Lehigh closes four-game road swing at Colgate; game pushed back to Sunday

Sunday, March 5

Hamilton, N.Y.

1 PM

Lehigh University

Colgate

Lehigh closes four-game road swing at Colgate; game pushed back to Sunday

3/2/2017 11:27:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse

Game Notes | Watch Live | Live Stats | Colgate Rescheduling Announcement

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's lacrosse team will look to snap a two-game losing skid when it heads to Colgate on Sunday for a big Patriot League matchup against the Raiders. Opening faceoff is set for 1 p.m. on the Patriot League Network. The contest was originally scheduled for Saturday, but was pushed back a day due to expected inclement weather forecast for central New York on Saturday. The Mountain Hawks fell behind 9-1 at Holy Cross last week, scored five of the next six goals to pull within shouting distance in the third quarter, but the Crusaders answered. Sunday's contest marks Lehigh's last of four straight road games.

Last Saturday, Holy Cross came out with a vengeance, taking a 5-1 lead after one quarter of play and 9-4 advantage at halftime. Sophomore Andrew Pettit scored three straight goals in the final 3:45 of the second quarter to give the Mountain Hawks momentum, then they scored two of the first three third-quarter goals as well. Holy Cross scored the next four to create separation before a pair of late goals from sophomore Tristan Rai made the final score 14-8. The loss snapped Lehigh's seven-game winning streak in Patriot League openers.

Coming off a Patriot League Tournament appearance last season, the win marked the Crusaders' first-ever against Lehigh. Pettit led the Mountain Hawks' offense with a career day, posting career highs in goals (4), assists (3) and points (7), having a hand in seven of the team's eight goals. Rai scored three goals for his eighth-career hat trick while senior Matt Raposo scored the other goal. Lehigh's top performer was freshman faceoff specialist Conor Gaffney, who finished 17-of-22, which included winning 15 of his last 17. He also corralled 13 groundballs to increase his season total to 42; his 10.50 GBs per game stand top five in the nation. Gaffney helped the Mountain Hawks control possession, helping them pull as close as they did.

Sophomore Craig Chick was all over the field, recording four groundballs and five caused turnovers. Classmate Eddie Bouhall had a career-high tying five groundballs for a second straight week. Junior John Mehok tied a career high with two assists.

Through four games, Lehigh's starting attackmen lead the team in scoring, combining for 45 points via 23 points and 22 assists. Chick owns a team-leading 12 caused turnovers to go with 15 groundballs while Gaffney has won 64.8 percent of his faceoffs on the season (59-of-91).

Colgate is 1-2 on the season, most recently winning its Patriot League opener last Saturday at Bucknell, 15-10. The Raiders outscored the Bison 5-2 in the first quarter and 5-1 in the third, helping lead them to victory. Six different players recorded multiple points for Colgate. On the season, Anthony Abbadessa leads the team in scoring with 10 points (eight goals, two assists) while Sam Cleveland has eight points (five goals, three assists) and last week's Patriot League Rookie of the Week Nicky Petkevich has seven (two goals, five assists). Will Blumenberg has four goals and a team-leading 13 groundballs while Colin Orr is 36-of-53 facing off (67.9 percent) with 12 groundballs. Veteran goaltender Brandon Burke owns an 11.07 goals against average and .535 save percentage. Prior to the Bucknell win, Colgate began its season with losses to Marist (12-8) and at Binghamton (11-8).

Lehigh's 12-9 win over Colgate last season was its fifth in its last six tries against the Raiders, dating back to the 2012 Patriot League Championship Game when the Mountain Hawks won, 16-14. Since, Lehigh won 13-10, 15-7, 11-7 and 12-9. The Mountain Hawks' only game at Colgate since that championship game was Apr. 4, 2015, a 12-8 Raiders' win. The schools first met in 1956, a 16-0 Colgate victory. Lehigh's first win was in 1960 by an 8-6 final.

Following Sunday's game, the Mountain Hawks will return home next Saturday (Mar. 11) for the first time in over a month as they'll host Army West Point. Opening faceoff is set for 1 p.m.

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