Mountain Hawks fall just short at Yale, 8-7

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - After falling behind 5-1, the Lehigh women's lacrosse team battled back on two occasions but couldn't get over the hump as Yale prevailed 8-7 on Sunday afternoon. Senior goalie Alexandra Fitzpatrick was stellar, finishing with 12 saves including stopping six-of-seven in the second half. A trio of Lehigh players scored two goals apiece to lead the offense.

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"I thought we had a strong effort, especially in the second half," said Lehigh head coach Jill Redfern. "I thought our defense really stepped it up. Their one play (Nicole Daniggelis) was really hard to stop and did a tremendous job. We got better on her as the game went on, but we just ran out of time."

Fitzpatrick made several tremendous saves early on and keeping it going for the entire 60 minutes.

"Alex just keeps making great saves," said Redfern. "She can really stop some high-level shooting. It's such a boost for our defense."

Junior Carli Sukonik and freshmen Krista Dampman and Allison LaBeau each scored two goals for the Mountain Hawks while senior Chelsea Retaleato added the other.

Yale only turned the ball over six times, but Lehigh caused five of them led by a pair of caused turnovers from freshman Lauren Beausoleil.

Daniggelis scored Yale's first five goals to help the Bulldogs take a 5-1 lead at 8:44 of the second half. Sukonik had gotten Lehigh on the board at 16:08, pulling the Mountain Hawks within 2-1.

The Mountain Hawks responded with three straight goals, all in the span of 4:42, to get right back within one at 5-4. Dampman scored twice in that stretch, with a Sukonik goal sandwiched in between. However, the Bulldogs scored the final two first-half goals to take a 7-4 lead after 30 minutes of play.

After the teams traded goals in the second half, the Lehigh defense bore down, not allowing a goal for the game's final 23:45. LaBeau converted a free position chance at 14:02 then made a move in front and put one past Yale goalie Erin McMullan at the 7:10 mark. That pulled Lehigh within 8-7 with ample time still remaining.

Lehigh won the ensuing draw, but a Kendall Garden shot was stopped with just over five minutes on the clock. The Mountain Hawks wouldn't get the ball back as Yale kept possession amidst an aggressive Lehigh defense. The Mountain Hawks couldn't force the turnover as the Bulldogs walked away with the slim one-goal victory.

Yale held a 27-17 edge in shots, 11-10 in groundballs and 11-6 in draw controls. Fitzpatrick's 12 saves marked her fifth double-figure save performance of the season. McMullan made five saves for the Bulldogs.

Lehigh will continue Patriot League play with a game at Boston University on Saturday, April 5.

"I'm really excited about the rest of the season," said Redfern. "I think we're coming along at the right time. We have to stay healthy and keep on working hard."

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Team Stats

Krista Dampman

Carli Sukonik

Allison LaBeau

Chelsea Retaleato

Lehigh University Athletics

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