EASTON, Pa. – Lafayette scored goals in the 39th and 54th minutes to help the Leopards past the Lehigh women's soccer team on Saturday, 2-0. The Mountain Hawks fired six shots on goal for the game, but couldn't find the back of the net. Junior Miranda Royds finished with six saves for Lehigh, including four in the span of 2:37 in the second half to keep the Mountain Hawks within striking distance.
 
"Lafayette wanted it more than us today," said Lehigh head coach Eric Lambinus. "That's what a rivalry game is all about and we are fortunate to be part of it. They were tougher than us, they worked harder than us and honestly, played better soccer than us. Until we get back to the pillars that make us Lehigh soccer, we are going to struggle to compete in the league. Luckily we have two of the toughest and hard-working teams to play this week to see if we can improve."
 
After Lafayette had two shots off the mark in the opening minutes, sophomore Abby Furtmann tallied the game's first shot on goal in the 11th minute. Her header off a cross forced Leopards' goalkeeper Maggie Pohl to make her first stop.
 
Sophomore Courtney Supp had one of Lehigh's best chances of the game in the 15th minute. Senior Maggie Wadsworth played the ball into the box where Supp hit the ball solidly, but a hard-charging Pohl made the save to force a corner kick.
 
Lehigh had another great chance in the 35th minute on the counterattack, with junior Grace Forsyth and sophomore Rebecca Van Siclen going the other way on a two-on-one. Forsyth fed it ahead to Van Siclen, whose ensuing shot hit the post.
 
Not long after, Lafayette got on the board in the 39th minute. Off a free kick, Caitlin Balmer headed the ball into the left side of the goal to give the Leopards a 1-0 halftime advantage.
 
Lafayette doubled its lead 8:01 into the second as on a two-on-one, Krista Kissell passed ahead to Sophie Saldivar, who fired into the far post.
 
Between the 60th and 63rd minutes, Royds stood tall between the pipes, making four saves – including multiple impressive stops – to keep Lehigh's deficit at 2-0.
 
The Mountain Hawks would fire three shots on goal the rest of the way, two off the foot of freshman Julianna Bonner and a third from senior Annika Jansa, but Lafayette second-half goalkeeper Natalie Neumann denied the chances.
 
Final shots were 14-11 in favor of Lehigh, but the Leopards held an 8-6 edge in shots on goal. Lafayette held a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.
 
Lehigh now returns home for a midweek showdown against Bucknell on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. It will mark a rematch of last year's Patriot League Quarterfinal, a thrilling 2-1 victory for Lehigh in double overtime.
 
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