Oct. 13, 2012

(8-7), (2-1) 1 2 Final Bucknell 0 0 0 #14 Lafayette 1 1 2 Box Score (11-1), (3-0)

EASTON, Pa. - The Lafayette field hockey team took over sole possession of first place in the Patriot League standings on Saturday afternoon as it knocked off Bucknell, 2-0.

With the win, the Leopards moved to 11-1 on the year and 3-0 in the League, breaking a tie with Bucknell for the top spot in the league rankings.

"Obviously a really important win for us against a really strong team," head coach Andrew Griffiths said. "Bucknell played a great game today."

Senior co-captain Emily Valeo notched the opening goal in the 24^th minute, while sophomore Jenna Seybert added an insurance marker early in the second half to extend Lafayette's winning margin to 2-0. The Leopards' two goals came against Bucknell's Erica Perrine, the reigning Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jessica Deutsch and the Lafayette defense were solid once again as they recorded just their second shutout of the season, the other coming against Temple on Sept. 9.

"I think our defense was outstanding and really tough under a lot of pressure," Griffiths added. "We probably didn't possess the ball as well as we could've, but it's a great win because we buckled down defensively. Not allowing a goal against that team is a great accomplishment."

After an opening 20 minutes that featured a wealth of midfield back-and-forth play and rare scoring opportunities, Valeo was able to corral a bouncing ball in the circle and slot it past Perrine's far side to give the Leopards the opening lead with 11 minutes to play in the half.

Lafayette came out of halftime with a purpose. Seybert was able to weave her way through multiple Bucknell defenders after what had seemed to be a botched corner opportunity and find the back of the net to extend the Leopard lead to two with 31 minutes remaining.

Despite seven corners in the second half, the Lafayette defense held strong and refused to allow a goal, ensuring the shutout, 2-0.

Next up for the Leopards is a meeting with Rutgers at Rappolt Field tomorrow at 2 p.m.