Lehigh University
Rider
Lehigh bounces back with win over Rider
10/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
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Lehigh got on the board first when Lepko took a pass from Stacy Sommerfield and beat Broncs keeper Krysta Bearish for a 1-0 lead at the 9:02 mark of the opening half. Senior Kelsey Smith then added to the Mountain Hawks lead when she scored her first goal of the season at the 20:03 mark of the half, putting the home team in front 2-0. Lehigh would take the two-goal advantage into halftime.
Rider cut the lead in half when Diana Celebre scored her first goal of the season off of a pass from Liz Butterbaugh on a nice cross pass into the circle. That made the score 2-1 in favor of the Mountain Hawks at the 50:11 mark of the second. Junior Christy Smith would then give Lehigh some breathing room with her fourth goal of the season at the 57:32 mark off of a penalty corner in which Lepko and Marny Hearn assisted on.
The Broncs then scored at the 59:27 mark when Heather Connelly netted her sixth goal of the season, making the score 3-2 in favor of the Brown and White. Rider made a late offensive push, but the Mountain Hawk “D” was more than up to the challenge, as senior Stephanie Palmieri stopped six shots for the game, and Lauren Volpe made a huge defensive save with just six minutes remaining in the game.
Head coach Julie Mazer commented on the win after the game. “We played hard today, and we played with a purpose. We did all of the little things that we had to do to win, things that don’t show up on the stat sheet, like play with a purpose, with intensity and with passion.” She concluded, “We battled all the way through to the end today and beat a very good Rider team.”
Lehigh out shot its opponent 14-13 on the afternoon, while both teams were awarded seven penalty corners. Bearish finished with seven saves for Rider, while Connelly led the visitors with three shots for the game. Christy Smith unleashed a team-high five shots for the Mountain Hawks, while Lepko recorded three.
The Brown and White will return to action on Wednesday evening when the Mountain Hawks welcome Lock Haven to the Ulrich Sports Complex. Game time is set for 7:00.
