March 15, 2008
Box Score
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Villanova (1-5) allowed six unanswered goals during the decisive stretch of the game and was defeated 9-8 by Lehigh (4-4) on Saturday afternoon at the Ulrich Sports Complex. The Mountain Hawks trailed by four goals early in the second half before rallying for the win to remain undefeated at home this season.
Junior Tommy Nolan (Manhasset, N.Y.) and sophomore Paul Webber (Manhasset, N.Y.) scored two goals apiece for the Wildcats. Nolan's second tally of the game midway through the third quarter spotted Villanova a 7-3 advantage but the Wildcats then went scoreless until the closing minutes of the game.
Lehigh scored four goals in the final 5:36 of the third quarter to tie the game 7-7 heading into the final period. In that decisive final stanza, the Mountain Hawks netted a go-ahead goal with 6:10 remaining and an insurance tally with 3:03 left to take a 9-7 lead.
Webber scored with 2:40 to play to close the gap to 9-8 but Villanova could not draw even in the closing minutes. Sophomore R.J. Lyons (Doylestown, Pa.) added a goal and two assists for the Wildcats. Lyons and freshman Chris Aitken (Haverford, Pa.) each netted their first goals of the season.
Villanova opened the scoring just 54 seconds into the contest on Webber's first goal of the day and Lehigh tied the score 1-1 on a goal by Jonathan Stumpf with 8:07 remaining in the first period. The Wildcats would lead 4-2 by the end of the quarter as senior Tim Atkins (West Chester, Pa.), junior Tim Langan, Jr. (Madison, N.J.) and Nolan provided Villanova with three goals in a span of 2:06 late in the quarter. Aitken and Lyons scored their goals in the second quarter and Villanova led 6-3 at halftime.
The Mountain Hawks actually outshot the Wildcats 16-15 in the first half and they build on that margin after the intermission. Over the final 30 minutes of the game, Lehigh owned a 19-8 edge in shots and won 8-of-9 face-offs. The Mountain Hawks also converted on 3-of-5 extra-man opportunities while Villanova went 0-for-5 in those situations.
Junior goalie Andrew DiLoreto (Wilton, Conn.) had nine saves for the Wildcats and Eric Spirko stopped eight shots for Lehigh.
Villanova returns home on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. to face Ohio State.
