April 18, 2007
Box Score
Villanova, Pa. - Villanova's first half barrage of scoring proved to be too much for Lehigh as the Wildcats defeated the Mountain Hawks 15-7 in tonight's non-conference game. Villanova (6-6, 1-3 CAA) scored 11 of its 15 goals in the first two periods to seal an early victory over Lehigh (4-8, 2-4 Patriot) at Villanova Stadium.
Senior Eric Webber was the leader of the night notching a total of four unassisted goals, with three of them coming during Villanova's first half bombardment. The Wildcats tallied 26 shots in the first 30 minutes of play to out score the Mountain Hawks 11-3 heading into the half. Junior Tim Atkins also registered two of his three goals before the halftime whistle. Atkins was assisted on each of his three goals, with the credit awarded to senior Chris Colliniates, junior Chris MacDonald, and senior Andy German.
Villanova not only exploded on offense to build an overwhelming lead, but the Wildcats also held their ground on defense by allowing the Mountain Hawks to score only three goals in the first half. Sophomore goalie Andrew DiLoreto recorded four saves, while Villanova's tenacity on defense caused Lehigh to turn the ball over six times.
Although the game was already well out of reach, Lehigh fought back to score two goals in the first six minutes of the third period. Seniors Jeff Wiener and David Walsh were credited with the goals for the Mountain Hawks. However, Villanova's Mike Haas and Atkins responded by each notching a goal to extend the Wildcats' lead to 13-5. Lehigh managed to collect two more goals before Villanova's Eric Webber and Kevin Kaval closed out the scoring to make the final score 15-7.
The Wildcats were able to control most of the game from the initial whistle. Face-off specialist Chris Colliniates finished the game winning 16 of 24 battles and picking up a team-high of 12 ground balls to give Villanova possession right away. As a team, the Wildcats scooped up 28 ground balls and registered 44 shots against three different Lehigh goalies.
Villanova will host its final home game of the 2007 season this Saturday, April 21 at 1:00 p.m. against conference opponent Robert Morris in Villanova Stadium.
