BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Following a pair of road contests last week, the Lehigh women's soccer team returns home Friday to host American. The regular season finale will kick off at 6 p.m. on the Patriot League Network. The Mountain Hawks are in a win-and-in scenario, as a victory over the Eagles would clinch Lehigh's fourth straight Patriot League Tournament berth – which would mark a program record. With one game remaining, Lehigh could still finish anywhere from third to eighth place. The top six seeds advance to the tournament with the No. 3 and 4 seeds earning a quarterfinal home game.
 
The Mountain Hawks are currently tied for sixth in the standings with Lafayette and the Leopards own the tiebreaker. However, Lehigh would still be in with a win Friday (regardless of other games) because Bucknell and Holy Cross (each with 11 points) are also playing each other Friday. No matter what happens in that game, the Mountain Hawks would surpass at least one of them with a win (and both if that Bison/Crusaders game ends in a draw). Lehigh could still surpass Loyola if it loses to Navy, and Lafayette if it ties or loses against Boston University. Lehigh could also advance to the postseason with a tie, but would need some help.
 
This time last year, the Mountain Hawks entered their finale at Holy Cross needing a win and some help. That happened as Lehigh earned the No. 5 seed before beating No. 4 Bucknell in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Colgate in the semifinals, on the way to the championship contest.
 
The Mountain Hawks are coming off a slim 1-0 defeat at Army West Point Saturday in an evenly-matched, back-and-forth contest. Lehigh held a 10-9 edge in shots, but the Black Knights scored the game's only goal in the 16th minute. Lehigh's defense has played well all season, especially as of late. The Mountain Hawks allowed just three shots on goal in 200 minutes last week – at Colgate and Army. Lehigh's offense has struggled on the road, but has scored in three straight home games, netting five goals in that span.
 
American enters the weekend as the only team in the league eliminated from postseason contention. The Eagles have been extremely competitive, however, with four ties and four defeats. Most recently, American earned a 1-1 draw at Bucknell, previously falling to Navy (1-0) and Army West Point (3-1). Fisayo Iluyomade leads the team in goals (4) and points (8) while Emily Smith owns seven points via three goals and an assist. Three goalkeepers have started five or more games, led by Morgan Lang who's tallied a 0.83 goals against average and 84.8 save percentage.
 
American leads the all-time series, 11-9-1. Last season, the Mountain Hawks picked up the program's first-ever win at American via a 1-0 final. Lehigh has won five straight over the Eagles at home.
 
If the Mountain Hawks advance to the postseason, they would play in the Patriot League Quarterfinals on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
 
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