The road to the A-10 Championship, which will take place one month from today, begins this Friday and features a full slate of games on the schedule.
Conference-leading Lock Haven will play its first A-10 game in history, hosting defending conference champion Richmond.
The Lady Eagles (9-4) will rely on their high-powered attack to earn their eighth- consecutive victory, guided by senior Amy Hordendorf and junior Kristi Shepps, who lead the A-10 with 13 goals apiece so far this season.
Second place La Salle will hit the road to take on West Chester, looking for some revenge.
After losing 4-2 in last season’s matchup, the Explorers (5-6) will be looking for a crucial victory on Friday to stay near the top in the standings. Leading the charge is sophomore and reigning A-10 Rookie of the Year Rebecca Chylack, who leads La Salle with 14 points.
To round out the slate of games on Friday, Temple will host Saint Joseph’s in a game of two struggling teams searching for a much-needed victory to start conference play on the right foot.
On Saturday, fresh off its upset victory over Syracuse, Massachusetts will complete its four-game home stand against winless Saint Louis.
Lady Eagles streaking
Lock Haven couldn’t have entered its first A-10 conference schedule in any better way.
The Lady Eagles are undefeated in their last seven games and have outscored their opponents 34-5.
LHU most recently downed Iowa, 4-0, for the first time in its history on the strength of Shepps’ hat trick.
Despite the dominance of the Lady Eagles offense, the defense has also been performing just as impressively.
Led by senior goalkeeper Erin Terreson, who boasts the best goals-against average (1.19) in the A-10, the defense has been solid, allowing 16 goals in 13 games.
The defense, as well as the offense, will have to stay sharp as it enters its first round of A-10 competition and its first true tests of the season when it opens against perennial conference powers in the Spiders and Minutewomen.
Spiders snap skid
Richmond snapped its seven-game losing streak this past Sunday, shutting out Georgetown, 3-0.
Junior Katelin Peterson continued her outstanding season, contributing on all three scores for the Spiders.
Peterson scored her fifth goal of the season and 30th of her career, assisted by Hannah Hess, 25 minutes, 14 seconds into the first half to give Richmond a 1-0 lead. She went on to record two assists, both of which were scored on breakaways, giving the Spiders a comfortable 3-0 victory. With her performance, Peterson moved into fifth in the conference in points with 15.
The victory places Richmond in fourth place with a 4-7 record heading into conference play, a familiar position for the defending champions.
Last year, the Spiders finished off their non-conference schedule with a 5-6 record before going on a tear in A-10 play, going 5-1 and eventually coming away victorious in the conference championship.
If Richmond hopes to echo its 2009 performance, it will have to count on the play of Peterson, who is a plus on an otherwise minus attack that has only mustered 17 goals in 11 games.
The Spiders opens up their A-10 schedule on the road against Lock Haven on Friday before returning home to host Longwood on Sunday.
Stephen Hewitt can be reached at [email protected].
