Lehigh University
No. 17 Villanova
Mountain Hawks hang tough, but ultimately fall to 'Nova
9/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
The first half was a defensive battle, as both teams fought feverishly for offensive position. Villanova was on the Mountain Hawks side of the field for a good part of the half, but Gove continued her stellar play in goal for Lehigh, sending back eight shots in the first 35 minutes of play. Lehigh was only able to manage two shots, but it didn’t matter, as neither team could find the back of the cage, and so, the teams retired for halftime tied at zero.
The second half was a different story, as Villanova came out very strong, scoring just two minutes in, on the strength of a Rogers' first goal. Sara Schmidt assisted on what was a broken play in front of the Lehigh cage at the 38:09 mark. The Wildcats then made it a 2-0 lead when Foster scored her eighth goal of the season off of an assist from Schmidt, forcing Lehigh head coach Julie Mazer to take a time out with just seven minutes gone in the half.
Exactly 16 seconds after play resumed,
Lehigh managed just four shots on the evening, to Villanova’s 22, while the Mountain Hawks had six penalty corners, to the Wildcats seven. Villanova goal keeper Alex Whalen stopped three Mountain Hawk shots, while Schmidt and Rogers led the Wildcats with five shots apiece.
Mazer liked how her team played versus a tough Villanova team, particularly in the first half. “We played a great first half tonight. Our team defense was very strong, and we really played together.” Mazer continues, “I feel as though we played well in spurts in the second half. We had some good things happening on corners, and played composed on our defensive corners. They (Villanova) just kept attacking and were able to finish. But, I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish out here tonight. I knew if we could hang with them, that we can now hang with anyone.”
Lehigh returns to action on Saturday afternoon as the Mountain Hawks travel to
