Sunday, February 14
Durham, N.C.
1:00 pm
Lehigh University
at
Duke
Photo by: Brinn McClennan '17
Lehigh heads south for showdown at perennial power, No. 3 Duke Sunday
2/13/2016 11:11:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Game Notes | Watch Live on ESPN3 (Free) | Live Stats
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Coming off a dominant season-opening performance, the Lehigh men's lacrosse team hits the road for a tough test on Sunday when the Mountain Hawks face the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils at 1 p.m. The game can be seen live online through ESPN3. Lehigh earned a 21-4 victory over NJIT last Saturday while Duke played its first game on Friday, defeating High Point 17-6 behind a 10-2 advantage in the second half.
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The Mountain Hawks quickly erased much doubt against NJIT, scoring the game's first six goals. Lehigh extended its lead to 16-2 at the half before taking out most of its starters for the final 30 minutes. The Mountain Hawks outscored the Highlanders 8-0 in the second quarter, with senior Alex Eaton having a hand in five of the goals (three goals, two assists). Eaton finished the afternoon with career highs in goals (4) and points (6) while tying a career high in assists (2) and groundballs (2). Freshman Tristan Rai dazzled with five goals (all in the first half) on five shots, including a highlight-reel behind-the-back goal to give the Mountain Hawks a 4-0 lead. He was later named Patriot League Rookie of the Week.
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In total, three Lehigh players recorded hat tricks. Junior Matt Raposo quietly posted a career-high five points on a career-high three goals and two assists (tied a career high). Senior Reid Weber tallied two goals and two assists along with a groundball and caused turnover. Senior Billy Oppenheimer dished three assists (all in the first quarter) while sophomore John Mehok tallied his first-career points, scoring two goals. Sophomore Nolan Apers also tied a career high with two points (one goal, one assist).
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Freshmen also made strong contributions. Along with Rai, Andrew Pettit had a goal and assist while Lucas Spence, Mickey Fitzpatrick and Jackson Monnin all scored goals. Defensively, freshman Craig Chick led the way with four caused turnovers, along with four groundballs. Eddie Bouhall had a groundball and caused turnover.
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Lehigh outshot NJIT, 49-14 and had 32 groundballs to the Highlanders' 26. The Mountain Hawks' 14 shots allowed were their fewest since giving up just eight in a 13-0 win over Manhattan on Feb. 25, 2012. Lehigh also allowed just 10 shots on goal, fewest since also allowing 10 in a 9-3 win over Bucknell on Mar. 8, 2014.
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Sophomore Adam Sawicki was solid in goal when tested, making three saves and allowing just three goals. Junior Donny Stires and freshman Jonathan Klobus also entered the game and made two saves and one save, respectively. In the end, the Mountain Hawks closed out their sixth season-opening victory in the last seven years. The 17-goal win marked Lehigh's largest margin of victory since a 22-3 win over VMI on Apr. 17, 1999. The 21 goals were Lehigh's most since a 21-9 victory at Detroit Mercy on Mar. 15, 2010.
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Lehigh turns its attention to a strong Duke team in an extra-special game for Mountain Hawks' ninth-year head coach Kevin Cassese. A former All-American player (and assistant coach) at Duke, Cassese will be facing his alma mater for the first time since 2008 when he brought the Mountain Hawks down to Duke in his first season as head coach. Eight years later, Cassese has made his mark at Lehigh, building a two-time Patriot League Champion program that looks to compete for championships, year in and year out.
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Sunday will be the first of two straight road games for Lehigh, both in the Carolinas. Duke marks Lehigh's highest-ranked opponent since the Mountain Hawks faced the top-ranked Loyola Greyhounds in the 2014 Patriot League Championship.
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Duke has been a staple in college lacrosse, which includes National Semifinal appearances in eight of the last nine years. Duke opened the 2016 season on Friday with a 17-6 win over High point. The Blue Devils were led by six points from midfielder Myles Jones (two goals, four assists) while six players recorded multi-point games. Last season, the Blue Devils lost to Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to end their streak of eight straight seasons making the Final Four. Jones, a Tewaaraton Award candidate, is the team's top returner, posting 77 points behind 40 goals and 37 assists last season. Justin Guterding is coming off a sensational freshman season which saw him post 70 points behind 52 goals and 18 assists. Duke's third and fourth leading scorers from a season ago, Jack Bruckner (47 goals, 13 assists) and Deemer Class (34 goals, 13 assists) also return. Kyle Rowe is the team's top returning faceoff specialist after winning 113-of-184 draws last season (61.4 percent) with 63 groundballs. Brian Dailey recorded a team-high 18 caused turnovers to go with 46 groundballs. Both goaltenders who split time last season return; Danny Fowler tallied an 11.76 GAA and .489 save percentage in 596:48 while Luke Aaron had an 11.30 GAA and .486 save percentage in 483:12.
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Lehigh is 0-5 all-time against Duke with the last meeting coming during the 2008 season. In that game, the Mountain Hawks opened a 3-0 lead after one quarter of play, but lost, 16-5. Prior to 2008, the Mountain Hawks played at Duke in 2003. Lehigh nearly defeated the Blue Devils during the 1994 season, falling 9-8 in overtime.
