Zipprich records career-high 11 saves as Mountain Hawks prepare for Patriot League play

Shot after shot came flying at Lehigh women’s soccer sophomore goalkeeper Chloe Zipprich, and one by one, she turned them away.

Zipprich, a sophomore business major from Evanston, Illinois, posted a career-high 11 saves in a 2-2 draw at Stony Brook on Sept. 6, more than doubling her previous season high of five, as the Mountain Hawks (0-6-1) battled the Seawolves.

“We knew that it was going to be a tough game,” Zipprich said.

Zipprich said the game’s opening minutes set the tone for her performance.

“I had some 1v1s pretty early, and once you save one or two of those, it kind of gets you in a momentum,” Zipprich said. “I was able to just carry my momentum throughout the whole game, and the vibes were high, and that came from my entire team too.”

As the shots kept coming, Zipprich said she narrowed her focus to the moment in front of her.

She said it was the most shots she’s faced at Lehigh, so she kept her head down and continued to hold her ground. The Mountain Hawks came away with two goals of their own, and Zipprich said it was a result of their own relentless pursuit.

“It was just a great game, and we fought really hard,” Zipprich said. “I am just grateful for my teammates. They help me perform that way.”

Forward Tori Okorodudu, ‘29, said Zipprich’s performance carried the team through a difficult stretch.

“It was just honestly really inspiring,” Okorodudu said. “Seeing (Zipprich) sort of dominate her position in that aspect and perform so well just sort of sent an energy around the team that we could compete with the higher-level opponent.”

Okorodudu said Zipprich’s energy pushed the rest of the roster to match her effort.

“It was contagious to everyone, and it kept us in the game,” Okorodudu said. “It really pushed us, who were playing, to perform our best, and make sure that her efforts weren’t going unrewarded.”

Sophomore center back Maddie Gage said Zipprich’s performance, while impressive, wasn’t a surprise to the team.

“She’s always been such a crucial player on our team, but I feel like it really was showcased in that specific game,” she said.

Gage said playing with Zipprich behind her while on the back line gives her added confidence.

Both teammates pointed to Zipprich’s attitude and energy as a defining part of who she is on the team.

“I’ve never seen her have a negative attitude at practice,” Okorodudu said. “She’s just an all-around great person. She’s always engaging with the players, like making people laugh, making the coaches laugh.”

Zipprich said her path to goalkeeping started with her older brother. Because he always played soccer, she decided to try it herself and stuck with it because she loved it.

Even with the current record, Zipprich said the team isn’t defined by it, heading into conference play.

“Record doesn’t really define who we are as players and as a team,” Zipprich said. “This week is so important, and how we mentally and physically go into this game this Saturday against Bucknell, because this is the real season here.”

Gage said the shift into conference play feels like a clean slate for the team. She said the team has the drive to really turn around our season and have a bunch of good games going into Patriot League.

Both Okorodudu and Gage said the team is looking ahead with confidence rather than dwelling on the results so far.

“There’s that camaraderie among us that we are going to put everything towards the season,” Okorodudu said. “Even if that doesn’t result in what we want, it gives us that confidence to know that we have people to fall back on.”