Several things stood out Monday at Northwestern's field hockey stadium - speed, defense and goalkeeping.

Save for one goal off the stick of Lehighton's Maura Phelan, things were just about equally matched. There were saves galore from a pair of Tiger goalkeepers;12 in all. There was the terrific hustle from Phelan with 25 minutes remaining when Northwestern had a chance to tie the game on a potential breakaway.And what about the great defense employed by Lehighton goalkeeper Michelle Bozilesky in a one-on-one play in this tight-fisted affair, too?What it all added up to in this non-conference encounter was a narrow 1-0 decision for the visiting Indians."I keep telling (the team) they've got to work to the final minute," said Lehighton first-year varsity coach Corrine McConville. "Our goalkeeping is improving every time out. (Michelle) is our last line of defense."Bozilesky made a superb play on Allie Costa with 15:20 to play. Costa came flying down the field to the left of Bozilesky, and the goalkeeper took her one-on-one, snuffing out a potential game-tying shot."She's been working on her angles, and stepping it up (more) and she proved it today," said McConville. "Those are the types of plays you need in order to be successful. But it's just not about one play, there were several plays that our kids made throughout the game."True, Lehighton had more shots in the game, including 10 of its 19 in the first half.Northwestern uses a platoon system in goal. Alena Smargiassi got the start, before giving way to Taylor Page."Our intensity and our pace have gotten a lot better," said Northwestern coach Lissa Opolsky. "They've got such quickness, they're very skilled, and they pushed forward as much as we did."We look forward to playing a team like (Lehighton). The better competition you play, the better it makes you. It raises your level. I can't say enough about how our girls played. They were focused, and they gave it their best."What the Tigers were able to do was contain Lauren Marks throughout the contest. Marks was last season's Times News Player of the Year, and she knows that most teams will be gunning for her."I was a little frustrated at times," said Marks. "I had chances, but they kept whacking my stick."That was part of the Northwestern game plan."We had to be aware of where she was every single minute," said Opolsky. "Our girls converged on her every time she was around the goal … I thought we did a darn good job defending her."That attention certainly freed up Phelan."(Maura) can play. She's got all the talent and the tools. She did one heck of a job for us," said McConville.Indeed, she was the difference maker; on offense and defense.THE FIGURES … Lehighton held the statistical advantage in shots on goal (19-7) and penalty corners (11-4).SPEED, QUICKNESS AND DEFENSE … Lehighton's speed was evident throughout the contest. However, there was a notable difference, according to McConville. "When you play on (artificial) turf and then come over to play on grass, it slows you down. It takes some time to get used to the grass."