Lehigh University
8-11, 3-6PL
Colgate (Semifinals)
11-4-3, 7-1-1PL
Mertz's 90th minute goal sends Lehigh past Colgate, into Patriot League Championship Game
11/3/2018 12:12:00 AM | Women's Soccer
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"It was a great ball in by Clare (Severe)," said Mertz. "She hit it perfectly, and luckily I was able to get on the other end of it with my head. Everyone on our team was fighting the whole time, so it was awesome to get it at the end."
Lehigh has now won three road games in the span of eight days, all by 2-1 finals and all via game-winning goals late in regulation or overtime. It started last Friday when the Mountain Hawks won at Holy Cross in a must-win regular season finale, behind a Sidonie Warnecker 85th minute goal. Then on Tuesday, junior Kayla Arestivo scored with just two seconds remaining in double overtime at Bucknell, setting the stage for Mertz's dramatics on Friday.
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"Sabrina's goal was honestly a result of us really working hard and getting the ball down deeper," said Lehigh head coach Eric Lambinus. "We got an even better chance less than two minutes before when their goalie made a really good save on Sabrina, so we just got a lot of momentum, were putting them under pressure and weren't sitting back. All the years that we've seen Sabrina, we've seen her grow up and the one thing I can say about her is she's clutch, she's going to 'give it' and she showed it tonight. Scoring a goal in the 90th minute of a semifinal game, that's a pretty impressive feat."
ÂSabrina Mertz sent @LehighWSoccer to the @PatriotLeague Championship Game with this goal in the 90th minute of tonight's semifinal vs. Colgate ?????????? pic.twitter.com/mEXohAnH5Z
— Lehigh Sports (@LehighSports) November 3, 2018
The Mountain Hawks were strong out of the gates, taking a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute as junior Maggie Wadsworth fed freshman Courtney Supp in the side of the box. Supp went on to fire a lefty strike towards the right post and it rolled into the net for her third goal of the season. It marked Lehigh's only shot on goal for the stanza, but it wasn't for a lack of pressure. On the other end, the Mountain Hawks' defense shut-out the Raiders in the first half, anchored by junior Sam Miller's four saves between the pipes.
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Â?? Freshman Courtney Supp scores the lone goal of the first half as @LehighWSoccer lead Colgate 1-0 in the second semifinal of the @PatriotLeague women's soccer championship.
— Patriot League Network | PatriotLeague.tv (@PatriotLeagueTV) November 3, 2018
?? WATCH SEMIFINAL HERE ??: https://t.co/yyAOFcWYfg pic.twitter.com/UElYMM4DpA
The Raiders came out of halftime with the first four shots, with the fourth finding the back of the net from close range as Colgate pulled even at one in the 60th minute.
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Colgate continued to charge for the ensuing minutes, but the Mountain Hawks were resilient. Despite playing its third road game in eight days, Lehigh made a charge in the final 10 minutes. Mertz had a glittering chance in the 88th minute, but Raiders' goalkeeper Kelly Chiavaro made an impressive save. Less than two minutes later, Chiavaro couldn't stop Mertz's header, which sent thee Mountain Hawks to Sunday's title game.
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"Our team has a lot of resiliency," said Lambinus. "We pride ourselves on being tough, on working hard, on being together, cohesive and purposeful. They've done all that really well, and they've found what works for them, which is continuing to work hard and good things will happen.
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"There's belief in them. I was really proud of how they turned around the momentum in the second half. We were down a little bit and we gave up a goal, but they just kept working, kept believing and good things happened. I'm really proud of their effort."
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Final shots were 15-8 in favor of Colgate while the Raiders held a 5-3 edge in corner kicks. Miller finished with seven saves while Chiavaro made one for Colgate.
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The Mountain Hawk will return to action in less than 48 hours as they play top-seeded Boston University in the Patriot League Championship Game on Sunday at 2 p.m. on the Patriot League Network and Stadium's Over-The-Air channels. With a win, the Mountain Hawks would become the lowest-ever seed to win the Patriot League Tournament Championship.
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"We know what [Boston University] is going to bring. We know they're going to be a little bit fresher than we are, so it's going to be a fight and it's on their home field," said Lambinus. "They haven't lost a league game here in a long time, so we want to see what we can give. We need to make sure we take care of the next two days and then get a good game plan together for Sunday."
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Like Lehigh Women's Soccer on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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?? The upset is complete #5 @LehighWSoccer beat #2 Colgate 2-1 with a goal in the closing minute of play to advance to the @PatriotLeague women's soccer championship on Sunday. @WatchStadium @NCAASoccer pic.twitter.com/T52ekCLpDp
— Patriot League Network | PatriotLeague.tv (@PatriotLeagueTV) November 3, 2018
?? @LehighWSoccer is moving on to the @PatriotLeague Championship game after yet another thrilling finish last night. @Morgan_Uber caught up with Coach @EricLambinus after the game. @WatchStadium @NCAASoccer pic.twitter.com/lMlBFkmNAi
— Patriot League Network | PatriotLeague.tv (@PatriotLeagueTV) November 3, 2018
?? Sabrina Mertz scored the late game-winner for @LehighWSoccer last night and she met up with @Morgan_Uber after the game. They'll play Boston U in the @PatriotLeague Championship on Sunday. @WatchStadium @NCAASoccer pic.twitter.com/CtdLKKV5jI
— Patriot League Network | PatriotLeague.tv (@PatriotLeagueTV) November 3, 2018
Team Stats
Supp, Courtney (13)
Assisted By: Wadsworth, Maggie
touch inside the box
17:26
Vaughn, Adrienne (1)
Assisted By: Cosentino, Mara
inside 6, one timer
59:50
Mertz, Sabrina (5)
Assisted By: Severe, Clare
header off corner
89:20
