PHILADELPHIA – The Lehigh women’s soccer team picked up its first win of the season on Friday evening when it defeated Penn, 1-0 in the City of Brotherly Love. Sophomore Annika Jansa scored the game’s only goal in the 40th minute while the Mountain Hawks’ defense was stellar once again, pitching its 14th shutout over their last 20 games dating back to the beginning of last season.

 

“It’s a good, quality win,” said Lehigh head coach Eric Lambinus. “We came down here with the expectation to play well and win the game. I thought we had another really good first half and did a lot of things we wanted. The second half was a little hectic. We didn’t play great in the second, but we left the field happy we won and knowing we could play better.”

 

The win was Lehigh’s second straight road victory against the Quakers after the last victory (in 2014) marked the program’s first-ever win at Penn. The Mountain Hawks have now won two straight against the Quakers after winning just one of the first 16 all-time meetings.

 

A defensive first half saw seven combined shots, with only one on goal. The shot on goal came at the 39:12 mark off the foot of Jansa. Off a corner kick, a sequence of quick passes went from junior Sabrina Mertz to sophomore Kayla Arestivo then Jansa, who rocketed a shot into the upper-left corner of the goal to break the ice.

 

“We’re happy that we were able to execute a little more on set pieces,” said Lambinus. “We have to work and take advantage of those types of opportunities. We were able to execute and adapt. Annika hit a great ball. I still think we can create some more chances. Even on some other set pieces, be more dynamic and hunt second balls more.”

 

Penn picked up the pressure in the second half, recording seven shots to one for Lehigh, but the Mountain Hawks’ back line wouldn’t back down. Lehigh allowed just three shots on goal (all in the second half), but sophomore Sam Miller stopped them all, in the 74th, 80th and 90th minutes, to wrap up the 1-0 victory.

 

“Defense is what we pride ourselves on,” said Lambinus. “We’re a tough team to play against. We like that we’re difficult to play against and hard to score on. Everyone’s defending and everyone’s battling. If we can score a goal or two, we’re tough to beat.”

 

Final shots were 11-4 in favor of Penn while the Quakers held a 3-1 edge in corner kicks. Miller made three saves for her second straight shutout and 14th of her career.

 

The Mountain Hawks return to Philadelphia on Sunday when they play at Temple at 6 p.m.

 

Like Lehigh Women's Soccer on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.