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at Colgate
10/12/2022 | 7 p.m
october 12 (Wed) / 7 pm
Colgate
History
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh and Navy battled for the first 79 minutes of play before senior Mattie Murphy was able to break through the Midshipmen defense, scoring her second goal of the season. Sophomore Corinne Lyght added a second goal for the Mountain Hawks just five minutes later to secure Lehigh’s first victory over Navy since 2012. The Mountain Hawks’ two goals on Friday night at the Ulrich Sports Complex marked the first time Lehigh defeated the Midshipmen with multiple goals since 1994.
“It’s a huge accomplishment and a big team effort,” said head coach Lauren Calabrese. “Navy is a reputable program that plays a great brand of soccer and is coached really well so it means a lot. This team has put in a lot of effort. We have been really methodical and thoughtful about what team we want to be so a result like this just really reaffirms that we’re trending in the right direction.”
The Mountain Hawks improve to 5-5-1 overall and 3-2 in league play while Navy drops to 5-5-3 overall and 2-3 in league play.
Both teams opened up the game with a strong defensive intensity, alternating possession but showing no signs of letting up the first goal of the game. Lehigh ended the first half leading Navy 4-3 in shots.
Lehigh and Navy continued to play well on defense throughout the second half but struggled to find the back of the net offensively. First-year goalkeeper Maggie Ousouljoglou made an impressive save in the 54th minute to keep the game scoreless.
For the next 20 minutes of the second half both the Lehigh and Navy defenses continued to show no signs of backing down as both sides made countless stops to prevent either side from scoring first.
In the 79th minute, a Lehigh throw-in led to a cross from junior Hope Flanegin from just outside the 18-yard box. Murphy, who was just outside of the six-yard box, booted Flanegin’s cross into the right side of the net, giving the Mountain Hawks the 1-0 lead with 11 minutes left to play.
Mattie Murphy’s second goal of the season and boy is it pretty 😍
Watch: https://t.co/HHoUsrkc2s@ESPN @PatriotLeagueTV pic.twitter.com/EoTB2JDKz8
— Lehigh W. Soccer (@LehighWSoccer) October 7, 2022
“Consistent is a word that really captures how Mattie is,” Calabrese said. “She’s reliable as well. She just flew in from Utah this morning after being at the UN so the fact that she flew across the country and can still put in a performance and really impact the game speaks volumes about her. She’s pretty understated as a person but her work ethic and the way that she plays is just super admirable.”
Following Murphy’s goal, the Mountain Hawks went on an offensive surge, maintaining possession for a majority of the final 11 minutes. In the 84th minute, Ousouljoglou made her fourth save of the game before punting the ball down the field to a wide open lyght.
Lyght, who chased down the ball just outside the 18-yard box, laid the ball into the back right side of the net, extending Lehigh’s lead to 2-0.
Corinne Lyght is ＦＡＳＴ
Watch: https://t.co/HHoUsrkc2s@ESPN @PatriotLeagueTV pic.twitter.com/qH8gPivdB7
— Lehigh W. Soccer (@LehighWSoccer) October 7, 2022
Lehigh and Navy both ended the game with eight shots, while the Midshipmen led the Mountain Hawks 4-3 in corners. Ousouljoglou ended the night with four saves while Navy goalkeeper Mattie Gallagher finished with one.
“We have to keep working and as we continue to say, we have to stay the course,” said Calabrese. “We can’t compromise any of our habits or our approach and I think this is where we really have to tighten up in terms of our priorities and also what we envision on an individual level in terms of what you need because it is also mid -semester and people get tired so figuring out what gives you energy back and how can we rally as a team to continue to get better.”
The Mountain Hawks will travel to Hamilton, NY on Wednesday, Oct. 12 to take on Colgate. Action will begin at 7 pm and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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