Bethlehem, PA - Following another successful regular season that ended with a record of
11-6-2, 4-2-1 in Patriot League play, Lehigh, ranked fourth in the Mid-Atlantic Region, had three players named to the 2004 Patriot League All-League teams as announced by the league on Thursday. Senior co-captain Elliot Leonard and juniors Adam Williamson and Jim Stevens were all recognized for their play in 2004 with Leonard and Williamson receiving First-Team recognition and Stevens being voted on as a Second-Team selection.
Leonard returned from a foot injury this season after being sidelined for most of the past two years and the Mountain Hawks reaped the benefits on the defensive side of things with his toughness. Leonard started 17 games for the Mountain Hawks in 2004, helping to anchor a defense that led the Patriot League in goals allowed (11), goals allowed per game (0.56) and shutouts (10). The 0.56 GAA also ranks fifth in America, while the ten shutouts tie the school record set just last season by the Brown and White.
Williamson came on strong this season using his speed and elusiveness to earn the First-Team nod. The junior from Petersburg, New Jersey started all 19 games for Lehigh, scoring four goals and handing out four assists, good for 12 points, second best on the team. Williamson also ranks first in the Patriot League with three game-winning goals and 62 shots on the year. Williamson was named the Patriot League’s Offensive Player of the Week two times and also received recognition in early October when he was named to the collegesoccernews.com National Team of the Week.
Stevens was a big boost to the Lehigh offense this season, as he tied for the league lead in goals with eight and was tied for second in the Patriot League with 17 points. Stevens also matched Williamson with three game-winning goals and was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week on one occasion.
Lehigh will arrive in Washington, D.C. for the Patriot League Tournament and a berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line this weekend. The Mountain Hawks have won three of their last four games, including two huge victories over Lafayette and Navy to get them to this point. The second seeded Mountain Hawks have defeated two of the three other teams in the tournament, having played each school at the Ulrich Sports Complex this season.
Lehigh will take on third-seeded Bucknell on Friday beginning at 11:00 am from Reeves Field, with the winner moving onto Sunday’s Patriot league Championship game at noon versus the winner of fourth-seeded Lafayette and top-seed and host American. All of Lehigh’s postseason action can be heard live on Lehigh’s website at lehighsports.com.
