Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh falls in shootout to Crusaders
9/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Boston, MA – Lehigh (11-7-2, 4-2-1 Patriot League) fell in the Patriot League Championship to Holy Cross (13-4-1, 5-2-0 Patriot League) in a shootout on Sunday evening. By winning the Patriot League Tournament, the Crusaders earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
As was the case in the semi-final, neither the Mountain Hawks nor their opponent could muster a score through regulation or the two overtimes. Lehigh would take a 2-0 advantage in the shootout, but could not hold onto the lead, falling 10-9 in penalty kicks.
Senior Ryan Grzeszczak manned the Mountain Hawk net, blanking Holy Cross for 110:00. The Crusaders' Kevin Baker returned the favor, keeping the Mountain Hawks in check through regulation and overtime.
"This was a great Patriot League final," head coach Dean Koski said. "Both teams played classic Patriot League soccer, under very challenging circumstances. We are very proud of our effort, and both teams played with a lot of class. Now we just have to keep our fingers crossed."
Lehigh’s fate is now in the hands of the NCAA Tournament selection committee. The Mountain Hawks will hope to receive an at-large bid during the NCAA selection show on Monday. The selections will be announced live on ESPN News and ESPN Radio at 4:30.
Scoring
Team | 1 | 2 | 1OT | 2OT | Final | Shootout |
(3) Lehigh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
(1) Holy Cross | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Shootout
Round | Player | Result |
1 | Dan Perciballi, Lehigh | Good, 1-0 |
Chris Napolitano, Holy Cross | No Good, 1-0 | |
2 | Doug Cusick, Lehigh | Good, 2-0 |
Matt Ney, Holy Cross | Good, 2-1 | |
3 | Steve Fisher, Lehigh | No Good, 2-1 |
Paul Kitson, Holy Cross | Good, 2-2 | |
4 | Keith Ritchings, Lehigh | Good, 3-2 |
Pat Montgomery, Holy Cross | Good, 3-3 | |
5 | Evan Bruno, Lehigh | Good, 4-3 |
Rusty Giudici, Holy Cross | Good, 4-4 | |
6 | Wes Roach, Lehigh | Good, 5-4 |
Anthony Cinelli, Holy Cross | Good, 5-5 | |
7 | Manbaj Gill, Lehigh | Good, 6-5 |
Christopher Ruggi, Holy Cross | Good, 6-6 | |
8 | Brandon Smith, Lehigh | Good, 7-6 |
William Stewart, Holy Cross | Good, 7-7 | |
9 | Ben Gucciardi, Lehigh | Good, 8-7 |
Joe Foerster, Holy Cross | Good, 8-8 | |
10 | James Lawler, Lehigh | Good, 9-8 |
Geoffrey O’Connell, Holy Cross | Good, 9-9 | |
11 | Dan Perciballi, Lehigh | No Good, 9-9 |
Chris Napolitano, Holy Cross | Good, 10-9 |
Goalkeeping
Team | Goalie | Minutes | Goals Allowed |
Lehigh | Ryan Grzeszczak | 110:00 | 0 |
Holy Cross | Kevin Baker | 110:00 | 0 |
For more information, please contact Geoff Goyne, Lehigh Sports Media Relations.
Posted Sunday, November 17, 2002
