BETHLEHEM, Pa. –A quick start proved to be the difference as the Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse team held off Lehigh for an 11-10 victory on Friday afternoon, opening the 2026 season with a road win at Frank Banko Field.
 
Saint Joseph's wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as Riley Miller found the back of the net on the Hawks' first possession. Olivia McCloskey split a pair of goals from Kate Fuhrman's early strike to push the advantage to 4-0 eight minutes into the contest. Liana Moli turned aside both shots she faced in the opening quarter as the Hawks carried the four-goal cushion into the first break.
 
Megan Sanelli converted a free-position attempt to extend the lead to 5-0 before Lehigh broke through with its first goal of the afternoon. The Hawks answered immediately, as Alexa Capozzoli capitalized on a quick restart from behind the cage, racing to goal and slipping the ball through the goalkeeper's legs. Just 20 seconds later, Machaela Henry netted her first career goal on Hawk Hill to make it 7-1. Lehigh closed the half on a three-goal run to trim the deficit to 7-4 at the break.
 
Sanelli opened the second half with her second goal of the game to restore a four-goal edge, but the Mountain Hawks continued their momentum, scoring three unanswered to pull within one. Sanelli halted the run by completing her hat trick, though Lehigh's Shannon Nolan answered with three goals of her own to keep the margin tight.
 
Sanelli, the lone Hawk scorer over the first 28 minutes of the second half, opened the fourth quarter with her fourth goal of the day, setting a new career high. Lehigh responded with back-to-back tallies to knot the game at 10-10 with 9:41 remaining. Moli came up with a pair of key saves to keep the Hawks from falling behind, and with a player advantage, Fuhrman buried her third goal with 2:02 left to put Saint Joseph's back in front. The Hawks won the ensuing draw and were able to run out the clock to secure the one-goal victory.
 
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Megan Sanelli led the Hawks with four goals, setting a new career high and recording the second hat trick of her career.
• Kate Fuhrman finished with three goals and an assist.
• Machaela Henry scored in her Hawk Hill debut while adding two caused turnovers and a ground ball.
• Claire Fowler recorded two caused turnovers.
• Making her first career start, Liana Moli stopped nine shots to earn her first collegiate win.
• Saint Joseph's held advantages in shots (34-24), shots on goal (24-17), and draws (12-10.
• The Hawks opened the season with a victory for the first time since 2017.

 
UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 11, against Temple. Follow @sjuhawks_wlax and visit sjuhawks.com for the latest on Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse.