EMMITSBURG, Md. - The Lehigh women's soccer team controlled play from start to finish, holding a 22-3 shot advantage in a 1-0 win over Mount St. Mary's on Sunday afternoon. Reminiscent of the second goal in last Sunday's season opener, freshman Grace Correll found senior Darby Wiegand, which proved to be the difference. The Lehigh defense impressed, limiting the Mountaineers' chances, despite a second-half deluge which saw wind and rain blowing right in Lehigh's face. With the win, the Mountain Hawks improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2005.
 
After very hot and humid temperatures in the first half, heavy rain and wind arrived in the second.
 
"It's always good to go on the road and get a win no matter what, especially early in the season," said Lehigh head coach Eric Lambinus. "I thought we did a good job of handling the conditions and getting the win. I think we could play better. We want to get better and continue improving as the season progresses."
 
After firing 10 shots and holding a 10-1 shot advantage late into the first half, the Mountain Hawks converted on their 11th attempt. Correll won the ball from a defender and found Wiegand in front of the goal. Mount St. Mary's goalie Rachel Bourne went down and Wiegand finished the ball high for a 1-0 lead at 42:13. For the second time in as many games, the Mountain Hawks scored in the final five minutes of the first half.
 
"It's the time we want to be at our very best and we were," said Lambinus.
 
The second half was when the weather conditions took a turn for the worse, but Lehigh's strong play continued. After a 12-1 first-half shot advantage, the Mountain Hawks finished with a 10-2 edge in the second. Lehigh put five shots on new goalkeeper Vicky Cocozza, but couldn't add to their lead. Lehigh junior goalie Ani Nahapetian made a big save off Mount St. Mary's one shot on goal in the 83rd minute to help prevent overtime and seal the Lehigh victory.
 
"We played well, defended really well and limited their chances," said Lambinus. "We struggled to generate great chances on the offensive end of the field. I think we settled for hopeful crosses a little too much rather than executing and breaking down."
 
Final shots were 22-3 in favor of Lehigh while the Mountain Hawks held a 4-1 edge in corner kicks. Nahapetian made one save across a pair of Mountaineers who combined for eight.
 
"Our back line was solid all around and didn't allow much at all," said Lambinus. "It went from 90 to 100 degrees on turf to a pouring monsoon right in our face. I think the back line did a really good job handling the conditions, which changed the game."
 
Lehigh will return to action next Sunday when it hosts Villanova at 1 p.m.

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