BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Coming off a 1-0 defeat to Bucknell Wednesday, the Lehigh women's soccer team will head to Loyola on Saturday evening to face the Greyhounds. Opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on the Patriot League Network. Despite Wednesday's defeat, the Mountain Hawks remain in a tie for the sixth and final Patriot League Tournament spot with two regular season games remaining.
 
Heading into this weekend, Lehigh stands tied with Holy Cross at 2-5-0 and six points. Both teams are just two points behind Army West Point in fifth at 2-3-2 and eight points. With wins at Loyola Saturday and Holy Cross next Friday, the Mountain Hawks would clinch their third straight Patriot League Tournament berth. Lehigh could still reach the postseason without going 2-0, but would need help from out-of-town games.
 
Wednesday's contest vs. Bucknell saw the Mountain Hawks hold a 10-3 edge in first-half shots, but the Bison scored less than a minute into the second half to account for the game's only goal. One of Lehigh's best first-half chance came off the foot of junior Maggie Wadsworth in the 19th minute when she got behind the Bucknell goalkeeper, but a defender cleared the ball out of harm's way.
 
Lehigh has won two of its last three Patriot League games to get right back into postseason contention. One was a 1-0 victory at American, followed by a 4-1 win vs. Lafayette. Loyola is 2-5-1 over its last eight games, dropping 1-0 games to Holy Cross and Boston University before playing American to a 1-1 tie.
 
The Greyhounds stand 5-9-1 overall, 1-5-1 in league play, currently at four points – two behind Lehigh and Holy Cross for sixth. Hannah Hoefs leads Loyola in points with 10 (four goals, two assists) while Jourdan Ziff owns three goals and six points. Sumer Rahe has started all 15 games in goal, tallying a 1.15 goals against average and 0.717 save percentage.
 
The all-time series between Lehigh and Loyola is tied, 3-3-2, with the Mountain Hawks holding a 3-0-2 edge since the Greyhounds joined the Patriot League. Last season, Lehigh picked up a 2-0 home win. Each of the last two meetings at Loyola ended in scoreless draws.
 
Following Saturday's game, Lehigh will travel to Holy Cross next Friday (Oct. 26) to face the Crusaders in the regular season finale. Opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
 
Like Lehigh Women's Soccer on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.

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