WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – For the first time since 2009, the Lycoming College women's soccer team will host Susquehanna University in the River Derby Cup on the season's opening day when the two teams will face off on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 3 p.m. at the Shangraw Athletic Complex.
 
The trophy game, begun in 2007, has developed into a heated rivalry over the past decade, with the two squads splitting the last four games in the series. Lycoming holds a slim 7-6 advantage in goals in that span.
 
The two teams have played every year since 1994, but the River Derby Cup was added to the rivalry in 2007 to compliment the men's soccer version of the rivalry, the Battle of the Boot. Since the trophy was added, the Crusaders have won five meetings, while Lycoming has won twice with one tie in 2009.
 
In the past three years, the drama has been ratcheted up in the rivalry, with Susquehanna stealing a 2-1 victory in 2012, as it scored twice in the last three minutes. In 2013, the Warriors responded, getting the game into overtime, where Spencer Larson '14 headed in the game-winner for a 2-1 win. Susquehanna took the cup back in 2014 with a 3-0 win.
 
The Warriors are selected to finish eighth in the MAC Commonwealth after finishing 4-15 in 2014. The team's 29 goals and 75 points were both the eighth-most in program history. Sophomore Jordan Lazarich (Deer Park, N.Y./Deer Park) led the squad, posting 14 goals, the second-most in school history, en route to Commonwealth Conference Rookie of the Year honors.
 
The Crusaders are predicted to finish sixth in the Landmark Conference after posting a 6-11-2 record in 2014. Sophomore Marissa Heddings will key the team out of her defensive slot, as the all-conference player helped lead the team to four shutouts in her rookie year.