Friday, August 27
Conshohocken, Pa.
6 p.m.
Lehigh University
(0-1)
3
at
4
Villanova
(1-0)
1
2
3
4
F
Lehigh
2
0
0
1
3
Villanova
0
2
0
2
4
Mountain Hawks Fall in Back-And-Forth Opener at Villanova, 4-3
8/27/2021 10:29:00 PM | Field Hockey
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. – The Lehigh field hockey team scored twice in the first quarter, but Villanova responded with the next three – along with the game-winner with just 5:05 remaining – to defeat the Mountain Hawks, 4-3, in the season opener for both sides on Friday evening. A very even, back-and-forth contest saw Lehigh finish with a 13-12 edge in shots, 12 of the shots coming in the first and fourth quarters.
"I think we played a high level of hockey," said Lehigh head coach Caitlin Dallmeyer. "We made some huge adjustments to our playing structures going into this year. People were able to play multiple positions throughout the game. I'm happy at the level we're playing, but in order to win these games, we need to have the simplistic skills of passing, receiving and making sure we aren't holding onto the ball as long as we did. We decided to be a little bit individualistic at times, and they crushed us every time."
The Mountain Hawks held a 6-1 advantage in first-quarter shots, putting their final two shots of the stanza past Longwood goalkeeper Jordan McGinley. First, fifth-year Drew Pecora put one home off a penalty corner at the 9:40 mark, then at 14:26, a broken play off a corner led to quality looks around the cage. In the end, junior MJ Schwab made a tap across to classmate Sarah Bonthuis, who did the rest.
Neither team scored for the next 26:38 until the Wildcats took their first lead just 24 seconds into the fourth quarter. The Mountain Hawks had an answer just 1:39 later as they scored their third goal of the evening off a penalty corner. This time, senior Leah Mullery collected a rebound in front and beat new goalkeeper Emma Leppert to make it 3-3 at 47:03.
Villanova retook the lead at the 54:55 mark, also off a corner. The initial play was defended well by the Mountain Hawks, but Emma Schwarz lifted a second chance past Lehigh junior goalkeeper Maddie Kahn.
The Mountain Hawks didn't go away quietly, tallying three more corners over the final two minutes – their 11th, 12th and 13th of the game – but couldn't find the equalizer. The last corner came with just two seconds remaining, but a Villanova defender blocked Lenke Havas' final shot.
Along with Lehigh's slim shots advantage, the Mountain Hawks had a 13-7 edge in penalty corners – all 13 coming in the first and fourth quarters. Kahn made three saves between the pipes.
"We had a lot of attacking opportunities," said Dallmeyer. "We need to work on our corner execution and rebounding, and we need to make sure the transitional plays, and moments in which we aren't possessing the ball, don't result in goals."
Lehigh will now look ahead to its home opener on Sunday, vs. Longwood at 11 a.m.
Like Lehigh field hockey on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Gallery: (8-27-2021) Field Hockey at Villanova, 8/27/21
"I think we played a high level of hockey," said Lehigh head coach Caitlin Dallmeyer. "We made some huge adjustments to our playing structures going into this year. People were able to play multiple positions throughout the game. I'm happy at the level we're playing, but in order to win these games, we need to have the simplistic skills of passing, receiving and making sure we aren't holding onto the ball as long as we did. We decided to be a little bit individualistic at times, and they crushed us every time."
The Mountain Hawks held a 6-1 advantage in first-quarter shots, putting their final two shots of the stanza past Longwood goalkeeper Jordan McGinley. First, fifth-year Drew Pecora put one home off a penalty corner at the 9:40 mark, then at 14:26, a broken play off a corner led to quality looks around the cage. In the end, junior MJ Schwab made a tap across to classmate Sarah Bonthuis, who did the rest.
Lehigh's momentum didn't last long, however, as Villanova scored twice in the first 3:46 of the second to pull even at 2-2.
Neither team scored for the next 26:38 until the Wildcats took their first lead just 24 seconds into the fourth quarter. The Mountain Hawks had an answer just 1:39 later as they scored their third goal of the evening off a penalty corner. This time, senior Leah Mullery collected a rebound in front and beat new goalkeeper Emma Leppert to make it 3-3 at 47:03.
Villanova retook the lead at the 54:55 mark, also off a corner. The initial play was defended well by the Mountain Hawks, but Emma Schwarz lifted a second chance past Lehigh junior goalkeeper Maddie Kahn.
The Mountain Hawks didn't go away quietly, tallying three more corners over the final two minutes – their 11th, 12th and 13th of the game – but couldn't find the equalizer. The last corner came with just two seconds remaining, but a Villanova defender blocked Lenke Havas' final shot.
Along with Lehigh's slim shots advantage, the Mountain Hawks had a 13-7 edge in penalty corners – all 13 coming in the first and fourth quarters. Kahn made three saves between the pipes.
"We had a lot of attacking opportunities," said Dallmeyer. "We need to work on our corner execution and rebounding, and we need to make sure the transitional plays, and moments in which we aren't possessing the ball, don't result in goals."
Lehigh will now look ahead to its home opener on Sunday, vs. Longwood at 11 a.m.
Like Lehigh field hockey on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
LEHIGH
VU
Goals
3
4
Shots
13
12
Shots on Goal
5
7
Saves
3
2
Corners
13
7
Offsides
0
0
Fouls
19
33
Scoring Plays
Pecora, Drew
Assisted By: Smorenburg, Lotte
GOAL by LEHIGH Pecora, Drew (FIRST GOAL), Assist by Smorenburg, Lotte.
9:40
Bonthuis, Sarah
Assisted By: Schwab, MJ
GOAL by LEHIGH Bonthuis, Sarah, Assist by Schwab, MJ.
14:26
VAN GOVERDEN, Caitli
GOAL by VU VAN GOVERDEN, Caitli.
17:09
DE RUIJTER, Sabine
Assisted By: SCHWARZ, Emma , PENNINGTON, Jamie
GOAL by VU DE RUIJTER, Sabine, Assist by SCHWARZ, Emma and PENNINGTON, Jamie.
18:46
MITCHELL, Meghan
Assisted By: MIDDLEMAN, Amanda
GOAL by VU MITCHELL, Meghan, Assist by MIDDLEMAN, Amanda.
45:24
Mullery, Leah
Assisted By: Gatelein, Julia
GOAL by LEHIGH Mullery, Leah, Assist by Gatelein, Julia.
47:03
SCHWARZ, Emma
Assisted By: CAPALBO, Katie
GOAL by VU SCHWARZ, Emma, Assist by CAPALBO, Katie.
54:55
Game Leaders
Shots
3
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
M/F
/ Field Hockey
D/M
/ Field Hockey
GK
/ Field HockeyM/F
/ Field HockeyM/F
/ Field Hockey
Field Hockey vs. Boston U.
Saturday, October 04
Field Hockey vs. LIU
Sunday, September 28
Lehigh Sports Central: Field Hockey
Wednesday, September 24
Field Hockey vs. Temple
Sunday, September 14
