Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh look to inch closer to PL Tournament at Army Sunday
10/30/2010 3:37:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's soccer team heads to Army on Sunday for its first Patriot League road game since Oct. 9. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. The Mountain Hawks (7-6-2, 3-1-1 PL) need a win coupled with a loss or tie from either Bucknell or Colgate to clinch their second straight league tournament berth.
Lehigh is coming off a tough 1-0 loss at Yale on Wednesday. The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the 38th minute while the Mountain Hawks struggled to generate consistent offensive pressure. In the process, the defeat snapped the Mountain Hawks' three-game winning streak overall.
The Mountain Hawks are undefeated in four straight league games. Following their league opening loss at Colgate, they've defeated Lafayette, tied Navy, then beaten Holy Cross and American. Lehigh has a chance at the Patriot League Regular Season Championship should it win its final two games. It would also need Colgate to gain no more than two points in its final two contests for that to happen.
Lehigh enters the weekend tied for second, two points ahead of Bucknell and Navy, who are tied for fourth. Bucknell is at Lafayette on Saturday while Colgate is at Navy. Should one of them lose or tie, that would set up the Mountain Hawks on Sunday where a win would clinch a tournament berth.
The team's recent success has garnered both regional and national attention. Lehigh jumped all the way to No. 4 in the most recent NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Rankings released on Tuesday, its highest ranking all season. The Mountain Hawks also garnered a Patriot League weekly honor on Monday for the fourth consecutive week when sophomore Cameron Omsberg was named Defensive Player of the Week. A week ago, junior Neal Melchionni earned offensive laurels while also cracking the College Soccer News National Team of the Week.
Three other Mountain Hawks have been honored this season, including Graf and junior Kevin Strunk who both earned Defensive Player of the Week, and senior Jonathan Nydell who garnered Goalkeeper of the Week.
Army has struggled this season, posting a 2-11-1 overall record, 0-4-1 in the Patriot League. The Black Knights are riding a two-game unbeaten streak, though, tying Lafayette last Saturday before defeating Sacred Heart on Wednesday. They've also lost two overtime heartbreakers this season, to Bryant and NJIT.
Tanner Robertson leads the offense with seven points via two goals and three assists. Michael Kim has six (one goal, four assists) and T.J. Rowe has five (one goal, three assists). Ryan Currens has started 12 of the 14 games in goal, posting a 1.37 GAA and .726 save percentage.
Lehigh has won its last six meetings against Army, including a 4-1 final last year and 1-0 in West Point the year prior. The last time the Mountain Hawks didn't win was a 1-1 tie in 2003. Overall, they've outscored the Black Knights, 17-2 as part of that six-game winning streak, which included four shutouts.
Live stats and video (subscription based) will be available on Saturday courtesy of Army Athletics.
The Mountain Hawks return home following Sunday's match for the regular season finale on Saturday evening (Nov. 6) vs. Bucknell.
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Soccer
Wednesday, October 29
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Soccer
Wednesday, September 17
2025 Lehigh Men's Soccer Season Preview
Tuesday, August 19
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Soccer
Tuesday, October 15
