Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army West Point scored a first-half goal, which proved to be the difference as the Black Knights beat the Lehigh women's soccer team, 2-0, on Saturday evening. One of the Mountain Hawks' best offensive chances came after the second goal when a defender made a save of a Laura Courtney shot.
 
"A lot of credit goes to Army," said Lehigh head coach Eric Lambinus. "They played a great game. They were all over us and were well-deserved winners."
 
Army West Point fired a shot just over one minute into the game, but Lehigh senior goalkeeper Ani Nahapetian was there to make the save. The Mountain Hawks answered quickly with shot of their own in the game's fourth minute, but Black Knights goalie Sydney Witham stopped junior Tori Pantaleo's shot.
 
The teams traded shots on goal in the 13th and 16th minutes, respectively, but Army West Point broke the ice at the 16:26 mark as Katie Holder headed in a cross to give her squad a 1-0 lead.
 
The Black Knights continued with the pressure, which included three shots in a one-minute span beginning in the 29th minute. One shot was off the mark, one was stopped by Nahapetian and another hit the crossbar. In the final seconds of the first half, sophomore Lexi Chang had a chance which was stopped by Army West Point goalkeeper Jordan Cassalia as the score remained 1-0 at the half.
 
Nahapetian continued her strong play early in the second half, making three saves in the first 14:28 to keep the Mountain Hawks down by one. However, the Black Knights were able to beat the senior keeper at the 69:33 mark as Clare Shea headed in a cross to make it 2-0.
 
Lehigh pressured over the ensuing minutes, looking to cut the lead in half. Included was a glittering chance in the 73rd minute. Sophomore Amanda Stratton hit a long free kick into the box. Cassalia couldn't make a clean catch, allowing Courtney to get a shot off that looked ticketed for the back of the net, but a defender was there to make the save.
 
The Mountain Hawks fired two shots the rest of the game, including a shot on goal from freshman Sabrina Mertz in the 88th minute, but it wasn't enough.
 
"We didn't generate enough attack to really pressure their defenders," said Lambinus. "Our execution in the final third was not very good. They were very good; they put us under pressure and we struggled to deal with it. Once we got forward, we struggled getting into the attack more."
 
Final shots were 18-5 in favor of Army West Point while the Black Knights held a 3-0 edge in corner kicks. Nahapetian finished with seven saves while Cassalia made three.
 
The Mountain Hawks return to action on Monday when they travel to Penn for a nonleague game against the Quakers. Lehigh returns home next Saturday, Oct. 10 for a Patriot League matchup against Loyola.
 
"Monday is good because it's a nonleague game allowing us to do some different things against a quality opponent," said Lambinus. "We need to work on the offensive end of the ball over the next few days, so when we get to our next Patriot League game, we have a better idea of what we want to do at that side of the field. The Penn game is a great opportunity to do some different things."
 
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