The Mountain Hawks opened their season on Monday with a solid 1-1 tie at Big East foe Seton Hall. It marked the second straight season Lehigh finished its season-opener with a 1-1 deadlock, both coming against a Big East team (at Syracuse last year). The squad showed resiliency; after a slow start, the Mountain Hawks bounced back from an early 1-0 deficit with a goal barely two minutes later. Junior Isabelle Li converted the tally, finding the loose ball off a corner kick and finding the back of the net.

 

The other story was freshman Ashley Blanks, who shut out Seton Hall over the game’s final 92:42 and finished with eight saves on the evening. Six of those stops came after halftime - four in the second half and one in each overtime period.

 

Lehigh was strong at home in 2010, winning all seven games, to not only complete its first undefeated home slate in program history, but also its first perfect record. Most of the contests were close, but the Mountain Hawks pulled out the victory each time; three were one-goal wins while two were two-goal margins. Their most lopsided victories were 6-0 over NJIT and 3-0 over Holy Cross.

 

Friday will mark the fourth all-time meeting between Lehigh and Binghamton with the Mountain Hawks having taken two of the first three. Lehigh won the first-ever meeting in 2000 (2-0) while also winning the most recent in 2005 (1-0). The sides also played in 2004, a 1-0 road loss.

 

Out of the America East, Binghamton comes in with a 2-2-0 record. The Bearcats have gone 1-1-0 at home and on the road, winning at Delaware State and vs. Saint Joseph’s while falling to Buffalo and at St. Bonaventure. Binghamton has only scored three goals, but has only given up two. A trio of players has each scored a goal to lead the way: Brittany Walsh, Kaitlyn Martin and Mary DeWitte. Meanwhile, Carrie Martin has started all four games, posting a stellar 0.54 GAA and .895 save percentage.

 

The Mountain Hawks remain home next Friday (Sept. 9) when they welcome Monmouth. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. That marks Lehigh’s final home game until Oct. 1 vs. Lafayette as it embarks on a five-game road trip, which begins on Sunday, Sept. 11 at Marist.