BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Lehigh and Monmouth played neck-and-neck, but a Monmouth goal in the 71st minute proved to be the difference as the Hawks came away with a 1-0 win on Thursday evening. Junior goalie Ashley Blanks finished with four first-half saves while junior Danielle Salans posted a team-high five shots.
 
"I love the competition," said Lehigh head coach Eric Lambinus. "Monmouth is a great team. I thought they were well prepared and they played a really good game. I thought we gave a really good effort. It was really competitive and high-paced."
 
After the teams traded shots in the early going, Alexis McTammey hit a post in the 16th minute before it caromed out of harm's way. Over the next five minutes, senior Murphee Greeley had a shot that was stopped before junior Darby Wiegand's header in front was stopped by Monmouth goalkeeper Ashley Lewis.
 
"It was good to test ourselves out of the block and figure out a lot," said Lambinus. "We can improve, get better and continue to grow."
 
About 10 minutes later, the Hawks unleashed four shots in succession which included a sensational save by Blanks and junior Jordan Goodwin clearing the ball out of harm's way.
 
"That's what Ashley does best," said Lambinus. "She's a very fit kid and has great recovery. She can make saves like that. She was solid and caught everything tonight."
 
Wiegand had a golden opportunity early in the second half when she got behind the defense. However, Lewis came out in time to make the stop before Wiegand could get off a chance.
 
Monmouth broke the scoreless tie at 70:42 when Julie Spracklin made a feed to Alexa Freguletti who beat sophomore goalie Ani Nahapetian to the far post to make it 1-0.
 
Lehigh made a push over the final minutes, including a touch in front by Emily Korber, but Lewis made the stop.
 
"We're happy with the effort, but we have to get results," said Lambinus. "We can beat teams and win some games. If we're satisfied with just giving an effort then we're not going to get any better. We have to continue to grow and find a way to win some games."
 
Final shots were 28-12 in favor of Monmouth while corner kicks stood tied at three. Blanks finished with four saves while Nahapetian made one across Lewis who posted five.
 
Lehigh will return to action Sunday when it travels to Villanova to face the Wildcats. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
 
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