Saturday, October 26
Bethlehem, Pa.
6 p.m.
Lehigh University
vs
Lafayette
Photo by: Josh Liddick
First place Mountain Hawks host Lafayette in 116th meeting of The Rivalry
10/25/2019 5:32:00 PM | Men's Soccer
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Lehigh men's soccer team is coming off of one of its biggest Patriot League wins in years after knocking off No. 22 Navy last Saturday in Annapolis, effectively snapping the Midshipmen's 16-game unbeaten streak dating back to last season. The Mountain Hawks are in the middle of an unbeaten streak of their own, with six straight league decisions without a defeat in 2019.
For the first time this season, Lehigh is in sole possession of the top spot in the Patriot League standings with 16 points and only three matches remaining in the league schedule. Last weekend, Lehigh clinched a spot in the Patriot League Tournament for the third consecutive season.
The Mountain Hawks will now host rival Lafayette Saturday night at the Ulrich Sports Complex for the 116th meeting between the two teams.
Lehigh is offensively led by sophomore forward Josh Luchini, who leads both the team and Patriot League in goals with 10 and points with 21. He picked up his first assist of the season last weekend on the insurance goal to Trevor Koski in the 82nd minute to give Lehigh the 2-0 win over Navy. For his efforts, Luchini was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time this season, tying a single-season league record with Mark Forrest in 2018.
Both Koski and Alex Greene remain tied for the team lead in assists with four, while Luchini paces both the team and league in game-winning goals with four this season. Senior goalkeeper Will Smith has had an impressive month of October for the Mountain Hawks, coming off back-to-back Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week nods. He registered his sixth shutout of the 2019 season on Saturday against the Mids and made four saves. Smith now has 21 shutouts for his career which ranks second in program history and sixth in the league. He has a 0.83 goals against average this season with a save percentage of .814 and making 48 saves.
This season, the Mountain Hawks have played a more challenging schedule than normal including two matchups against ranked opponents in then-No. 12 Georgetown and then-No. 22 Navy last weekend. Lehigh is ranked 63rd out of 206 Division I teams in the latest NCAA RPI, released earlier this week. It is the third-highest ranked Patriot League team behind Navy (59th) and Loyola (46th). With Rutgers (75th) coming to the Ulrich Sports Complex on Tuesday, the ceiling is high for the Mountain Hawks for the remainder of the season.
Lafayette enters Saturday's matchup as what could be Lehigh's toughest offensive opponent this season in terms of goal-scoring, averaging the most goals (2.14), points (6.43) and shots per game (14.64) in the Patriot League. The Leopards are coming off a 2-1 home loss to American on Saturday and haven't had a win since Oct. 12 vs. Colgate. Sebastian Varela leads the team in goals with six, while Ryan Goncalves trails him by one with five. The trio of James Gibson, Marcos Kitromilides and Andrew Venezia leads the team in assists with five each, while Kitromilides leads the way in shots (26) and shots on goal (13). Goncalves paces Lafayette with three game-winners. In net, Alex Sutton remains a tough challenge between the pipes, with a 1.19 goals against average and a .754 save percentage in 13 starts. He also has six shutout victories to his credit. At home, the Leopards are 6-1-1, but on the road, they sport a record of 2-3-1 which could work to the Mountain Hawks' advantage.
Of the 115 meetings between the two teams, Lehigh has a 57-48-10 record against Lafayette and fell to the Leopards in Easton last year, 1-0 on Oct. 13. The Leopards won on a Chris Gomez penalty kick in the 49th minute. The last time these two teams squared off at the Ulrich Sports Complex was back on Oct. 14, 2017 in which Lehigh got a 2-0 shutout victory behind goals from Mark Forrest (via Doyle Tuvesson) and Oscar Greene.
Saturday's matchup is a part of the Summit Series and general admission tickets are $5 each. They can be purchased online here or at the box office at the Ulrich Sports Complex prior to the 6 p.m. start. The game will also be streamed live on the Patriot League Network.
