The scoreboard at Jacobs Fitness Complex wouldn't turn on until moments before game time Saturday when the AU field hockey team faced Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks might have wished it had stayed that way.
The No. 5 Eagles (13-0-0, 2-0-0 Patriot League) scored early and often to squelch Lehigh, 9-1, and take sole possession of first place in the conference.
The Eagles had scored more than 60 percent of their goals this season in the second half, but against Lehigh (5-9-0, 1-2-0) they scored five in the first. They also controlled possession throughout and held a 37-2 shooting advantage.
"We didn't score right away," AU coach Steve Jennings said, "but we kept pressuring and pressuring, and once the first goal happened, I think they were unable to contain us any longer."
Junior midfielder Heidi Hershberger opened the floodgates at 14:15 when junior attacker Camila Infante found her for the tap-in after a field-length drive. Hershberger put back a rebound late in the half to score again.
Her offense had been down to just a goal before the match, but she returned to previous years' form to find the back of the net twice.
"She works really hard in practice, and does some things on the side to make sure she's ready to go," Jennings said. "When they're like they were today, she's ready to step on them."
Meanwhile, freshman attacker Irene Schickhardt led AU with a hat trick and two assists. The eight-point showing raised her to second on AU in scoring with 25 points. Two of her goals came unassisted, including the last tally of the first half, when she burst past the Lehigh defense at midfield and hit the right corner of the net to give AU a 5-1 halftime lead.
Infante added a pair of goals and an assist and remains the leader with 30 points.
Four other AU players had a goal or assist. As Jennings unloaded his bench, freshman defender Erica Sheldon notched her first career goal on her first career shot - a penalty shot at 61:30.
"I think that's what makes us so strong," Jennings said. "Not that we just have 11 people as you saw today, but we have people on the outside who are coming in and impacting the game in a positive direction and are giving us speed, energy, skill, and that makes it really difficult for other teams to play us."
Early in the game, the Eagles needed as much backup as they could get after some wizardry by Lehigh goalie Stephanie Palmieri. She turned back 12 of AU's 21 shots on goal and made clutch stops early on Infante and senior midfielder Javiera Villagra.
The win made AU the lone PL team without a conference loss. Previously undefeated Holy Cross fell after giving up a two-goal deficit in an overtime loss to Bucknell Saturday. The Eagles travel to Worcester, Mass., on Saturday.
Before the PL course continues, AU must deal with No. 20 Virginia on Wednesday - a benchmark game for the program and a prelude to the Oct. 26 date with No. 2 Maryland. It's the first time a team from the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference comes to the Eagles' new home turf.
"It's just a symbol of how hard our girls have worked over the last seven years to have the opportunity to have this field, to have the opportunity to host teams like Virginia, like Maryland the week after," he said.
