Lehigh University Athletics
Two greats to be honored before key League showdown
9/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
20th-ranked Lehigh (10-2 overall, 3-1 Patriot League) returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Navy (9-1-3 overall, 2-1-2 Patriot League) in a key Patriot League battle at the Ulrich Sports Complex. Prior to the match, Lehigh will honor its four seniors, and welcome back many soccer alumni. Among those returning will be former Lehigh greats Andy Udell and Andy Mittendorf.
In celebration of the Patriot League’s 10th anniversary last season, Executive Director Carolyn Schlie-Femovich announced the League’s men’s soccer All-Decade team. Both Udell and Mittendorf were selected to the prestigious squad.
A 1992 graduate, Udell was a First Team Regional All-American in his senior season in addition to being named the Patriot League Player of the Year. He was a First Team All-League selection in 1991. Udell captained the Lehigh team his senior year and started in 56 games during his playing career. Playing over 5,400 minutes in the brown and white, Udell will be remembered as one of the most formidable defenders in the league during his career. His courage and will to compete, in spite of disabling back pain, enabled Andy to complete his playing career at Lehigh as the Player of the Year.
Mittendorf brought Lehigh to national prominence with a record breaking senior year. He received Regional All-American accolades in his junior and senior seasons, and was the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year as both a junior and senior. Mittendorf holds the Lehigh and Patriot League record for goals in a season with 24 and is the holder of six Patriot League scoring records. He was the NCAA scoring leader in goals per game during the 1997 season. Drafted in the first round of the MLS draft by the Colorado Rapids in 1998, Andy played professionally for the Hershey Wildcats and Long Island Rough Riders. He just finished his season playing for the Vartans IK in Sweden, leading the team in scoring.
The Mountain Hawks of 2001 are looking to capture their second consecutive Patriot League crown. Lehigh has won its last six matches, outscoring its opponents 11-1 during that stretch. Meanwhile, Navy comes in ranked ninth in the South-Atlantic Region. Saturday’s match will kick off at 7:00, and all the action can be heard live on the Lehigh web site at www.lehigh.edu.
For more information, contact Jeff Tourial, Lehigh Sports Media Relations.
