Saturday, April 6
Baltimore, Md.
11 a.m.
Lehigh University
at
Loyola
No. 15 Lehigh travels to No. 2 Loyola Saturday for battle for first on CBS Sports Network
4/5/2019 11:10:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Standing 5-0 in Patriot League play and 7-3 overall, the No. 15 Lehigh men's lacrosse team is set for one of its biggest tests to date as the Mountain Hawks travel to No. 2 Loyola for a first-place showdown against the Greyhounds on Saturday. Opening faceoff is set for 11 a.m. and will air nation-wide on CBS Sports Network. Lehigh is coming off a 10-8 win over Boston University last Saturday to remain in first place in the standings at 5-0, a half game ahead of Loyola at 4-0. Lehigh and Loyola have combined for six of the last seven Patriot League Championships.
The Mountain Hawks have won two titles in the last seven seasons, and advanced to the championship game two other times, falling at Loyola in 2014 and last season (2018). The only team other than Lehigh and Loyola to win a title since 2012 was Colgate in 2015.
At No. 2 in this week's Media Poll, Loyola will mark Lehigh's highest-ranked opponent since playing North Carolina on Feb. 18, 2017, a 15-8 loss. The Tar Heels were ranked No. 2 in one poll and No. 3 in the other. Lehigh actually played Loyola in the 2014 Patriot League Title Game when the Greyhounds were No. 1 in the polls. The Mountain Hawks are no strangers to challenging opponents, playing Cornell in February when it was ranked fourth. Lehigh also played Virginia a week prior; the Cavaliers were No. 11 and are currently No. 4 in both polls. Against both Cornell and Virginia, the Mountain Hawks took leads into the second half and Lehigh even led into the fourth quarter against the Big Red.
Lehigh is eying its first-ever win against Loyola. It will also be trying for its first win over a top-five team since beating No. 4 North Carolina, 9-8 on Mar. 3, 2012. This Saturday against Loyola would mark the program's highest-ever ranked win in program history, besting the UNC victory.
The Mountain Hawks are taking momentum into Saturday's contest, using a 5-0 third-quarter last time out against Boston University, on their way to a 10-8 win. Junior Andrew Eichelberger began the game (and third quarter) with goals; he finished with a team-high three goals for his second-career hat trick. Senior Tristan Rai tied a career-high four assists while seniors Lucas Spence and Alexander Tumminello had two goals apiece. Both of Tumminello's goals were on the extra man to up his season total to six, currently third in the nation. He is up to a team-high 20 goals on the season, recording multiple goals in seven of 10 games on the year.
The Boston University win, along with out-of-town results, clinched the Mountain Hawks' ninth straight Patriot League Tournament, a run that began in 2011. Lehigh was the only team in the league to qualify for each of the last eight tournaments heading into the season.
Senior Craig Chick had a groundball and two caused turnovers against the Terriers to lead the defense. He helped contain Boston University's Chris Gray, who leads the country with 70 points on the year. Gray's five points on Saturday were actually tied for his second-lowest total on the season, and only two of those points (a goal and assist) came with Chick covering him six on six. Gray's other points came on the extra man or when the Mountain Hawks were playing zone. Chick reached 200 career groundballs in the victory while sophomore Teddy Leggett had six groundballs to reach the 100-groundball plateau.
Sophomore James Spence made 13 saves to continue his strong play. Included was stopping 6-of-6 in the third quarter to help the Mountain Hawks turn a 5-5 tie into a 10-5 lead heading to the fourth. In Lehigh's six-game winning streak, Spence has stopped 75-of-122 shots sent his way (61.5 percent). For the year, he owns an 8.36 GAA and 57.8 save percentage, currently fourth and ninth in the nation, respectively.
Lehigh's six-game winning streak is its longest since winning seven straight in 2013. The Mountain Hawks finished March 6-0, their first undefeated month since February of 2014 and first undefeated month of six or more games since March of 2012 (7-0).
Loyola is 7-2 on the season, with its only losses coming vs. Towson (12-10) and Duke (12-7). Since that Duke defeat, the Greyhounds have won three straight, beating Navy (18-5), Bucknell (12-7) and Colgate (21-7). One of the nation's top players, Pat Spencer leads the Greyhounds in assists (37) and points (66). Last season, he was the recipient of the Lt. Col. J.I. (Jack) Turnbull Award winner from the USILA as the nation's top attacker. Kevin Lindley is right behind with 43 points (team-high 40 goals, three assists) while Chase Scanlan comes in at 37 points via 27 goals and 10 assists. Ryan McNulty leads the defense with 36 groundballs and 12 caused turnovers. Faceoff specialist Bailey Savio leads the way with 64 groundballs, winning 49.2 percent of his faceoffs (122-of-248). Jacob Stover continues to be stellar in goal, tallying a 9.67 GAA and 60.3 save percentage.
