Sunday, May 5
Baltimore, Md.
12 p.m.
Lehigh University
vs
Army West Point (Championship)
Photo by: Larry French
Lehigh set to face No. 19 Army West Point for Patriot League Championship Sunday
5/4/2019 8:26:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
BALTIMORE – Following a thrilling 10-9 Patriot League semifinal win over Boston University Friday, the second-seeded Lehigh men's lacrosse team is set to play in its second straight championship game and fifth in the last eight years when the Mountain Hawks square off with fourth-seeded Army West Point on Sunday. Opening faceoff is set for 12 p.m. with the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line. Sunday's game can be seen nation-wide on CBS Sports Network.
For a second straight season, Lehigh picked up a thrilling one-goal victory in the semifinals at Loyola's Ridley Athletic Complex. After topping Navy in overtime last year (by the exact same 10-9 final), the Mountain Hawks used a four-goal third-quarter surge to take a 9-7 lead into the fourth. The Terriers made a strong push, but Lehigh held them off to make it back to a familiar place, the title game. Lehigh will be vying for its first league title since 2013, which marked the second of its back-to-back championships. Since, the Mountain Hawks lost in the championship game in 2014 and 2018, both against Loyola. This time, Lehigh will play for a title at Loyola, but it will be against Army West Point, who upset the Greyhounds in Friday's first semifinal, 7-5.
Friday was Lehigh's fifth straight Patriot League Semifinal victory. The last time the Mountain Hawks fell in the semis was in 2011, when current associate head coach Will Scudder was still playing. Boston University got out to a fast start Friday, taking a 1-0 lead just 3:38 in. If it wasn't for sophomore goaltender James Spence, the margin could have been bigger as his seven first-quarter saves helped the Mountain Hawks take a 2-1 lead after one quarter of play. Lehigh went up 4-2 following the first of two goals from James' brother Lucas Spence. BU came back with five of the next six goals to take a 7-5 advantage, but Lehigh's 4-0 run over the final 12 minutes of the third quarter saw senior Tristan Rai, junior Ryan Klose and Spence each score their second of the game, before senior Mickey Fitzpatrick scored his first off a tremendous feed from junior Christian McHugh. Freshman Tommy Schelling scored Lehigh's final goal at the 9:39 mark of the fourth quarter, which proved to be the difference in the 10-9 victory.
Junior Conor Gaffney continued his incredible season, winning 15-of 22 faceoffs with 11 groundballs. His season faceoff percentage remains at 69.0, and he is up to 137 groundballs, which is now a Patriot League record. Gaffney passed Colgate's Robert Grabher's old mark of 132 on Friday. He now needs just eight faceoff wins to break the Patriot League record for faceoff wins in a season (currently 238, also held by Grabher). Speaking of records, senior Craig Chick had three caused turnovers Friday to move to 157 in his career, just one from tying and two from breaking the all-time NCAA record of 158 held by Detroit's Jordan Houtby (2010-13). Chick also covered Boston University's Chris Gray, holding the nation's leading scorer to a season-low three points (one goal, two assists). Senior Matt Rimol was also tremendous against the Terriers' leading goal scorer James Burr, who entered with 54 goals but had just two on Friday. In the end, Boston University was held to single-digit goals for just the fourth time this season, twice happening vs. the Mountain Hawks.
Spence finished with two goals and two assists to lead Lehigh's offense. Schelling and junior Crew Cintron each had a goal and assist apiece. With the win, the Mountain Hawks improved to 7-1 all-time vs. Boston University, every win coming by four goals or fewer.
The Mountain Hawks defeated the Black Knights in the regular season, 11-8. Sunday will mark the first-ever meeting in a Patriot League Championship Game between Lehigh and Army. The Mountain Hawks are 2-1 all-time vs. the Black Knights in the Patriot League Tournament, winning both semifinal matchups (2012 and 2014) while falling in the quarterfinals (2016).
Army has enjoyed an impressive season, standing 12-4 overall with its only losses coming to Syracuse, Lehigh, Boston University and Loyola (regular season). The Black Knights own the nation's No. 2 scoring defense, allowing just 8.44 goals per game. All-American Johnny Surdick leads the defense, tallying 57 groundballs and 33 caused turnovers. In Friday's semifinal, he shut down Loyola's Pat Spencer, holding him to one point (an assist). Offensively, freshman Brendan Nichtern leads the way with 74 points (27 goals, 47 assists). Miles Silva leads the team with 38 goals while Nate Jones is second on the Black Knights in goals (31) and points (45). In total, six Army players have 20 or more points. Army has struggled a bit facing off, with two players attempting 150 or more draws. Ethan Barangan has had the most success, winning 40.9 percent (74-of-181) with 32 groundballs. All-League goaltender AJ Barretto owns an 8.38 goals against average and 58.8 save percentage.
The all-time series with Army has gone back-and-forth, with Lehigh winning four of five between 2012 and 2014 before the Black Knights responded with four in a row from 2015 to 2017. Now, Lehigh has won the last two. Last year, the Mountain Hawks picked up a thrilling 9-7 victory at the then No. 12 Black Knights. The two teams have squared off in four of the last eight Patriot League Tournaments (including this year), with Lehigh winning in the semifinals in 2012 and 2014, and Army winning in the quarterfinals in 2016. Eight of Lehigh's nine all-time wins against the Black Knights have come in the last 17 meetings. Army won the first-ever meeting in 1922 by a 4-1 final before the sides reconvened in 1990, a 15-11 Army victory. Lehigh's first win was in 1999, 13-9.
