Sept. 17, 2009

EASTON, Pa. - A five-match unbeaten streak is a good thing. A seven-match unbeaten streak is even better, and the Lafayette men's soccer team will be looking to achieve just that when the Leopards face two tough opponents at this weekend's Northwestern Lakeside Tournament.

Lafayette (4-0-1) will face Northern Illinois on Friday, the opening day of the tournament. On Sunday, the Leopards square-off against No. 25 Northwestern, a squad Lafayette played to a scoreless tie last year in Easton.

The Leopards hosted a tournament of their own last weekend when they welcomed Binghamton, Fordham and Villanova to Bourger Field for the Ninth Annual Puma Soccer Classic. Lafayette shut out both of its opponents--a 2-0 win over Fordham on Friday night and a 1-0 victory over Binghamton on Sunday afternoon.

Those wins improved the Leopards' record to 4-0-1 and earned them votes in the most recent NSCAA national rankings. They also currently stand at the top of the Patriot League standings.

Junior B.J. Glenn, who scored two of Lafayette's three goals over the weekend, earned a spot on College Soccer News's National Team of the Week, and senior Nick Leigh was tabbed the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week.

The Wildcats (2-2-2) have won two straight games, including a 3-2, overtime victory against No. 21 Tulsa last weekend. The Huskies (2-1-1), meanwhile, also won their most recent game, a 1-0 shutout of Oakland at the Northern Illinois adidas Invitational.

Following this weekend's games, the Leopards open Patriot League play when they travel to Holy Cross on Sept. 26 for a 3 p.m. match.