Loyola leads the all-time series, 14-0, which includes a 7-0 mark since the Greyhounds joined the Patriot League. The teams met in league play in 2014, playing for the first time since 1998. Five of the seven games since 2014 have come in the regular season with Loyola also beating the Mountain Hawks in the 2014 and 2018 championship games. The closest call came in 2016 when Lehigh dropped a slim 11-10 final to the Greyhounds. The first-ever meeting between the two sides was in 1942, a 12-1 Loyola win.
Following Saturday's game, the Mountain Hawks return home on Wednesday for a nonleague matchup vs. Robert Morris at 5 p.m.
Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
The Mountain Hawks have won two titles in the last seven seasons, and advanced to the championship game two other times, falling at Loyola in 2014 and last season (2018). The only team other than Lehigh and Loyola to win a title since 2012 was Colgate in 2015.
At No. 2 in this week's Media Poll, Loyola will mark Lehigh's highest-ranked opponent since playing North Carolina on Feb. 18, 2017, a 15-8 loss. The Tar Heels were ranked No. 2 in one poll and No. 3 in the other. Lehigh actually played Loyola in the 2014 Patriot League Title Game when the Greyhounds were No. 1 in the polls. The Mountain Hawks are no strangers to challenging opponents, playing Cornell in February when it was ranked fourth. Lehigh also played Virginia a week prior; the Cavaliers were No. 11 and are currently No. 4 in both polls. Against both Cornell and Virginia, the Mountain Hawks took leads into the second half and Lehigh even led into the fourth quarter against the Big Red.
Lehigh is eying its first-ever win against Loyola. It will also be trying for its first win over a top-five team since beating No. 4 North Carolina, 9-8 on Mar. 3, 2012. This Saturday against Loyola would mark the program's highest-ever ranked win in program history, besting the UNC victory.
The Mountain Hawks are taking momentum into Saturday's contest, using a 5-0 third-quarter last time out against Boston University, on their way to a 10-8 win. Junior Andrew Eichelberger began the game (and third quarter) with goals; he finished with a team-high three goals for his second-career hat trick. Senior Tristan Rai tied a career-high four assists while seniors Lucas Spence and Alexander Tumminello had two goals apiece. Both of Tumminello's goals were on the extra man to up his season total to six, currently third in the nation. He is up to a team-high 20 goals on the season, recording multiple goals in seven of 10 games on the year.
The Boston University win, along with out-of-town results, clinched the Mountain Hawks' ninth straight Patriot League Tournament, a run that began in 2011. Lehigh was the only team in the league to qualify for each of the last eight tournaments heading into the season.
Senior Craig Chick had a groundball and two caused turnovers against the Terriers to lead the defense. He helped contain Boston University's Chris Gray, who leads the country with 70 points on the year. Gray's five points on Saturday were actually tied for his second-lowest total on the season, and only two of those points (a goal and assist) came with Chick covering him six on six. Gray's other points came on the extra man or when the Mountain Hawks were playing zone. Chick reached 200 career groundballs in the victory while sophomore Teddy Leggett had six groundballs to reach the 100-groundball plateau.
Sophomore James Spence made 13 saves to continue his strong play. Included was stopping 6-of-6 in the third quarter to help the Mountain Hawks turn a 5-5 tie into a 10-5 lead heading to the fourth. In Lehigh's six-game winning streak, Spence has stopped 75-of-122 shots sent his way (61.5 percent). For the year, he owns an 8.36 GAA and 57.8 save percentage, currently fourth and ninth in the nation, respectively.
Lehigh's six-game winning streak is its longest since winning seven straight in 2013. The Mountain Hawks finished March 6-0, their first undefeated month since February of 2014 and first undefeated month of six or more games since March of 2012 (7-0).
Loyola is 7-2 on the season, with its only losses coming vs. Towson (12-10) and Duke (12-7). Since that Duke defeat, the Greyhounds have won three straight, beating Navy (18-5), Bucknell (12-7) and Colgate (21-7). One of the nation's top players, Pat Spencer leads the Greyhounds in assists (37) and points (66). Last season, he was the recipient of the Lt. Col. J.I. (Jack) Turnbull Award winner from the USILA as the nation's top attacker. Kevin Lindley is right behind with 43 points (team-high 40 goals, three assists) while Chase Scanlan comes in at 37 points via 27 goals and 10 assists. Ryan McNulty leads the defense with 36 groundballs and 12 caused turnovers. Faceoff specialist Bailey Savio leads the way with 64 groundballs, winning 49.2 percent of his faceoffs (122-of-248). Jacob Stover continues to be stellar in goal, tallying a 9.67 GAA and 60.3 save percentage.
Loyola leads the all-time series, 14-0, which includes a 7-0 mark since the Greyhounds joined the Patriot League. The teams met in league play in 2014, playing for the first time since 1998. Five of the seven games since 2014 have come in the regular season with Loyola also beating the Mountain Hawks in the 2014 and 2018 championship games. The closest call came in 2016 when Lehigh dropped a slim 11-10 final to the Greyhounds. The first-ever meeting between the two sides was in 1942, a 12-1 Loyola win.
Following Saturday's game, the Mountain Hawks return home on Wednesday for a nonleague matchup vs. Robert Morris at 5 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
LSM/D
/ 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
