BETHLHEM,
Pa. – Lehigh takes to the road on Saturday evening when the Mountain Hawks travel to Lewisburg to take on the Bison of Bucknell in a pivotal league showdown.
Lehigh, ranked fourth in the Mid-Atlantic Region, comes into Saturday’s match with a record of 8-2-1 overall, and 3-1 in Patriot League play, which places the Brown and White in a tie for first with Colgate.
The Bison enter this weekend with a record of 6-5-3 overall, and 2-2 in league play, good for second place.
Lehigh is unbeaten versus Bucknell in its last ten matches, including a 3-0 shut out last year at the Ulrich Sports Complex and a victory by shootout in the Patriot League Tournament.
Lehigh’s offense has been on fire of late, scoring eight goals in its last two games, four apiece versus Army and another four against the Panthers of Adelphi. Leading the way has been senior Jim Stevens, who found the back of the net twice in each match. All four Mountain Hawk goals against Army came in the second half, two from Stevens, one from Joe Clemente and another from Adam Williamson. Stevens assisted on Williamson’s goal, giving the 6-7 Virginia native five points for the match, which earned him a spot on the College Soccer News Team of the Week this past Monday. Stevens then scored two goals in the win against Adelphi on Wednesday, while Williamson added another on a penalty kick. All four Lehigh scores came in the first 28 minutes of action. With its latest win, Lehigh is undefeated at home this year, a perfect 5-0, and is 20-4-7 at the Ulrich Sports Complex over the past three-plus seasons.
Stevens currently ranks second in the Patriot League and leads the Mountain Hawks with nine goals, while his 13 points ranks second on the team, and third in the league. Williamson sits atop the Mountain Hawk leader board in points with 15, which places him second in the league. “Willie” also leads the Brown and White in assists and ranks second in the league with five, including three over the course of the past two matches. Sophomore Charlie Sales continues to lead the Patriot League in goals against average, allowing a meager 0.65 goals per match. Senior Jim Morahan saw his first playing time of the season on Wednesday versus Adelphi, and the Colorado native responded with one save in 45 minutes of action.
Bucknell comes into this weekend following a 1-1 tie with St. Francis (Pa.) on Wednesday in Lewisburg. The Bison defeated Lafayette in their last Patriot League contest, on Saturday, October 15, also on Bucknell’s home field. On offense, the Bison are led by Eric Brunton with three goals and seven points. Only one other Bison player has scored at least two goals, that being Andrew Loia, with two. In goal, Adam Edwards continues to add to his stellar career, recording 56 saves, and posting a 0.92 goals against average. Edwards has played in 1175 minutes this season, posting seven shut outs. In the victory over Lafayette, Edwards recorded his 25th career shut out, which broke the 30-year old school record.
Saturday’s match will get underway at 7:00 from Varsity Soccer Field.
