UMBC

Junior Kristi Troster scored the first goal of the game against Lehigh.

Baltimore, Md.-UMBC and Lehigh battled hard for 70 minutes, but in the end, the Retriever field hockey team (0-5) lost to the Mountain Hawks (3-4), 3-2, Wednesday evening.

Junior Kristi Troster (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) scored her first goal of the season just 1:07 into the game to give the Retrievers a 1-0 lead. The goal gives Troster 20 points in her career, moving her into a tie for eighth place on UMBC’s all-time scoring list.

The Retrievers’ lead stood for 12 minutes until Lehigh’s Maureen Harrington put the ball in the cage to tie the game at 1-1. Just 45 seconds before halftime, Marissa Iannarone added to the Mountain Hawks’ lead, and Lehigh took a 2-1 advantage into halftime.

Just less than eight minutes into the second half, at the 42:50 mark, the Retrievers were awarded a penalty stroke. Junior Julie Moore (Rising Sun, Md./Rising Sun) took the shot and tried to sneak the ball past goalie Meghan Gove into the lower right corner of the cage, but Gove came up with the save.

The Mountain Hawks were awarded a penalty corner about three minutes later, at the 45:46 mark. Iannarone sent the ball to Mary Beth Kuenne, who scored the eventual game-winner to give Lehigh a 3-1 lead.

Despite a two-goal deficit late in the game, the Retrievers did not go down without a fight. Senior attack Katie Cutchall (Hustontown, Pa./Forbes Road) scored her first goal of the season at 63:05 to bring UMBC back to within one goal at 3-2. But it would be all the scoring the Retrievers would get, as the game would end with that score.

Cutchall’s goal moves her into sole possession of seventh place on the Retrievers’ all-time scoring list with 22 points.

Sophomore goalie Ashley Benitez (Sykesville, Md./Century) played most of the game in the cage for UMBC, tallying two saves while allowing all three Mountain Hawk goals. Junior Kathryn Tag (Havre de Grace, Md./Havre de Grace/U.S. Merchant Marine Academy) played the last 16:43 between the pipes and did not register any saves or allow any goals. Lehigh netminder Meghan Gove recorded three saves in 70 minutes.

Freshman Emily Smith (Rising Sun, Md./Rising Sun) recorded her fourth defensive save on the season, while Lehigh’s Lauren Volpe also added one. Senior defender Tiffany Deinzer (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito) did not register a defensive save for the first time all season, snapping her streak at four games.

UMBC out-shot Lehigh, 8-6, but the Mountain Hawks had a 4-2 advantage on penalty corners.

The Retrievers return to action Saturday, Sept. 17, when they travel to Philadelphia to take on Drexel at 1 p.m.