Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh to host 105th matchup with Lafayette
9/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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“The Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry is really important to us, to this program and obviously to everyone affiliated with Lehigh,” Lehigh head coach Dean Koski said. “It’s a very important Patriot League opener and it’s the most important rival we have, so we need to make sure that we’re ready for it.”
The rivalry on the soccer pitch between the two schools is one of the most storied in all of college sports. The teams met for the first time in 1913, and they have matched up at least once in every year since 1946. Lehigh maintains the advantage in the overall series, holding a 52-43-9 record heading into Saturday’s matchup.
Lehigh comes into the game with a 3-3-1 record after dropping its third straight match to Fairleigh Dickinson, 3-2, on September 20. Matt McNeil became the seventh Mountain Hawks player to score a goal in the game, and he added a second for good measure in the waning minutes, but it was not enough to help the Brown and White complete the comeback.
Throughout the season, Koski has stressed that the team’s non-conference schedule is set up to prepare the players for the Patriot League slate. Now that time is here, and it’s time for the Mountain Hawks to put all that preparation to good use.
“I believe that we’ve learned a lot of lessons already in these first seven games,” Koski said. “You don’t want to peak right now, because it would be a bad time, but we want to keep moving in the right direction. I feel good about where we are, but we certainly haven’t finished working.”
The Mountain Hawks had to balance their excitement for playing their archrival with managing their time in the classroom, with 4:00 exams scheduled throughout the week at Lehigh. Koski actually sees the exams as a blessing for his players rather than a hindrance.
“We don’t want them to be too hyped up three days before the game,” Koski said. “So in many respects I’m hoping 4:00 exams will keep them on an even keel so they can focus on academics and focus on training. We don’t want them to waste any unnecessary emotion during the week.”
Tune in to Lehighsports.com for live video and audio coverage of the Lehigh-Lafayette matchup on Saturday night. Steve Lomangino will be providing the commentary live from the Ulrich Sports Complex at 7 p.m.
