April 17, 2010
Final Stats
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Junior Allison Thomas and freshman Megan Kelly each scored three goals apiece to lead host Lehigh to a 15-7 victory over the visiting Navy women's lacrosse team in a key late-season Patriot League contest on Saturday afternoon at the Ulrich Sports Complex.
With the win, the Mountain Hawks (12-3, 4-1 PL) secure a fourth-straight Patriot League Tournament berth and pull into a three-way tie for first atop the conference standings with Navy (13-3, 4-1 PL) and Colgate (9-6, 4-1 PL) with only one week remaining in the regular season.
The victory also gives Lehigh an important head-to-head tiebreaker over the Mids, along with a chance to clinch the top seed and right to host the conference tournament next week with a victory next Saturday, April 24 at Colgate. Despite the setback, its first in five Patriot League contests this season, Navy can still earn the No. 1 spot with a win next Saturday over Bucknell and a Lehigh loss at Colgate.
Senior Mary Ruttum (Annapolis, Md.) and junior Caitlin Mandrin Hill (Annapolis, Md.) each contributed two goals to pace the Mids. Despite having her 50-game goal scoring streak snapped, senior Erin Rawlick (Forest Hill, Md.) finished with a team-high two assists.
For the third time in as many games, the Mids would trail after the contest's first 30 minutes. After Lauren Murray put Lehigh on the board with an unassisted tally just 49 seconds in, Navy would even things up as Rawlick fed her classmate Ruttum for a score at the 26:48 mark.
The Mountain Hawks would score the next three goals to take a 4-1 lead and proceed to hold the Mids to a 23-minute, 22-second stretch between goals. Junior Katrina Nietsch (New Canaan, Conn.) would punch in an eight-meter attempt to cut the deficit to two with 3:26 left in the period, but Kelly answered just 61 seconds later for Lehigh to give the hosts a 5-2 lead at the half.
Lehigh would extend its lead to 9-3 with a 4-1 run out of the break thanks to back-to-back goals from both Thomas and Kelly, sandwiched around Ruttum's second tally of the day.
After freshman Claire Olechowski (Annapolis, Md.) found the back of the net at 19:04, the Mountain Hawks would reel off three unanswered to take a commanding 12-4 advantage midway through the period.
The visiting Mids would answer with three-straight scores over the next eight-plus minutes to cut the deficit to 12-7 with 7:13 to play. Navy would draw no closer on the afternoon, however, as Lehigh produced a late 3-0 run of its own to create the final margin.
Lehigh outshot the Mids, 36-20, won 16 of the game's 24 draws (11-5 in the second half) and won the ground ball category by a 21-16 margin.
Sophomore goalie Elaina Ponchione (Silver Spring, Md.) took the loss in the cage, despite making 12 saves (eight which came in the first half of play). Her counterpart, Kelsy Ferris, made nine saves in a winning effort.
The Mids will host Bucknell next Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm in the regular-season finale for both squads. Prior to the contest, Navy will honor its seven graduating seniors (Brittany Amerau, Maggie Morton, Shelly Moeller, Erin Rawlick, Mary Ruttum, Megan Silk and Tori Wiedmeier).
Noteworthy:
*With two assists on the day, Erin Rawlick tied Lafayette's Madalyn Booth ('08) for fourth on the Patriot League's all-time scoring list with 269 career points (180 g, 89 a).
## GO NAVY! ##
