PHILADELPHIA - On Friday, the La Salle University field hockey team will play host to the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh University at Ellen Ryan Field on the campus of Saint Joseph's University.

Last season, the Explorers got off to a 5-0 start to the season, including a 2-1 victory in Bethlehem against the Mountain Hawks.

Who's Back

Among the youngest teams in the Atlantic 10, the Explorers still return three of their top goal scorers from last season: senior Shea Burns, junior Gabrielle Lacroix, and sophomore Roos Pasveer. Pasveer was named to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference team earlier this week.

Starting in the cage for the Blue and Gold will be junior Abby Boggs. Boggs was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team last season and was recently named to the Division 1 Watchlist by @thefhockanalyst on Instagram.

New Faces

Tied with Saint Joseph's, La Salle's 2029 class is the largest in the Atlantic 10 and features players from six different countries and four different American states. Sophomore Coco Pelz also joins the newcomers as a transfer from Lafayette.

The Schedule

Splitting their home contests between three venues this year, the Explorers will open up the season on a three-game homestand. The schedule features a North Carolina trip in mid-September to faceoff with Queens and A-10 foe Davidson, along with a Halloween Matchup against #9 Saint Joseph's.

Scouting Lehigh

The Mountain Hawks went 7-10 last season under second-year head coach Kelsi Lykens. Despite their losing record, Lehigh still had key victories against Wagner and Fairfield, the NEC Regular Season and Playoff Champions respectively.

The Explorers hold an 11-3 advantage over Lehigh in the all-time series. Their most recent matchup ended in a 2-1 victory with Gabrielle LaCroix and Rumbi Zimuto netting the two goals for the Blue and Gold.