Lehigh picked second in preseason poll

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's soccer team was tabbed to finish second in the Patriot League's annual preseason poll, as announced by the league office on Monday. The Mountain Hawks garnered 68 points and one first-place vote, edging out rival Lafayette, which was picked third with 65 points. Bucknell, the defending Patriot League champion, was selected as the preseason favorite with 98 points and 14 first-place votes.

Voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors, the poll projected American and Colgate to finish tied for fourth with 63 points, while Holy Cross, Navy and Army rounded out spots six through eight. The league also announced the preseason offensive and defensive players of the year, with the former going to Kyle Miller of Holy Cross and the latter going to Colgate's Jeff Leach.

Lehigh finished the 2009 season with a 9-5-4 overall record, including a 4-2-1 mark in league play. The Mountain Hawks rattled off a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2) to end the season, eventually falling in the Patriot League semifinals to American on penalty kicks.

Now in his 19th season, head coach Dean Koski will welcome back 19 letterwinners and eight starters from last year's squad, including senior captain James Graf and senior goalkeeper Jonathan Nydell. The pair will help bolster a defensive unit that ranked second in the Patriot League last season with only 18 goals against in 18 games.

The Brown and White will open the season on Wednesday, September 1 when they host Rutgers at the Ulrich Sports Complex at 7 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on Lehighsports.com.

Patriot League Men's Soccer Preseason Poll

Team (# first place votes)	Points
1. Bucknell (14)	98
2. LEHIGH (1)	68
3. Lafayette (1)	65
4. American	63
Colgate	63
6. Holy Cross	41
7. Navy	35
8. Army	15

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Kyle Miller, Holy Cross
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Jeff Leach, Colgate

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus #6 Lafayette on November 15, 2025 , Tie , 1, to, 1

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus #4 Boston University on November 11, 2025 , Win , 1, to, 0

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus Lafayette on November 4, 2025 , Tie , 1, to, 1

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Colgate on October 31, 2025 , Tie , 0, to, 0

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Boston University on October 25, 2025 , Win , 2, to, 0

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus Seton Hall on October 21, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 5

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus Bucknell on October 18, 2025 , Win , 2, to, 1

Lehigh University Athletics

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