Lehigh University Athletics
Penn State shuts the door on Lehigh
9/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
State College, PA – In a battle between two nationally ranked teams, Penn State prevailed with a 1-0 win over Lehigh on Wednesday evening, snapping the Mountain Hawks’ seven game winning streak and handing them their first shutout of the season. Lehigh (11-3) entered the game ranked 18th nationally by the NSCAA while the Nittany Lions (11-3-1) entered the game ranked 23rd nationally.
"We had an off night," said head coach Dean Koski. "With tonight being a nationally ranked game, it isn’t the ideal time to have an off night, but I am glad that if we were going to have one that it be in the middle of the week in a non-conference game."
While technically an upset by national and regional poll standards, the Mountain Hawks knew they’d have their work cut out for them taking on a Big Ten team that is on a bit of roll of its own, especially in State College. Penn State extended its winning streak to five games with the win and improved its home record to a perfect 7-0. The Nittany Lions also remained unbeaten in the all-time series with Lehigh improving to 9-0-3 against the Mountain Hawks.
Brent Jacquette recorded the only goal of the game when he grabbed a deflection in front of the Lehigh net and hammered it home for the game winner. The goal came in the 31st minute with Derek Potteiger and Ricardo Villar receiving the assists.
While only recording three saves on the evening, Lehigh goalkeeper Ryan Grzeszczak played an excellent defensive game as much of the play took place in the Lehigh zone. The Lehigh offense had a few chances but could not convert any of the scoring opportunities.
"We didn’t have a very good team performance tonight," said head coach Dean Koski. "When you play against a good team like Penn State you have to be sharp for the entire 90 minutes and we weren’t. I though we were flat in the first half. We had some bright moments in the second half but not enough to overcome the one goal deficit we were in."
Lehigh returns to Patriot League play this weekend when it travels to Washington, D.C. to take on American, the newest member of the league. The Mountain Hawks have already clinched a berth in the Patriot League tournament but will be jockeying for the number two seed in the tournament as both teams enter the game 4-1 in league play. Game time is scheduled for 2:00 in the nation’s capital.
Scoring
Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
Lehigh | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Penn State | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Scoring Summary
Team | Goal | Assists | Time |
Penn State | Brent Jacquette | Derek Potteiger, Ricardo Villar | 30:18 |
Shots on Goal
Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
Lehigh | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Penn State | 9 | 5 | 14 |
Goalkeepers
Team | Goalkeeper | Minutes | Saves | Goals Allowed |
Lehigh | Ryan Grzeszczak | 90:00 | 3 | 1 |
Penn State | Ryan Sickman | 90:00 | 0 | 0 |
Corner Kicks
Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
Lehigh | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Penn State | 4 | 4 | 8 |
For more information, contact Jeff Tourial, Lehigh Sports Media Relations.
