Eden Ghidei/The Hoya Senior midfielder Beth Gagnon wisks the ball past a member of the Mountain Hawk squad during the first half of the Hoyas’ 3-1 win Wednesday.

The result of a seasonably cool match Wednesday afternoon on Kehoe Field was not as bitter as the wind, as the Georgetown field hockey team dominated Lehigh in a 3-1 victory.

Senior forward and captain Leeanne Rizzo tallied two first-half goals in the Hoyas’ third win in four games. The team used a 10-day break in the action to recuperate from the season’s rough opening, when they won just three of 11 – including dropping seven straight matches.

“We used the time to rest some bodies, to take care of a lot of things,” head coach Laurie Carroll said. “It definitely helped, mentally and physically.”

Rizzo matched a game-high four shots, tying teammate senior defender Lauren Galbally and Lehigh’s junior forward Sheila Clabby. Galbally recorded two assists, contributing to each of Rizzo’s scores.

“[Rizzo] is a great finisher. She’s demonstrated that in the last few games. She’s a great leader, and she backed that up in scoring [two] goals,” Carroll said.

The Hoyas lit up the scoreboard in the 22nd minute as Rizzo notched her fifth goal of the year, getting the ball past Mountain Hawk goaltender Jeanine Hoff. Georgetown struck again just eight minutes later as Galbally and junior defender Caroline Cole got the ball to Rizzo for her second tally of the game.

Strong defensive play kept Georgetown in the contest in the second half, a time of the game when the team has struggled much. The Hoyas were outshot by the Mountain Hawks, 12-4, but Georgetown allowed Lehigh just two penalty corners and Georgetown freshman goalkeeper Abby Winer had three saves.

“The confidence and unity of the defense is something we need for us to play well,” Carroll said.

The Hoyas added a third goal 15 minutes into the second stanza. Freshman forward Jen Kosloski found sophomore forward Jessica Quinn in the box, and Quinn managed to find the back of the net to give Georgetown a 3-0 advantage.

Lehigh answered back with its only score of the contest just five minutes later as sophomore defender Mary Beth Keunne received the ball from sophomore forward Blaire Goodwin and sneaked it past Winer.

Winer outperformed her Lehigh counterparts Hoff and sophomore eghan Gove, who each played for just one half of the action. Winer made nine saves on the afternoon while Hoff had four and Gove had one in the second half.

The victory gives the Hoyas a boost of hope as they take to the road for the first time since Sept. 10, when they recorded a 6-1 loss to Towson.

“We’re confident from this win,” Carroll said. “We’re confident that we can score goals early.”

The team travels to Lewisburg, Pa. Saturday to take on their second straight Patriot League opponent, the Bucknell Bison.