Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Senior forward Sara Conrad registered a hat trick, leading host West Chester past visiting Lehigh, 3-2, in a non-league field hockey match on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at South Campus’ Turf Field.
Conrad posted her first career hat trick with two unassisted efforts to lift West Chester (2-1) over the .500 mark for the first time this year. Lehigh (0-3) scored twice in the second half, but could not overcome the Golden Ram’s defensive effort to pull even.
Trailing 3-0, Lehigh rallied, scoring twice in the final six minutes of play. However, the second goal came with just five seconds remaining in the contest.
Goalkeeper Joelle Zarefoss recorded a career-high eight saves, five in the first half, which allowed West Chester to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Conrad’s first tally came off a rush down the far sideline when she beat the Mountain Hawks’ defender at midfield and raced down the side uncontested. The senior striker doubled West Chester’s lead 10 minutes into the second half when she took a feed from Kim Hanshue and put her shot between the legs of Lehigh goalkeeper Jessica Miller.
Conrad finished off the hat trick four minutes later when she dribbled through a host of defenders in front of Lehigh’s goal and blasted a shot past Miller, who exited the contest in the 57th minute in favor of Lilia Stefaniwsky. Miller was credited with six saves before leaving. Stefaniwsky did not record a save in her 14 minutes of play.
The Mountain Hawks staged their comeback late in the contest with a little help from West Chester. Lauren Volpe converted a penalty stroke in the 65th minute after a Golden Rams’ defender batted down a Lehigh shot with her hand that was floating into the top of the cage.
Lindsey Smith then knocked home a shot in the middle of a mad scramble directly in front of West Chester’s goal in the waning moments of the tilt.
Each team was credited with 14 shots while Lehigh had a slight 4-3 edge in penalty corners.
West Chester will rest during the week as the Golden Rams prepare for the second annual Vonnie Gros Classic at South Campus’ Turf Field. West Chester faces Monmouth on Saturday in the first game of the tournament at 12 p.m. On Sunday, the Golden Rams welcome No. 3 North Carolina to West Chester in the final match of the weekend tournament.
North Carolina will face Villanova on Saturday, and the Wildcats will play Monmouth on Sunday in the other two contests.
