Field Hockey Shuts Out Lehigh 5-0 in Home Opener

Friday, October 9

Newark, Del.

5 PM

University of Delaware

(5-6)

Lehigh

(1-10)

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Lehigh	0	0	0	0	0
Delaware	2	0	3	0	5

Photo by: Mikey Reeves

10/9/2026 8:07:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

NEWARK, Del. - University of Delaware field hockey defeated Lehigh by a score of 5–0 in its return back to Fred P. Rullo Stadium after its turf renovation.

Five different Fightin' Blue Hens scored goals and the goalie duo of Jane Baldy and Gabby Prentice pitched a shutout in the cage.

HEN HIGHLIGHTS

Ella Cellini scored her first-career goal.
Livia van't Hek tallied her fourth goal over the last three games.
Kate Fiest picked up a goal and two assists for four points.
Cellini, Sarah Rigual, and Amanda Rattay tallied their first goals of the season.
Lily Cosner added a goal to wrap up the scoring.
Baldy and Prentice combined for the shutout. This was Baldy's first-career shutout contribution.
At halftime, the 2016 Division I Field Hockey National Championship team was honored, celebrating 10 years since its illustrious season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

An action-packed first quarter had the Blue Hens controlling the ball for almost the entire 15 minutes. Cellini scored her first-career goal on a pass through the middle from Fiest. van't Hek scored while dashing through the circle on a backhand pass from Rigual.
Delaware had four penalty corner opportunities in the second but was unable to convert. Ending the first half, UD held Lehigh to just one shot, tallying 13 of their own.
In the third quarter, UD solidified its offensive onslaught by scoring three times on 14 shots, with six penalty corner chances. Rigual scored her goal on Fiest's second assist of the game, finding an open side in transition. Rattay followed it up one minute later with her own backhanded swing from a rebounded save. Cosner closed the scoring with another shot off of the Lehigh goalkeeper's save, sliding it to the other side of the net after inserting the corner opportunity.
The Blue & Gold held the Mountain Hawks scoreless through the final frame with Prentice in cage. Lehigh did not record a shot in the second half due to the stifling Delaware defense.

GAME NOTES

This is Delaware's seventh-straight shutout over Lehigh, a streak that dates back to 1995. The Blue Hens have outscored the Mountain Hawks 38-0 over those seven games.
Delaware opened Fred P. Rullo Stadium for its first-ever game on September 9, 1998, against Lehigh, defeating them 8-0. Making tonight the second time the venue was opened after construction with a shutout over the Mountain Hawks.
The 31 shots and 18 shots on goal are the most for UD under Tara Zollinger. The 18 on goal tie for ninth in program history. This is the most in both categories overall since they had 31 shots and 17 on goal in a win over Towson on October 14, 2022.
The five-goal win ties for the largest win under Zollinger (6-1 vs. William & Mary 9/25/25).
Baldy follows Prentice as the second-straight freshman goalie to record a partial or full shutout in her rookie season.

UP NEXT
The Blue Hens take the road to compete at #20 Lafayette on Sunday, October 11 at noon to close out the weekend.

FOLLOW ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Delaware field hockey, follow the Fightin' Blue Hens on X, Instagram, and like on Facebook.