American University's Fall Sports Team Remain Undefeated in Patriot League Play

by Andrew Chesebro

As the American University fall sports teams enter the final stretches of their respective 2007 seasons, each remains unbeaten against Patriot League opponents.

The volleyball team welcomes two PL foes into Bender Arena this weekend as it looks to remain perfect both at home and in the conference. AU currently sits atop the PL standings at 5-0 and has won all nine home matches this season. The Eagles first face Lafayette Friday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. The Leopards come into play this weekend with a 10-11 record and are 2-3 in the PL. In the all-time series with Lafayette, Au has dominated, winning 13 of the 14 meetings between the two. On Saturday, Oct. 13, Lehigh visits Bender Arena for a 2 p.m. showdown with the Eagles. The Mountain Hawks are 4-11 this season and sit at 1-3 against conference opponents. AU and Lehigh have squared off 13 times with American winning 12 of those meetings.

AU field hockey continues their road swing this weekend and will look to improve to 3-0 in the conference. In their first two PL games the Eagles defeated Colgate, 2-1, and Bucknell, 3-0. On Saturday, Oct. 13, American will be on the campus of the Lafayette Leopards for a 1 p.m. game. Lafayette is 4-8-0 and 1-1-0 in the PL this season. The Eagles and Leopards have met nine times and AU has a slight advantage in the all-time series record at 5-4-0.

The men's soccer team is 1-0-1 in the PL this year and 4-5-2 overall. AU opened its conference schedule with a 2-1 win at home over Army and last weekend played Lafayette to a double-overtime 0-0 draw. Saturday, Oct. 13, the Eagles will travel to Annapolis, Md., for a 7 p.m. clash with the Midshipmen of Navy under the stars. The middies are 5-3-2 this year with a 0-2-0 PL mark. The two programs have met 16 times since their first meeting in 1979. AU will look to even the all-time series record which now stands at 6-7-3.

AU women's soccer takes to the road this weekend for two matches as it looks to improve upon its 7-5-0 overall record and 1-0-0 mark in the PL. The Eagles' lone matchup with a PL team came last weekend as AU traveled to Colgate and brought home a 1-0 win. On Friday, Oct. 12, American will head to Lehigh where it will face the Mountain Hawks at 7 p.m. Lehigh is 5-4-2 this season and 0-1-0 in conference play. The Eagles have faced the Mountain Hawks nine times in the program's history and have a 6-3-0 record against them. The team will also be in action on Sunday, Oct. 14, as it visits Lafayette for a 12 p.m. meeting. The Leopards are 3-9-0 with a 0-1-0 record in the PL. In the seven times that the Eagles have matched up with Lafayette, AU has come out on top with a 4-1-2 record.

The men's and women's cross country teams will also be in action this weekend as they travel north on Friday, Oct. 12, for the Lafayette Invitational. The men's team has competed in four meets this year and has twice captured PL Male Runner of the Week honors. The women's team has competed three times and in the season's opening contest took first and second place en route to a team victory.