If the Mountain Hawks win Sunday, they would earn a ticket to the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in program history, all coming in the last eight years. Lehigh would learn its fate in the selection show on Sunday evening at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
For a second straight season, Lehigh picked up a thrilling one-goal victory in the semifinals at Loyola's Ridley Athletic Complex. After topping Navy in overtime last year (by the exact same 10-9 final), the Mountain Hawks used a four-goal third-quarter surge to take a 9-7 lead into the fourth. The Terriers made a strong push, but Lehigh held them off to make it back to a familiar place, the title game. Lehigh will be vying for its first league title since 2013, which marked the second of its back-to-back championships. Since, the Mountain Hawks lost in the championship game in 2014 and 2018, both against Loyola. This time, Lehigh will play for a title at Loyola, but it will be against Army West Point, who upset the Greyhounds in Friday's first semifinal, 7-5.
Friday was Lehigh's fifth straight Patriot League Semifinal victory. The last time the Mountain Hawks fell in the semis was in 2011, when current associate head coach Will Scudder was still playing. Boston University got out to a fast start Friday, taking a 1-0 lead just 3:38 in. If it wasn't for sophomore goaltender James Spence, the margin could have been bigger as his seven first-quarter saves helped the Mountain Hawks take a 2-1 lead after one quarter of play. Lehigh went up 4-2 following the first of two goals from James' brother Lucas Spence. BU came back with five of the next six goals to take a 7-5 advantage, but Lehigh's 4-0 run over the final 12 minutes of the third quarter saw senior Tristan Rai, junior Ryan Klose and Spence each score their second of the game, before senior Mickey Fitzpatrick scored his first off a tremendous feed from junior Christian McHugh. Freshman Tommy Schelling scored Lehigh's final goal at the 9:39 mark of the fourth quarter, which proved to be the difference in the 10-9 victory.
Junior Conor Gaffney continued his incredible season, winning 15-of 22 faceoffs with 11 groundballs. His season faceoff percentage remains at 69.0, and he is up to 137 groundballs, which is now a Patriot League record. Gaffney passed Colgate's Robert Grabher's old mark of 132 on Friday. He now needs just eight faceoff wins to break the Patriot League record for faceoff wins in a season (currently 238, also held by Grabher). Speaking of records, senior Craig Chick had three caused turnovers Friday to move to 157 in his career, just one from tying and two from breaking the all-time NCAA record of 158 held by Detroit's Jordan Houtby (2010-13). Chick also covered Boston University's Chris Gray, holding the nation's leading scorer to a season-low three points (one goal, two assists). Senior Matt Rimol was also tremendous against the Terriers' leading goal scorer James Burr, who entered with 54 goals but had just two on Friday. In the end, Boston University was held to single-digit goals for just the fourth time this season, twice happening vs. the Mountain Hawks.
Spence finished with two goals and two assists to lead Lehigh's offense. Schelling and junior Crew Cintron each had a goal and assist apiece. With the win, the Mountain Hawks improved to 7-1 all-time vs. Boston University, every win coming by four goals or fewer.
The Mountain Hawks defeated the Black Knights in the regular season, 11-8. Sunday will mark the first-ever meeting in a Patriot League Championship Game between Lehigh and Army. The Mountain Hawks are 2-1 all-time vs. the Black Knights in the Patriot League Tournament, winning both semifinal matchups (2012 and 2014) while falling in the quarterfinals (2016).
Army has enjoyed an impressive season, standing 12-4 overall with its only losses coming to Syracuse, Lehigh, Boston University and Loyola (regular season). The Black Knights own the nation's No. 2 scoring defense, allowing just 8.44 goals per game. All-American Johnny Surdick leads the defense, tallying 57 groundballs and 33 caused turnovers. In Friday's semifinal, he shut down Loyola's Pat Spencer, holding him to one point (an assist). Offensively, freshman Brendan Nichtern leads the way with 74 points (27 goals, 47 assists). Miles Silva leads the team with 38 goals while Nate Jones is second on the Black Knights in goals (31) and points (45). In total, six Army players have 20 or more points. Army has struggled a bit facing off, with two players attempting 150 or more draws. Ethan Barangan has had the most success, winning 40.9 percent (74-of-181) with 32 groundballs. All-League goaltender AJ Barretto owns an 8.38 goals against average and 58.8 save percentage.
The all-time series with Army has gone back-and-forth, with Lehigh winning four of five between 2012 and 2014 before the Black Knights responded with four in a row from 2015 to 2017. Now, Lehigh has won the last two. Last year, the Mountain Hawks picked up a thrilling 9-7 victory at the then No. 12 Black Knights. The two teams have squared off in four of the last eight Patriot League Tournaments (including this year), with Lehigh winning in the semifinals in 2012 and 2014, and Army winning in the quarterfinals in 2016. Eight of Lehigh's nine all-time wins against the Black Knights have come in the last 17 meetings. Army won the first-ever meeting in 1922 by a 4-1 final before the sides reconvened in 1990, a 15-11 Army victory. Lehigh's first win was in 1999, 13-9.
If the Mountain Hawks win Sunday, they would earn a ticket to the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in program history, all coming in the last eight years. Lehigh would learn its fate in the selection show on Sunday evening at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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