum of 5 goals and .5 won/loss record).
In addition sophomore Caroline Turnbull was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week. This is the second week in a row that a Leopard was named to the player of the week list. Caroline scored her first goal of the season in the 2-1 win over Appalachian State and had a defensive save against JMU the following day.
Lafayette takes to the road and route 95 as they travel to Fairfield, Connecticut to meet with Stags at 4 pm on Friday. Last year the Leopards scored in the 50th minute to break a 2-2 tie and hold on for a 3-2 win. However the Leopards outshot Fairfield 11-3. The last time Lafayette met Fairfield at Fairfield was in 2002,several weeks after 9/11. The Leopards prevailed in that meeting also 3-2 while shooting 17-5 against the Stags on that afternoon. They also out cornered the Stags 9-4.
Hall of Famer Megan Monahan had a hat trick scoring all 3 goals for the Leopards. Here is an account of the game:
Senior Megan Monahan’s three goals carried Lafayette past Fairfield 3-2 for its 17th consecutive victory on Saturday, closing the Patriot League regular season a perfect 6-0 .
Monahan recorded her second straight hat trick, and with her third goal of the game and 72nd point of the season, the señior forward broke the Lafayette mark for points in a season.
Down 0-1 Monahan struck for the Leopards off a pass from fellow senior Beth Gulotta to knot the score. Minutes later Monahan scored again, this time off a feed from Stephanie Goldman to give Lafayette the advantage at the half.
Fairfied tied the score in the second half
With less than five minutes remaining in the tie game Monahan …avenged last season’s loss to Fairfield in the Patriot League Championship Game with one swing. She converted a pass from Jennifer Stone and Meredith Hahn for the game winner.
Stone’s assist gives the junior 28 career helpers, tying her with Monahan for the all-time career Patriot League record. Hahn’s 16th assist marks a new school record for assists in a season.
I am looking forward to this one as the Leopards will need to show their character on their march through the regular season.
For those of you alumni who would like to memorialize your time on Lafayette’s Field Hockey Team you can have your name placed on a plague on your old locker for a 250 dollar pledge per year for four years!
Lafayette College Field Hockey 