WASHINGTON – Marsha Harper will finally get the chance to coach her first game as head coach of American University women's soccer when the Eagles face Lehigh on the road on Saturday evening at 5:30 p.m.  
 
QUICK INFO

• Date/Time: Saturday, March 6, 5:30 p.m.
• Site: Bethlehem, Pa. (Ulrich Sports Complex)
• Series History: AU leads, 14-8-5
• TV: ESPN+
• Talent: Steve Lomangino (pxp) 

PLEASE FOLLOW US ONLINE ONLY; NO FANS OR SPECTATORS PERMITTED ON CAMPUS.

• Per Washington, D.C. and American University guidelines, and for the health and safety of our coaches, student-athletes and campus community, no spectators are permitted at athletics events in 2020-21.
• This policy is a stipulation of our approval to host athletic events from D.C. Department of Health and D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
• We do not anticipate a change in these guidelines this semester. Violators will be escorted from the site and jeopardize our ability to host athletic events for our student-athletes.
• All American University athletic events played on campus this spring will be streamed on ESPN+ (FAQ HERE) and can also be watched through the Patriot League's International Video Stream.
• Schedules and game updates can be found at www.AUeagles.com and our Twitter account @AUeagles.
• All scheduled events and start times are subject to change. 

INSIDE THE SERIES

• 491 days ago, AU closed the 2019 regular season with a dramatic double-overtime win on the road to beat Lehigh. So the Mountain Hawks were the final opponent in one season and will be the first opponent in the next one for AU.
• The last nine meetings in the series have ended in a final score of 1-0, including two overtime contests.
• The series began on October 12, 1991 at Reeves Field when AU topped Lehigh, 8-1.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

• Marsha Harper was hired in December 2019 and is finally set to begin her head coaching career on Saturday. She is looking to be the first AU women's soccer head coach to win their AU debut. She is the first skipper to begin her career on the road.
• Harper inherits a team that started 2019 strong with three wins in four games to start the season, but had a 1-4-4 record in PL play to miss the postseason.
• Despite only four freshmen joining the program, 11 sophomores provide an exciting youth movement. In addition, a strong group of young players (15 underclassmen), the Eagles return a solid core of veterans with 11 upperclassmen. The team returns its top three goal-scorers from a year ago in sophomore Fisayo Iluyomade (4 goals), junior Emily Smith (3), and sophomore Alysa Vazquez (2), as well as its top goalkeeper in senior Ryleigh Brown.
• Coach Harper is excited about the depth that the midfield provides this season and believes that fans should appreciate the attack-minded offensive style.
• Asia Horne finished the 2019 season as Third Team All-Patriot League, helping to anchor a defense that held opponents to one or fewer goals in 10 games last year. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LEHIGH

• Lehigh is led by head coach Eric Lambinus, who enters his 11th season at the helm of the Mountain Hawks. He has guided Lehigh to 33 wins and the squad narrowly missed out on the PL Tournament in 2019 after making three straight appearances from 2016-18.
• The Mountain Hawks have perenially ranked near the top of the Patriot League in team defense. In 2019, Lehigh limited opponents to just 16 goals and 0.89 goals/game, ranking second in the PL.
• Lehigh is predicted to finish 8th in the league according to the preseason coaches poll. 

NEW ENERGY

• Head coach Marsha Harper officially begins her coaching tenure on Saturday. She brings a positive, contagious energy that can be felt in all facets of the program. Assistant coach Katie Greenberg returns to the DMV after growing up in nearby Sterling, Va., and echoes the energy brought by Harper. The two have emphasized "Championship Details" or CDs, things as small as clarifying that putting your toe on the line means your toe should actually be behind the line. 

ACTIVE ACTIVISTS

• AU women's soccer has been using their platform to elevate their voices on issues that matter to them by using social media. Currently, the players are embarking on a weekly "Heroes" project, with each player creating an Instagram post to share a story of how a particular person is heroic to them. Examples so far have included Maya Angelou, Colin Kaepernick, and Sandra Day O'Connor. Other examples of their social media campaigns include segments on mental health, MLK Day, and voter registration. Perhaps most notably, the squad organized a "Do You Hear Us" photo campaign that featured student-athletes, coaches, and athletic department staff in support of the fight against racism and social injustice. 

THE STORY ON SCHEDULING

• A six-game Patriot League-only schedule is in place and set to begin in early March. The Eagles, like all fall sports in the Patriot League and in much of the nation, did not have competition in the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• AU will compete in the Patriot League South Division along with Bucknell, Lehigh, Loyola Maryland, and Navy.
• Four teams will qualify for the PL Tournament, with each division winner hosting the second-place team within its division in the semifinal round. The remaining team with the highest regular-season point total will host the championship game.
• "While this has been a long time coming, everyone from our staff, team, and support staff have all put in a lot of work to get where we are," said head coach Marsha Harper. "We are so very thankful to have the opportunity to compete and are looking forward to showcasing what we have been working on." 

VIRTUALLY "PHIL" REEVES FIELD PRESENTED BY GEICO

• American University Athletics has announced a new virtual ticket campaign in an effort to sell out Reeves Field for the upcoming women's soccer season. This new season-long initiative, presented by "TEAM AU" partner GEICO, will challenge Eagles fans and alumni to virtually sell out each seat at Reeves Field for the 2021 men's soccer campaign. The "AU Founder" ticket price of $18.93 commemorates the year AU was founded. Click here to support AU Athletics by buying virtual tickets.

HOW TO WATCH ESPN+

• A subscription to ESPN+ is available for purchase via ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or the ESPN App. Fans can access ESPN+ content only after they have subscribed. To subscribe, click here. It costs $5.99/month or $59.99/year.

KEEP UP WITH US

• For the latest on American University Women's Soccer, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_WSoccer), Facebook (AU.WSoccer) and Instagram (@au_wsoccer).