BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Hannah Hoefs drilled a 20-plus yard free kick into the upper left portion of the goal Saturday afternoon, delivering a 1-0 win for Loyola University Maryland in the Greyhounds' Patriot League opener against Lehigh University at the Ulrich Sports Complex.
 
Hoefs took a free kick from outside the box in the 70^th minute for the Greyhounds, providing the game's only scoring. Sarah Mirr drew a foul from a Lehigh defender to set up the attempt by Hoefs that she bend from right-to-left and tucked under the crossbar past a diving Miranda Royds, the Mountain Hawks' goalkeeper.
 
Paige Sim made her first collegiate start in goal for the Greyhounds (3-5 overall, 1-0 Patriot League), posting a clean sheet while saving all five shots on goal she faced.
 
Lehigh (2-3-4, 0-1-0) had a marginal 10-8 advantage in shots and a 5-4 lead in shots on goal.
 
The Greyhounds controlled the offensive tempo in the first five minutes, snapping off three shot attempts over that span. The Mountain Hawks, however, had the next six shot chances, testing Sim throughout the period.
 
Sim made a save on a Kayla Arestivo attempt in the 13^th minute, and Ryelle Shuey got her head on a Erin Keefe corner kick in the 23^rd that went wide. Sim then made another save on a Rebecca Van Siclen shot in the 25^th minute to keep the game deadlocked.
 
After Hoefs' goal, Taylor DiMarco had a shot saved by Royds in the 72^nd, and Sim snuffed out a Arestivo chance just over six minutes later. Arestivo then had a header chance in the 83rd that went high for Lehigh's last shot of the match.
 
The win marked the first time Loyola has opened its Patriot League schedule with a victory since the 2016 season.
 
Loyola steps out of the Patriot League for its final non-conference match of the year on Tuesday, September 24, when it heads to Dover, Delaware, for a 4 p.m. contest at Delaware State University.