Lehigh University
Holy Cross
Mountain Hawks fall to Crusaders in league opener
10/4/2008 6:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
 |
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lauren Wright scored a pair of goals to lead Holy Cross to a 3-0 win over Lehigh in the Patriot League opener for both teams Saturday at the Ulrich Sports Complex. The Mountain Hawks controlled most of the possession and outshot the visiting Crusaders, but it was Holy Cross making the most of its opportunities en route to its second win of the season. Lehigh falls to 4-5-1 overall, 0-1 in the Patriot League with the setback.
“The effort in the first half was disappointing,” said Lehigh head coach Manny Oudin afterwards. “When you go down 2-0 at halftime, no matter how good the effort is in the second half its tough to comeback. We’ll certainly have to improve as we get ready for our games next weekend.”
While the possession favored the home side, Holy Cross had two good early chances, including a shot off the crossbar by Katherine Donnelly. The Crusaders took the lead 17 minutes as Casey Boland gathered a long ball on the near side and rolled a centering pass through the box, beyond the outstretched arms of sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Mains, to the far post where Wright tapped the ball home for her second goal of the season.
Despite Lehigh’s best efforts, the Crusaders tacked on a second goal in the final minute to the half as Donnelly found herself alone just inside the back, and scored her fifth goal of the year, with Micaela Collins picking up an assist.
Down two goals, the Mountain Hawks pushed forward but were unable to find the score sheet, despite a 15-10 edge in shots and a 3-0 advantage in corner kicks. Wright capped the scoring with a slow-rolling goal that just tucked inside the far post in the 86th minute.
Mains finished with four saves for Lehigh, while Jessica Stone made eight stops to earn the shutout for Holy Cross.
Sophomore Glynn Fitzer led the Mountain Hawks with four shots, while freshman Ali MacLeod and junior Liz Carlos added three apiece.
Lehigh will return to the pitch on Friday afternoon when the Mountain Hawks travel to American. Game time is set for 4 p.m. from Reeves Field in Washington, D.C.