Like Lehigh Men's Soccer on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
For the first time this season, Lehigh is in sole possession of the top spot in the Patriot League standings with 16 points and only three matches remaining in the league schedule. Last weekend, Lehigh clinched a spot in the Patriot League Tournament for the third consecutive season.
The Mountain Hawks will now host rival Lafayette Saturday night at the Ulrich Sports Complex for the 116th meeting between the two teams.
Lehigh is offensively led by sophomore forward Josh Luchini, who leads both the team and Patriot League in goals with 10 and points with 21. He picked up his first assist of the season last weekend on the insurance goal to Trevor Koski in the 82nd minute to give Lehigh the 2-0 win over Navy. For his efforts, Luchini was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time this season, tying a single-season league record with Mark Forrest in 2018.
Both Koski and Alex Greene remain tied for the team lead in assists with four, while Luchini paces both the team and league in game-winning goals with four this season. Senior goalkeeper Will Smith has had an impressive month of October for the Mountain Hawks, coming off back-to-back Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week nods. He registered his sixth shutout of the 2019 season on Saturday against the Mids and made four saves. Smith now has 21 shutouts for his career which ranks second in program history and sixth in the league. He has a 0.83 goals against average this season with a save percentage of .814 and making 48 saves.
This season, the Mountain Hawks have played a more challenging schedule than normal including two matchups against ranked opponents in then-No. 12 Georgetown and then-No. 22 Navy last weekend. Lehigh is ranked 63rd out of 206 Division I teams in the latest NCAA RPI, released earlier this week. It is the third-highest ranked Patriot League team behind Navy (59th) and Loyola (46th). With Rutgers (75th) coming to the Ulrich Sports Complex on Tuesday, the ceiling is high for the Mountain Hawks for the remainder of the season.
Lafayette enters Saturday's matchup as what could be Lehigh's toughest offensive opponent this season in terms of goal-scoring, averaging the most goals (2.14), points (6.43) and shots per game (14.64) in the Patriot League. The Leopards are coming off a 2-1 home loss to American on Saturday and haven't had a win since Oct. 12 vs. Colgate. Sebastian Varela leads the team in goals with six, while Ryan Goncalves trails him by one with five. The trio of James Gibson, Marcos Kitromilides and Andrew Venezia leads the team in assists with five each, while Kitromilides leads the way in shots (26) and shots on goal (13). Goncalves paces Lafayette with three game-winners. In net, Alex Sutton remains a tough challenge between the pipes, with a 1.19 goals against average and a .754 save percentage in 13 starts. He also has six shutout victories to his credit. At home, the Leopards are 6-1-1, but on the road, they sport a record of 2-3-1 which could work to the Mountain Hawks' advantage.
Of the 115 meetings between the two teams, Lehigh has a 57-48-10 record against Lafayette and fell to the Leopards in Easton last year, 1-0 on Oct. 13. The Leopards won on a Chris Gomez penalty kick in the 49th minute. The last time these two teams squared off at the Ulrich Sports Complex was back on Oct. 14, 2017 in which Lehigh got a 2-0 shutout victory behind goals from Mark Forrest (via Doyle Tuvesson) and Oscar Greene.
Saturday's matchup is a part of the Summit Series and general admission tickets are $5 each. They can be purchased online here or at the box office at the Ulrich Sports Complex prior to the 6 p.m. start. The game will also be streamed live on the Patriot League Network.
Like Lehigh Men's Soccer on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Big one tomorrow. We need YOUR support as we take on Lafayette an ever-important battle. Tickets are just $5. Be there! ⚽️ #GoLehigh #BeatLafayette #FlyTogether
— x-Lehigh Men's Soccer (@LehighMSoccer) October 25, 2019
🎟: https://t.co/9H9hlygbZE pic.twitter.com/3lr4HD4wTb
Players Mentioned
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