Boston U scores late to down Lehigh, 2-1
Box Score
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Sophomore Sabrina Mertz scored early in the second half, but Boston University answered less than two minutes later, and scored the game-winning goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation, to hand the Lehigh women's soccer team a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat on a sun-splashed Saturday afternoon. The Mountain Hawks will look to bounce back next Wednesday when they head to archrival Lafayette on Wednesday night.
"There was a great effort today. We brought it, we had energy, we worked hard and defended like crazy," said Lehigh head coach Eric Lambinus. "I thought we did a lot of really good things in the game, but we're extremely disappointed to not get the result, especially going up 1-0."
Mertz netted the game's first goal, and her first goal of the season, just 6:13 into the second half. Off a throw in, Mertz got herself free and from the right corner of the box, fired a lefty strike that beat Boston University goalkeeper Hannah Ciolek into the top left corner of the goal.
The Terriers quickly responded as Jesse Shrek played a free kick into the box where Rachel Bloznalis put home the equalizer at the 52:58 mark.
The defenses began to settle in over the ensuing minutes, but action picked up late in the half. In the 73rd minute, junior Grace Correll made a steal near the center of the field and had a clean break towards goal, but Ciolek came out strong to make the stop.
Less than two minutes later, a shot from Boston University hit the crossbar and fell straight down, where Correll cleared the ball out of harm's way to keep the score tied. However, the Terriers went on to net the game-winner in the final minute as a hectic sequence saw Hannah Willcox play the ball towards goal. Lehigh freshman netminder Sam Miller sprawled to her left, but couldn't stop McKenna Doyle from putting home the go-ahead goal, which proved to be the game-winner.
A defensive first half saw just two combined shots on goal. The best chance came in the 40th minute when near midfield, freshman Kayla Arestivo sprung junior Adrian Vitello on a break. She found senior Tori Pantaleo in the box, but Terriers' first-half goalkeeper Bridget Conway came out aggressively to make the save.
Final shots were 15-9 in favor of the Terriers while Boston University held a 3-2 edge in corner kicks. Miller made two saves for Lehigh while Conway had one in the first half and Ciolek recorded two in the second.
"Our team plays for each other, they play with heart and they play hard," said Lambinus. "We're proud of what the team brings on a regular basis. We want to be playing strong teams like BU, but we want to be on the other end of it. We have to figure out a way to get to that spot."
Opening kickoff on Wednesday in Easton is set for 7 p.m.
"I'm confident that this group can recover from here and take on Lafayette," said Lambinus. "It's tough when you give up a goal so late, but I'm confident our team can recover and bring a strong effort on Wednesday."
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