Sunday, February 24
Ithaca, N.Y.
1 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Cornell
Mountain Hawks continue road swing at No. 4 Cornell Sunday
2/22/2019 10:40:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's lacrosse team looks to bounce back from two straight defeats when the Mountain Hawks travel to upstate New York for another tough test at No. 4 Cornell Sunday. Opening faceoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+. Despite playing short-handed, Lehigh enjoyed a strong start at No. 11 Virginia last Friday, using a 5-0 run on the way to a 6-4 halftime lead. Sunday will be the second of three straight games on the road, and the final tune-up before the Patriot League opener at Colgate on Mar. 2.
The Cavaliers took a 2-0 lead deep into the first quarter before Lehigh's run, which included five goals in the span of 12:02. Virginia responded with two goals late in the second quarter, but a man-up goal from junior Austin Pierce sandwiched in between, gave the Mountain Hawks a two-goal halftime lead. Despite UVA beginning the second half on a 4-0 run, senior Alexander Tumminello scored his third of the game at the 13:43 mark of the fourth quarter to pull Lehigh within one. However, the Cavaliers ended the game with three of the final four goals.
Lehigh was vying for its first ACC victory since 2012. The Mountain Hawks have been playing without senior Andrew Pettit due to injury, as Inside Lacrosse announced prior to gametime that he will miss the season due to injury. Lehigh was also missing other players, including senior Lucas Spence. Pettit and Spence finished 1-2 on the team in points last season. Third was senior Tristan Rai, who had a strong effort at UVA, posting two goals and two assists. Tumminello recorded career highs in goals (3), points (4) and groundballs (4), good for his first-career hat trick. Making his first-career start, freshman Tommy Schelling tallied a goal and assist. Senior Mickey Fitzpatrick dished a career-high two assists.
Junior Conor Gaffney was stellar in the faceoff circle, winning 15-of-23, primarily against UVA's Justin Schwenk, who finished No. 1 in the ACC last season with a 59.8 faceoff winning percentage and 5.70 ground balls per game. Senior Craig Chick had four groundballs and two more caused turnovers to up his career total to 127 as he chases the NCAA all-time record of 158. Junior Andrew Eichelberger scored a goal while adding career highs in groundballs (5) and caused turnovers. Freshman Teddy Leggett tallied four groundballs and a caused turnover. Sophomore James Spence made eight saves in goal. Lehigh was hurt by 22 turnovers and finishing just 11-of-18 on clears.
On Sunday at Cornell, Lehigh will be vying for its first win over a nationally-ranked foe since beating No. 11/13 Navy in last season's Patriot League Semifinals. Lehigh hasn't defeated a top-five team since beating No. 4 North Carolina in March of 2012. The Big Red open their season on Friday at 5 p.m. at Hobart, before returning home less than 48 hours later to host the Mountain Hawks.
Last season, the Big Red came onto the national scene by posting a 13-5 record and Ivy League Tournament Championship. Cornell defeated Brown (7-4) and Yale (14-8) in the league tournament to earn the automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament, where it beat Syracuse (10-9) before falling to Maryland (13-8) in the National Quarterfinals. Cornell is led by one of the nation's top offensive players, Jeff Teat, who tallied 99 points (37 goals, 62 assists) while Clarke Petterson led the team in goals, posting 44 goals with 19 assists. In the end, Cornell returns 10 of its top 11 scorers, only losing Jordan Dowiak and his 47 points (40 goals, seven assists). Goaltender Christian Knight, who started 14 games last season, graduated, but Cornell returns Caelahn Bullen, who started four games in 2018, including against the Mountain Hawks.
Lehigh leads the all-time series with Cornell, 9-7-3, but hasn't won since 1916. Since a 5-4 Lehigh win, Cornell won in 1954, 1955, 2006, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Mountain Hawks nearly won in 2016, dropping a slim 13-12 final at home. The last time Lehigh played at Cornell, the Mountain Hawks dropped a 16-11 final in 2018. The teams first met in 1893, a 5-0 Lehigh win. Lehigh actually shared the national title with Cornell in 1914 and 1916.
Following Sunday's game, the Mountain Hawks will open Patriot League play on Saturday, Mar. 2 at No. 16/17 Colgate. Opening faceoff is set for 12 p.m.
Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
The Cavaliers took a 2-0 lead deep into the first quarter before Lehigh's run, which included five goals in the span of 12:02. Virginia responded with two goals late in the second quarter, but a man-up goal from junior Austin Pierce sandwiched in between, gave the Mountain Hawks a two-goal halftime lead. Despite UVA beginning the second half on a 4-0 run, senior Alexander Tumminello scored his third of the game at the 13:43 mark of the fourth quarter to pull Lehigh within one. However, the Cavaliers ended the game with three of the final four goals.
Lehigh was vying for its first ACC victory since 2012. The Mountain Hawks have been playing without senior Andrew Pettit due to injury, as Inside Lacrosse announced prior to gametime that he will miss the season due to injury. Lehigh was also missing other players, including senior Lucas Spence. Pettit and Spence finished 1-2 on the team in points last season. Third was senior Tristan Rai, who had a strong effort at UVA, posting two goals and two assists. Tumminello recorded career highs in goals (3), points (4) and groundballs (4), good for his first-career hat trick. Making his first-career start, freshman Tommy Schelling tallied a goal and assist. Senior Mickey Fitzpatrick dished a career-high two assists.
Junior Conor Gaffney was stellar in the faceoff circle, winning 15-of-23, primarily against UVA's Justin Schwenk, who finished No. 1 in the ACC last season with a 59.8 faceoff winning percentage and 5.70 ground balls per game. Senior Craig Chick had four groundballs and two more caused turnovers to up his career total to 127 as he chases the NCAA all-time record of 158. Junior Andrew Eichelberger scored a goal while adding career highs in groundballs (5) and caused turnovers. Freshman Teddy Leggett tallied four groundballs and a caused turnover. Sophomore James Spence made eight saves in goal. Lehigh was hurt by 22 turnovers and finishing just 11-of-18 on clears.
On Sunday at Cornell, Lehigh will be vying for its first win over a nationally-ranked foe since beating No. 11/13 Navy in last season's Patriot League Semifinals. Lehigh hasn't defeated a top-five team since beating No. 4 North Carolina in March of 2012. The Big Red open their season on Friday at 5 p.m. at Hobart, before returning home less than 48 hours later to host the Mountain Hawks.
Last season, the Big Red came onto the national scene by posting a 13-5 record and Ivy League Tournament Championship. Cornell defeated Brown (7-4) and Yale (14-8) in the league tournament to earn the automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament, where it beat Syracuse (10-9) before falling to Maryland (13-8) in the National Quarterfinals. Cornell is led by one of the nation's top offensive players, Jeff Teat, who tallied 99 points (37 goals, 62 assists) while Clarke Petterson led the team in goals, posting 44 goals with 19 assists. In the end, Cornell returns 10 of its top 11 scorers, only losing Jordan Dowiak and his 47 points (40 goals, seven assists). Goaltender Christian Knight, who started 14 games last season, graduated, but Cornell returns Caelahn Bullen, who started four games in 2018, including against the Mountain Hawks.
Lehigh leads the all-time series with Cornell, 9-7-3, but hasn't won since 1916. Since a 5-4 Lehigh win, Cornell won in 1954, 1955, 2006, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Mountain Hawks nearly won in 2016, dropping a slim 13-12 final at home. The last time Lehigh played at Cornell, the Mountain Hawks dropped a 16-11 final in 2018. The teams first met in 1893, a 5-0 Lehigh win. Lehigh actually shared the national title with Cornell in 1914 and 1916.
Following Sunday's game, the Mountain Hawks will open Patriot League play on Saturday, Mar. 2 at No. 16/17 Colgate. Opening faceoff is set for 12 p.m.
Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Players Mentioned
D/LSM
/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's Lacrosse
M/FO
/ Men's Lacrosse
LSM/D
/ Men's Lacrosse
A
/ Men's Lacrosse
A/M
/ Men's Lacrosse
A
/ Men's Lacrosse
A
/ Men's Lacrosse
G
/ Men's Lacrosse
A
/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's LacrosseLehigh Sports Central: Men's Lacrosse
Thursday, April 24
2025 Season Preview: Men's Lacrosse
Friday, January 31
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Lacrosse
Wednesday, April 10
