PHILADELPHIA – La Salle will travel south of the Mason-Dixon Line this weekend for their first two road contests of conference play. The Blue & Gold will take on the George Washington Colonials in their A-10 road opener on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. and will conclude the weekend with a Sunday afternoon matchup against the VCU Rams at 2:30 p.m. The Explorers will look to extend their regular season conference unbeaten streak, which currently sits at 19 matches, a timeframe that spans over two seasons.
 
Scouting the Explorers
La Salle enters this weekend's action coming off a breathtaking 1-0 double overtime victory over Fordham in the Blue & Gold's conference home opener last Friday evening. The Explorers peppered the Rams goalkeepers with 19 shots, 7 on net, but were unable to unlock the stubborn Fordham defense until the 105^th minute. The game deciding play was a thing of beauty, as the Explorers showcased their impeccable talent and finesse in the attacking third of the pitch. Redshirt senior midfielder Jourdan McVicker sent a long header up the right side to junior midfielder Maryam Huseini. La Salle's leading assist creator made a sensational move to corral the ball and in one motion shield the defender and turn onto attack, charging hard up the right side. Huseini fed a perfect cross onto the foot of senior midfielder Renee Washington. While she had been thwarted three other times earlier in the match, Washington made no mistakes with this opportunity, sending a devilish chip shot over the Rams keeper and into the back of the net for the game-winner.
 
The Explorer offense is led by the dynamic duo of junior forward Kelsey Haycook and senior midfielder Renee Washington. Haycook leads the Blue & Gold with 8 goals on the season, although she has been held off the score sheet in the team's last two matches. Her 4 game-winning goals are the top mark in the Atlantic 10 so far this season, while she ranks second in the conference in goals (8), points (19) and shots (48).
 
Not to be outdone, Washington has enjoyed a fantastic season of her own. She tops the conference leaderboard with 51 shots. Her 6 goals are the fourth most in the Atlantic 10, while her 14 points are the fifth best mark in the conference. With her goal last Friday, Washington now stands just three markers short of tying Amy Schneider ('99-'02) for the all-time goal scoring record at La Salle.
 
Providing the creative impetus for the Explorer offense has been the collaboration of two junior midfielders. Maryam Huseini leads the Blue & Gold with 8 assists on the season, the second highest number of helpers in the conference. Anna Dolhansky has chipped in five helpers, which is tied for the third best mark in the Atlantic 10.
 
The Explorers are led at the back-end by an experienced stalwart defense core. Seniors Courtney Niemiec and Ashley Chilcoat, along with redshirt-junior Kerri Aiken have done an excellent job of neutralizing opponents' attack before it even materializes. The Explorers have only allowed 61 shots on goal through the team's first twelve matches this season. The defense is not afraid to jump into the attack either, as both Chilcoat and Aiken have notched goals.
 
In goal, the Blue & Gold boast two excellent net minders that have proven to be a brick wall for opponents. The Explorers goalkeepers enter this weekend's action on a four-match clean sheet streak, not allowing a goal since a Connecticut marker in double overtime on September 19^th. They have not allowed a regulation time goal since a first half marker by Marshall on September 8^th. 
 
Redshirt sophomore Jessica Wiggins leads the Atlantic 10 in goals against average (0.45) and save percentage (.897), while ranking tied for second in the conference with 4 shutouts, including the 105 minute shutout of Fordham last Friday.
 
Junior Katie Getzinger has been quite strong in her own right. Her .781 save percentage is the sixth best mark in the conference, while her 1.17 goals against average is the seventh best mark in the conference. She has posted 3 clean sheets in her six matches played so far this season.
 
La Salle (9-2-1; 1-0-0 A-10) at George Washington (4-2-3; 1-0-0 A-10)
Friday, October 11, 2013 | 3:00 PM | Washington D.C.
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Scouting the Colonials
George Washington enters this weekend's matchup coming off a hard fought 1-0 victory in their conference road opener against Rhode Island. Freshman offensive midfielder Kate Elson netted the game-winner, the first goal of her Colonial career, in the 89^th minute of the tightly played contest. Senior goalkeeper Nicole Ulrich made 10 saves to notch her third clean sheet of the season. Friday afternoon will be the Colonials conference home opener.
 
George Washington does not boast as prolific an offensive attack as La Salle, but they do have several capable scorers in their lineup. Freshman Lina Proska leads the Colonials with 3 goals on the season, while freshman forward MacKenzie Cowley and senior midfielder Jane Wallis have each notched a pair.
 
The Colonials take an "all hands on deck" approach when it comes to creating on the offensive end. No George Washington player has notched more than one assist so far this season.
 
George Washington excels on the defensive end, tailoring their approach to lock down opponents defensively. The Colonials have only allowed a total of 46 shots on goal in their first nine matches, and are tied with La Salle for second in the conference in goals allowed with only 10 on the season. This low number is due to the stellar goaltending of senior Nicole Ulrich. She will be a difficult challenge for the Explorers offense, as she has put together a fine season to date. Ulrich has been in net for every minute of every match this season for the Colonials. Her 1.03 goals against average is tied for the fifth best mark in the conference, while her .783 save percentage stands alone in fifth in the A-10. She has notched 3 clean sheets, which is tied with three other players, including La Salle's Getzinger, for fourth most in the conference. Her splendid play against Rhode Island in the opener earned her Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors. 
 
La Salle Explorers (9-2-1; 1-0-0 A-10) at VCU Rams (6-4-1; 1-0-0 A-10)
Sunday, October 13, 2013 | 2:30 PM | Richmond, VA - Sports Backers Stadium
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Scouting the Rams
VCU has been on a roll as of late after experiencing a slow start against tough competition. The Rams began their season with 2-4, with three of the losses coming against #13 ranked Georgetown, #8 Virginia and #1 overall North Carolina. The tough early tests have seemed to pay dividends for this VCU squad, as they enter this weekend's action on a six match unbeaten streak going 5-0-1. In their most recent match, VCU outlasted Massachusetts 1-0 in double overtime of the Ram's conference road opener. VCU will host Fordham on Friday, before wrapping up this weekend's play against the Explorers.
 
The Rams boast an explosive offense that has tickled the twine 20 times in their first 11 matches. They rank second in the conference with a 1.82 goals per game average.
 
The offensive attack is led by a duo of talented forwards. Senior Courtney Conrad and junior Maren Johansen have both found the back of the net four times, each marking a game-winner. Joining the offensive attack on set pieces is sophomore defender Natalie Moik, who has also notched four goals on the season. Conrad and Johansen both appear on the conference leaderboard for points, ranking sixth and ninth respectively.
 
On the back-end, the Rams are guided by the steady play of redshirt-sophomore Emma Kruse. Kruse has played every minute of every match for the Rams so far this season. While the attack style of VCU does not lend itself to lock down play in their own end, Kruse has played well in the Rams net. Her goals against average and save percentage are middling, however, her 59 saves top the Atlantic 10 leaderboard. She has also posted 3 clean sheets on the season, all coming within the teams last five matches.
 
Up Next
After this weekend's slate, the Explorers return home to McCarthy Stadium for a non-conference battle next Friday evening against Big 5 rival St. Josephs.