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The Mountain Hawks return to action at Furman next Saturday, Feb. 20 at 11 a.m.
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Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Coming off a dominant season-opening performance, the Lehigh men's lacrosse team hits the road for a tough test on Sunday when the Mountain Hawks face the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils at 1 p.m. The game can be seen live online through ESPN3. Lehigh earned a 21-4 victory over NJIT last Saturday while Duke played its first game on Friday, defeating High Point 17-6 behind a 10-2 advantage in the second half.
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The Mountain Hawks quickly erased much doubt against NJIT, scoring the game's first six goals. Lehigh extended its lead to 16-2 at the half before taking out most of its starters for the final 30 minutes. The Mountain Hawks outscored the Highlanders 8-0 in the second quarter, with senior Alex Eaton having a hand in five of the goals (three goals, two assists). Eaton finished the afternoon with career highs in goals (4) and points (6) while tying a career high in assists (2) and groundballs (2). Freshman Tristan Rai dazzled with five goals (all in the first half) on five shots, including a highlight-reel behind-the-back goal to give the Mountain Hawks a 4-0 lead. He was later named Patriot League Rookie of the Week.
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In total, three Lehigh players recorded hat tricks. Junior Matt Raposo quietly posted a career-high five points on a career-high three goals and two assists (tied a career high). Senior Reid Weber tallied two goals and two assists along with a groundball and caused turnover. Senior Billy Oppenheimer dished three assists (all in the first quarter) while sophomore John Mehok tallied his first-career points, scoring two goals. Sophomore Nolan Apers also tied a career high with two points (one goal, one assist).
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Freshmen also made strong contributions. Along with Rai, Andrew Pettit had a goal and assist while Lucas Spence, Mickey Fitzpatrick and Jackson Monnin all scored goals. Defensively, freshman Craig Chick led the way with four caused turnovers, along with four groundballs. Eddie Bouhall had a groundball and caused turnover.
Â
Lehigh outshot NJIT, 49-14 and had 32 groundballs to the Highlanders' 26. The Mountain Hawks' 14 shots allowed were their fewest since giving up just eight in a 13-0 win over Manhattan on Feb. 25, 2012. Lehigh also allowed just 10 shots on goal, fewest since also allowing 10 in a 9-3 win over Bucknell on Mar. 8, 2014.
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Sophomore Adam Sawicki was solid in goal when tested, making three saves and allowing just three goals. Junior Donny Stires and freshman Jonathan Klobus also entered the game and made two saves and one save, respectively. In the end, the Mountain Hawks closed out their sixth season-opening victory in the last seven years. The 17-goal win marked Lehigh's largest margin of victory since a 22-3 win over VMI on Apr. 17, 1999. The 21 goals were Lehigh's most since a 21-9 victory at Detroit Mercy on Mar. 15, 2010.
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Lehigh turns its attention to a strong Duke team in an extra-special game for Mountain Hawks' ninth-year head coach Kevin Cassese. A former All-American player (and assistant coach) at Duke, Cassese will be facing his alma mater for the first time since 2008 when he brought the Mountain Hawks down to Duke in his first season as head coach. Eight years later, Cassese has made his mark at Lehigh, building a two-time Patriot League Champion program that looks to compete for championships, year in and year out.
Â
Sunday will be the first of two straight road games for Lehigh, both in the Carolinas. Duke marks Lehigh's highest-ranked opponent since the Mountain Hawks faced the top-ranked Loyola Greyhounds in the 2014 Patriot League Championship.
Â
Duke has been a staple in college lacrosse, which includes National Semifinal appearances in eight of the last nine years. Duke opened the 2016 season on Friday with a 17-6 win over High point. The Blue Devils were led by six points from midfielder Myles Jones (two goals, four assists) while six players recorded multi-point games. Last season, the Blue Devils lost to Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to end their streak of eight straight seasons making the Final Four. Jones, a Tewaaraton Award candidate, is the team's top returner, posting 77 points behind 40 goals and 37 assists last season. Justin Guterding is coming off a sensational freshman season which saw him post 70 points behind 52 goals and 18 assists. Duke's third and fourth leading scorers from a season ago, Jack Bruckner (47 goals, 13 assists) and Deemer Class (34 goals, 13 assists) also return. Kyle Rowe is the team's top returning faceoff specialist after winning 113-of-184 draws last season (61.4 percent) with 63 groundballs. Brian Dailey recorded a team-high 18 caused turnovers to go with 46 groundballs. Both goaltenders who split time last season return; Danny Fowler tallied an 11.76 GAA and .489 save percentage in 596:48 while Luke Aaron had an 11.30 GAA and .486 save percentage in 483:12.
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Lehigh is 0-5 all-time against Duke with the last meeting coming during the 2008 season. In that game, the Mountain Hawks opened a 3-0 lead after one quarter of play, but lost, 16-5. Prior to 2008, the Mountain Hawks played at Duke in 2003. Lehigh nearly defeated the Blue Devils during the 1994 season, falling 9-8 in overtime.
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The Mountain Hawks return to action at Furman next Saturday, Feb. 20 at 11 a.m.
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Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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Players Mentioned
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