PHILADELPHIA – The Explorers take to the road this coming weekend for two conference matchups that will play a big part in shaping the direction of their season. Their travel will span the Atlantic 10 this weekend. First the Blue & Gold will travel north for a 1:00pm Friday tilt against St. Bonaventure. The Explorers will wrap up the weekend on Sunday with a 3:00pm matchup with their cross-state rival Duquesne.
 
Scouting the Explorers
La Salle enters this weekend's action coming off a drubbing of their Big 5 rival St. Joseph's, boosting their Atlantic 10 record to 2-1-1. The Blue & Gold pelted the overmatched Hawks with ten shots on goal, six of which found the back of the net. The Explorers hope they can keep up the offensive momentum this weekend.
 
As has been the case the entire season, the Explorers boast one of the best offenses in the conference, a fact that was perfectly on display against St. Joseph's. The Explorers lead the Atlantic 10 in assists (35), while ranking second in shots (261), goals (28) and points (91).
 
The offense is led by the dynamic attacking presence of Kelsey Haycook. Her firepower was too much for the Hawks to handle in the last match, as the junior forward exploded for eight points (3 goals – 2 assists) in the contest. The eight points marked the highest single-game scoring output in the conference this season, helping Haycook earn her second A-10 Player of the Week honor this season. The explosive outing against St. Joseph's also vaulted Haycook into the top spot in the Atlantic 10 in several offensive categories. She leads the conference with 13 goals, while she is threatening to run away with the conference scoring title. Her 31 points are five more than the next closest player.
 
Supplementing the attack of Haycook are two other stellar Explorer midfielders.
 
Senior Renee Washington has enjoyed a stellar final season in Blue & Gold. She is second on the team and tied for seventh best in the Atlantic 10 with 16 points on the season. She ranks tied seventh in the conference with six goals, while she is tied for eighth in the A-10 with four assists, two of which coming in the Explorers most recent match against the Hawks.
 
Redshirt junior Anna Dolhansky has been a steady presence for the Explorers this season. She netted two goals, including the game-winner, in the contest against St. Joseph's and also finds her name in the conference leaderboards. She is tied for ninth in the A-10 with 14 points (4 goals – 6 assists). Her six assists are tied for fourth best in the conference.
 
Junior midfielder Maryam Huseini has been a great creator for the Blue & Gold attack this season. While she has not found the back of the net so far this season, she is tied for second in the conference with ten assists, including two in the matchup against the Hawks.
 
On the defensive side of the ball the Explorers have been equally adept. They have only allowed 70 shots on goal through 15 matches this season, a rate of less than five per match (4.67). They lead the Atlantic 10 with a 0.82 goals against average, while ranking tied for first in goals allowed (13) and shutouts (8).
 
The defensive is an experienced backline that has smothered opponents attacks repeatedly. Seniors Ashley Chilcoat and Courtney Niemiec, along with redshirt junior Kerri Aiken have been an impenetrable wall for opponents this season. They have helped the goalkeepers in permitting only three goals in the team's last seven matches overall, holding the Hawks to only two shots on goal in their most recent match.
 
The goalkeeping has been excellent for the Explorers in 2013, as they boast the best combination in the conference. The Blue & Gold have used a rotation between junior Katie Getzinger and redshirt sophomore Jessica Wiggins.
 
Wiggins is atop the A-10 leaderboards in several categories. Her 0.68 goals against average is the best mark in the conference, while her .833 save percentage is tied for first. She is tied for fifth with four clean sheets on the season.
 
Getzinger has been strong as well. She ranks sixth with a 1.03 goals against average, while ranking fifth in the conference with a .794 save percentage. She has also posted three shutouts, which is tied for seventh best in the A-10.
 
La Salle (10-3-2; 2-1-1 A-10) at St. Bonaventure (5-8-1; 2-3-0 A-10)
Fri., Oct. 25, 2013 | 1:00 PM | McGraw-Jennings Field – St. Bonaventure, N.Y.
Live Stats | Sign Up for Text Alerts
 
Scouting the Bonnies
St. Bonaventure enters Friday afternoon's matchup on a bit of a hot streak. Their season looked lost after dropping the first three matches of their conference slate, but they have rebounded nicely to win their last two against George Washington and VCU. They did not allow a goal in either match; marking the first time this season they have posted back-to-back shutouts.
 
The Bonnies are precise when on the offensive. They rank fourth in the conference in both points (63) and goals (23), despite the fact that they are last in the Atlantic 10 in shots, totaling just 140 through the team's first 14 matches.
 
Senior midfielder Alyssa Lapp and junior forward Molly Curry pace the offensive attack. Lapp leads the Bonnies with 17 points (8 goals – 1 assist). Her 17 points rank sixth most in the Atlantic 10 this season, while her eight tallies are the fourth most in the conference this season. Curry, the other half of the attacking duo, has found the back of the net six times this season, including a goal in the Bonnies victory over VCU. Her six goals are tied for seventh best in the A-10.
 
Junior attacking midfielder Brittany Charles has been a talented creator for the St. Bonaventure attack. She leads the Bonnies and is tied for fourth in the Atlantic 10 with six assists. She also recorded her first goal of the season in the match against VCU.
 
The goalkeeping for the Bonnies is split between senior Megan Junker and sophomore Christina Sarokon. Junker has started nine of the team's fourteen matches. She has recorded a 1.52 goals against average and a .750 save percentage. Sarokon has started the other five matches for the Bonnies, recording a 1.71 goals against average and a .721 save percentage. Sarakon has recorded the only two sole victories recorded by the goal keeping tandem.
 
La Salle Explorers (10-3-2; 2-1-1 A-10) at Duquesne Dukes (5-6-2; 1-2-1 A-10)
Sunday, October 27, 2013 | 3:00 PM | Rooney Field – Pittsburgh, Pa.
Live Video (Subscription Required) | Live Stats | Sign Up for Text Alerts
 
Scouting the Dukes
Duquesne enters this weekend's action coming off a 0-0 draw in their last match against George Washington. The Dukes got off to a strong start to their A-10 slate with a 3-1 victory over St. Bonaventure, however, they dropped the next two matches as they failed to record a goal against Saint Louis and VCU. They look to even their conference record this weekend, facing Richmond on Friday before returning home for the last home match of the season against the Explorers.
 
The Dukes do not boast a prolific offense, despite the fact they have fired 225 shots, the fourth most in the Atlantic 10 this season. They are last in the conference with only twelve goals scored this season; they average a little less than one goal per contest (0.92).
 
Duquesne's offense is spread up and down the lineup, with four players notching two goals and four players adding a goal. The Dukes offense benefits greatly from the younger players on the roster. Sophomore Amy Vinopal, along with freshmen A.J. Baroffio and Maddie Lacy lead the team with two goals and six points apiece.
 
The bread and butter of the Dukes is their defensive play. They have only given up 13 goals all season and their 0.95 goals against average is the fourth best mark in the conference.
 
Duquesne boasts a very strong combo in net. Junior Devon Tabata has started eight matches for Dukes posting quite strong numbers. Her 1.15 goals against average is the seventh best mark in the conference, while she has recorded three clean sheets this season, the seventh best mark in the A-10. Senior Ashley Szalwinski has started five matches for the Dukes and has been a brick wall in net this season. Szalwinki has allowed only four goals, recording a 0.68 goals against average and an .833 save percentage both tied with La Salle's Wiggins for the best mark in the conference. She has also posted two shutouts this season.
 
Up Next
After this weekend's road trip the Explorers return home for their last two home conference matches of this season, facing off against Dayton on Friday November 1^st and George Mason on senior day Sunday November 3^rd.