Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh men's soccer reflects on 2008 season
12/3/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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But now that he’s had some time to look back at the year that was, Koski realizes that all was not lost in 2008. The Mountain Hawks finished with a 7-7-3 record, assuring a .500 record or better for the 13th-consecutive season.
“We didn’t meet all our team goals,” Koski said. “We set out to get into the playoffs and compete for a championship, and we didn’t accomplish that. So, in that respect, we’re all a little disappointed.”
It all started with a bang: six goals against
There were the flashes of brilliance with an upset over No. 19 Penn and a decisive win against in-state foe
Then there were the disappointments of a 3-2 loss at home to Bucknell and the defeat at Colgate after the Mountain Hawks had already learned their playoff chances had been wiped out.
“There were a lot of ups and downs this year,” Koski said. “There were some great games and there were some bad games, and a lot of that speaks to our youth. We certainly showed we can play when we want to play.”
Lehigh’s youth was certainly on display for much of the season, with 12 freshmen and just three seniors on the roster for the 2008 season. Of those 12 freshmen, three would become regular starters, while several of the others would see significant playing time.
Freshman forward/midfielder Neal Melchionni started all 17 games for the Brown and White, one of just five players to accomplish the feat. Melchionni enjoyed a promising campaign with one goal and two assists, consistently making plays from the left wing.
Dan Odenwelder’s emergence as a defensive midfielder solidified the back line for the Mountain Hawks in the second half of the season, and the freshman started eight games at the position. Mark Dangleis opened the year as a starter on defense, and when injuries slowed him down, another freshman, Jordie Ciuffetelli, stepped up to fill the role.
Joe Puleo and Kevin Strunk gave Koski some young legs off the bench, as the freshmen played in a combined 24 games. It was Strunk’s late heroics with a header in the 90th minute at Army that kept Lehigh’s playoff hopes alive heading into the final weeks.
“If we got through some of our growing pains this year, that’s a good thing,” Koski said. “This winter and spring we expect our program to grow even more as they gain a better understanding of our system.”
There were even more highlights for the Mountain Hawks in 2008, with four players earning spots on the All-Patriot League team. Seniors Adam Gazda and Jim Taranto took home top honors by being selected to the first team. Gazda led the team with six goals and tied
Sophomore James Graf and junior Adam Welch earned spots on the second team for their play on defense. Graf started 15 games at center back for the Brown and White, earning Defensive Player of the Week honors once. Welch also started at center back in 2008, playing 17 games there and scoring one goal.
Jonathan Nydell emerged as an elite goalkeeper in the Patriot League this fall. Nydell came into the season splitting time with Christopher Varga, but after an injury sidelined the junior keeper, the spot was Nydell’s to stay. Nydell started 15 games for the Mountain Hawks, allowing 1.23 goals per game. The sophomore made 57 saves on the season and earned all seven of the team’s wins with four shutouts.
With most of its core returning for 2009 – only two seniors are departing the program – the Mountain Hawks will look to build on the high points from 2008. The one thing they will not do, however, is dwell on the past.
“We’re not going to look back too much,” Koski said. “We just need to keep moving forward and show that we can develop these players we have now.”
