Lehigh University Athletics
Cusick named All-Region
12/8/2003 5:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Senior Doug Cusick was named to the 2003 NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region All-American First-Team for his efforts in the past season. This is a remarkable feat considering Cusick was sidelined for six games in 2003 due to various injuries. Cusick began his Leigh career as a forward, and was named the 2000 Patriot League Rookie of the Year after scoring 13 goals, and tallying 19 points. As a sophomore Cusick found the back of the net six more times, and handed out two assists, good for 14 points.
Entering his junior season, Cusick was asked to make the switch from forward to back, and without any hesitation, made the move, and made it well. During his two years at back, Cusick helped the Mountain Hawks set the school record for goals against average, as Lehigh held its opponents to a miniscule 0.75 average last season, and the team topped that in 2003 with an average of only 0.64. The Mountain Hawks also tied a school record by shutting out their opponents nine times in 2003. Cusick was one of the biggest reasons for this. The co-captain helped anchor the defense all season long, and continued to show true leadership even when injured.
Head Coach Dean Koski was pleased for Cusick to see all of his hard work pay off. "Considering that Doug missed six games due to injury his selection to the First team Mid-Atlantic Region speaks volumes about the impact he had in the games that he did play. We are pleased for Doug and any individual accolades our players receive are always a reflection of the team as a whole". Cusick was also a First-Team All Patriot League selection this season, after being a First-Team pick last year, and a Second-Team selection in each of his first two seasons. Lehigh finished this past season with a record of 9-4-7, and 2-0-5 in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks made it all the way to the Patriot League Tournament Championship before bowing to Lafayette 2-0.
