Lehigh picks up big 1-0 win at Army
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Sophomore Paige Elliott scored the game's only goal while junior Ashley Blanks stopped all five shots sent her way to give the Lehigh women's soccer a crucial 1-0 win at Army on Saturday. The win marks Lehigh's second straight in league play as Lehigh moves into a tie for sixth place in the Patriot League standings with three games to play.
The Mountain Hawks are currently tied with Holy Cross, owning identical 2-4-0 league records and six points. Bucknell is one point ahead in fifth with a 2-3-1 mark. The top six teams advance to the Patriot League Tournament.
"We challenged our group to become a better team today, to find a way to win together," said Lehigh head coach Eric Lambinus. "They responded in a good way. It was a typical Patriot League game - very intense and physical. Army is a great team, but I thought we had a good plan and the players executed it very well. It's time to turn our attention to Navy."
The win marked Lehigh's first at Army since the 2010 Patriot League Championship Game, also a 1-0 victory.
First-half shots were tied at six, but it was the Mountain Hawks who converted the lone goal. Blanks made a pair of first-half saves, first in the 15th minute off a Kim An shot then in the 18th minute off a Candace Stewart attempt.
Lehigh took advantage less than 10 minutes later as senior Murphee Greeley found Elliott, who fired a shot from the right side into the left corner of the goal to make it 1-0 at 27:23.
Junior Darby Wiegand had a chance in the 55th minute, but Lara Wilson was there to save a goal, kicking the ball away from the left post. An was the story for Army, taking 11 shots for the game (four on goal). One came in the 65th minute while the others came in the 87th and 90th minutes, respectively. Things went down to the wire, but Blanks was there to preserve the shutout, and key league victory.
Army held a 12-4 shot edge in the second half, but Blanks stood tall for her sixth-career shutout.
The Black Knights held an 18-10 edge in shots and 5-3 edge in corner kicks. Blanks' five saves came across Jordan Cassalia who made two.
Lehigh returns to action on Wednesday when it looks to keep momentum going at Navy. Opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
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