April 19, 2005
Final Stats
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Host Lehigh (8-4) held Villanova (6-6) off the scoreboard for the first 36 minutes of the game, and a late push by the Wildcats wasn't enough, as the Mountain Hawks came away with a 7-5 victory in a non-conference game on Tuesday night.
Lehigh scored the first five goals of the game, and didn't allow a Villanova goal until senior midfielder Dan Fanelli (Wantagh, N.Y.) scored with 8:56 remaining in the third period. The Wildcats trailed 6-1 heading into the final period, but started to rally by scoring three unanswered goals in the first six minutes of the period. The spurt cut the deficit to 6-4 with 9:11 remaining, but the Mountain Hawks tallied their final goal at the 5:27 mark to push the difference back to three. A goal with 47 seconds left was all that the Wildcats could manage down the stretch after their spurt to start the quarter.
Junior midfielder Matt Starker (Summit, N.J.) and freshman attack Chris MacDonald (Westfield, N.J.) had two goals apiece to lead Villanova. Starker increased his team-high total to 20 goals for the season, while MacDonald registered his third game of the season with at least two goals. Fanelli added the other Wildcat goal, while senior attack Marc Creegan (West Babylon, N.Y.) had an assist.
At the start of the game, Lehigh controlled the first faceoff and scored the game's first goal just 50 seconds into the contest. The Mountain Hawks added another goal late in the period, then scored twice in under four minutes in the second period to take a 4-0 lead into intermission.
In the second half, junior goalie Joe Canuso (Moorestown, N.J.) made eight of his 12 saves, and Villanova fired off 21 of its 36 shots on the evening. However, the combination didn't add up to a comeback, as Lehigh's early lead proved to be an insurmountable one.
Villanova returns to action on Saturday when it plays Sacred Heart in its final conference game. The game will be played in Fairfield, Conn. and starts at 1 p.m. The Wildcats are jockeying for seeding position in the CAA conference tournament next month. Villanova can finish either third or fourth in the standings, depending on the outcome of this weekend's games.
