Lehigh prepares for key game on Senior Night

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – With the final whistle on Saturday, the fall season at the Ulrich Sports Complex will come to a close, and so will two illustrious careers on the men’s soccer pitch. For seniors Jim Taranto and Pat Cucci, the matchup between the Mountain Hawks (7-5-3, 2-1-2) and the Bucknell Bison (7-7-3, 2-3-0) will give them one last chance to make their mark at their home field.

“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Taranto said. “But I’m sure when I step out on the field it will mean a lot to me to hear the fans and walk out on the field with my parents.”

The playoff picture in men’s soccer has never been murkier. The Mountain Hawks could finish as high as the top seed and host the Patriot League tournament, or they could finish as low as sixth and wind up watching the postseason from home.

That makes Saturday’s 7 p.m. game that much more important for the Brown and White. Lehigh sits in a tie with archrival Lafayette for the fourth and final spot in the Patriot League playoff picture. Both teams have earned eight points and sit two points behind American, Holy Cross and Colgate, who are deadlocked in a three-way tie atop the standings. Sixth-place Bucknell carries six points into the weekend and is also still very much in the hunt.

“I don’t know exactly what the logistics are of it. But I know if we get these two wins then we can’t ask any more questions. If we get these two wins we should have nothing to worry about.”

Cucci said a lot of things will be going through his mind before he steps on the field, but mostly he will be thinking of how quickly his time at Lehigh went by.

“Being a freshman on senior night you think that four years is going to last a while,” Cucci said. “But it turns out it goes by pretty quickly. I just want to leave on a good note and definitely get the win to have something to show for it at the end of the year. We want to get into the Patriot League tournament to have a chance at winning a championship.”

This is the 52nd meeting between Lehigh and Bucknell in history. The all-time series has been tightly contested, with the Brown and White coming into the match with a narrow 22-21-8 lead.

The Mountain Hawks will have had seven days off when the Bison come to town. The rest comes at a great time for Lehigh after it competed in three consecutive mid-week non-conference matchups. Lehigh fared well in those matches, grabbing wins against in-state foes No. 19 Penn and Penn State, while falling in a tough overtime battle with No. 6 Maryland.

After knocking off Penn State on Oct. 21, the Mountain Hawks hit the road for a Friday evening matchup with the Army Black Knights. Kevin Strunk’s 90th-minute goal gave Lehigh three very valuable points in the standings and helped him earn Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors. Captain Adam Gazda fed Strunk for the game-winner against Army and also added two goals in the Penn State game, and he was rewarded for his play by receiving the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week award.

The Mountain Hawks, known more historically for their defense, have emerged as one of the top teams in the Patriot League in scoring offense. Lehigh has averaged 1.6 goals per game, putting it just barely behind Bucknell (1.62) for the league lead. That will put the pressure on both defenses to step up on Saturday to shut down the opposing attacks.

“We just have to do what we’ve talked about all season,” Cucci said. “We have to be committed in the defensive third and we have to get after the ball and put our bodies out there on the offensive side.”

Taranto has been a big reason for Lehigh’s offensive success. He sits in a tie with Bucknell’s Connor O’Brien for the league lead with six assists (44th in the nation), and is tied with Gazda for third in points (14). Gazda’s six goals put him in a tie for second, one back of Bucknell’s Chris Hennings, who leads the league in both goals and points this season.

While Taranto has only had three years at Lehigh after transferring from Virginia three years ago, he has certainly made his mark, scoring 18 goals and 15 assists in his career with the Mountain Hawks. Meanwhile, Cucci has been a key contributor for four seasons, playing in 53 games and scoring five goals and one assist. Both seniors will be honored with a brief ceremony at halftime of the game, and Taranto said the moment will be special for the important people in his life.

“I think it’s good for my parents,” Taranto said. “I think they’ll enjoy walking out with their son who finally made it through college. I think it’s more for them that it is for me. My mom is probably going to cry, so it’ll be fun.”

Fans can tune in to Lehighsports.com for live video coverage of Saturday’s game. Steve Lomangino and Robbie Aaron will be providing the commentary, starting at 7 p.m.

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus #6 Lafayette on November 15, 2025 , Tie , 1, to, 1

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus #4 Boston University on November 11, 2025 , Win , 1, to, 0

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus Lafayette on November 4, 2025 , Tie , 1, to, 1

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Colgate on October 31, 2025 , Tie , 0, to, 0

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Boston University on October 25, 2025 , Win , 2, to, 0

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus Seton Hall on October 21, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 5

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus Bucknell on October 18, 2025 , Win , 2, to, 1

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