Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh travels to Annapolis looking for first PL win
10/3/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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The Mountain Hawks are coming off a thrilling 2-2 draw against archrival
Lehigh brings a 3-3-2 (0-0-1) record into the matchup against the Midshipmen, who are 4-5-1 (0-1-0). The Midshipmen lost their conference opener to Bucknell, 2-1, on September 27, and followed up that game with a 3-0 loss at the hands of
“The goal is to get three points,” Lehigh head coach Dean Koski said. “There are very few opportunities in this league to get wins on the road, so we have to do the best we can to get three points.”
This is the 49th meeting all time between the two squads, with Navy holding a 29-14-5 advantage in the series. However, the Mountain Hawks have controlled the recent series, winning the last eight matchups and 11 of the last 12. The Midshipmen have not won against Lehigh since 1999.
The Mountain Hawks have not struggled to find the back of the net in 2008, scoring an average of 1.78 goals per game. Their opponents, however, are also scoring at a higher rate than Koski would like, putting up 1.54 goals per game.
“I think we need to make sure we have numbers back defensively,” Koski said. “We need to have consistency and commitment in the final third.”
While Gazda leads the Brown and White in goals, senior Jim Taranto has been the leading playmaker with four assists and three goals, accounting for 10 points on the season. Junior Kyle Evans continues to lead the team with 28 shots and 15 attempts on goal, while putting up two goals and two assists so far.
For the Midshipmen, sophomore Mike Porcelli leads the attack with three goals on the season. Juniors Matt Tapajcik and Mark Garcia have each racked up two assists so far.
“They will be hard working, tenacious ad athletic,” Koski said. “They will come at us with numbers, and they do a good job of getting players forward.”
