Saturday, February 29
Bethlehem, Pa.
3 p.m.
Lehigh University
vs
Navy
Photo by: Matt Smith
No. 17 Mountain Hawks set to clash with Navy in Patriot League opener Saturday
2/28/2020 11:09:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Following a 3-1 start to the season, the No. 17 Lehigh men's lacrosse team is set for the Patriot League opener on Saturday when it hosts Navy. Gametime is set for 3 p.m. on the Patriot League Network, following the women's team's game vs. Monmouth at 12 p.m. The Mountain Hawks most recently won two games in less than 48 hours, topping VMI and NJIT last Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
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After beating VMI 14-11 on Thursday evening, the Mountain Hawks headed to Newark, New Jersey Saturday morning to face the Highlanders for a noon faceoff. NJIT got off to a strong start, leading 1-0 after a quarter of play due in large part to goaltender Liam Brown, who made six first-quarter saves. The Mountain Hawks broke through in the second quarter, scoring five times in the second, seven in the third and five in the fourth on the way to a 17-8 win.
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Freshman Christian Mule' led the offense with a career-high five goals. He's recorded multiple points in all four career games so far, tallying 10 goals and four assists on the year. Senior Ryan Klose enjoyed a career offensive game for a second straight Saturday; after scoring three goals at Virginia on Feb. 15, he scored four times at NJIT. Sophomore Tommy Schelling continued his torrid start to the season, posting three goals and an assist - all after halftime. He reached the 50-career goal plateau in the process. One game after tying a program-record eight goals, fifth-year senior Andrew Pettit scored a goal and dished four assists.
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Three different Mountain Hawks scored their first-career goals - freshman John Sidorski (who finished with two), Anthony Tangredi and Matt Marker. Lehigh outscored NJIT 12-2 over the middle two quarters to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 12-3 advantage heading to the fourth. Saturday marked the fifth-ever meeting between Lehigh and NJIT, but first on the road.
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The Mountain Hawks controlled the faceoff circle, winning 24-of-29, including 14-of-16 over the middle two quarters. Junior Conor Gaffney won 13-of-14 faceoffs, marking the fewest losses of his career with at least 10 wins, and added 10 groundballs. Now with 380 career caused turnovers, Gaffney needs just four groundballs to tie and five to break the Patriot League all-time mark of 384 set by Peter Strid of Colgate between 1993 and 1996.
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Lehigh is now 3-1 or better after four games for the sixth time in the last seven years. On Saturday, the Mountain Hawks will be eying their third straight Patriot League opening victory and ninth in the last 10 years. Lehigh has won two straight overall vs. Navy, but lost the last two at home (the victories came at a neutral site and at Navy). Saturday will mark just the second time in program history Lehigh men's lacrosse plays on February 29 (also 2004, an 8-6 loss at Villanova).
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Navy stands 2-1 on the young season, owning wins over Manhattan (9-4) and Furman (19-3) along with a 12-9 defeat at No. 18 Richmond. The Midshipmen are led offensively by Christian Daniel, who owns 11 points behind five goals and six asssists. Nick Cole leads the team in goals (6) while Tyler Perreten and Patrick Skalniak each have five points via three goals and two assists. The Mids have won 70.6 percent of their faceoffs as a team, led by 30-of-41 (73.2 percent) from Nick Barry. Veteran Ryan Kern has started all three games in goal, tallying a 6.40 goals against average and 60.0 save percentage.
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Lehigh has won two straight against Navy following four straight defeats. Overall, the Mids own a 33-8 all-time advantage. The Mountain Hawks are 7-4 over their last 11 games against Navy (since 2011) after the program was 1-29 over the first 30 all-time meetings. In 2011, Lehigh defeated Navy 14-10 in Bethlehem to beat the Mids for the first time in 98 years and snap a 26-game losing streak in the series. The first-ever meeting was in 1910, a 4-2 Navy victory.
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Following Saturday's game, the Mountain Hawks remain home next Saturday for another Patriot League showdown, hosting Holy Cross at 1 p.m.
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Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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After beating VMI 14-11 on Thursday evening, the Mountain Hawks headed to Newark, New Jersey Saturday morning to face the Highlanders for a noon faceoff. NJIT got off to a strong start, leading 1-0 after a quarter of play due in large part to goaltender Liam Brown, who made six first-quarter saves. The Mountain Hawks broke through in the second quarter, scoring five times in the second, seven in the third and five in the fourth on the way to a 17-8 win.
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Freshman Christian Mule' led the offense with a career-high five goals. He's recorded multiple points in all four career games so far, tallying 10 goals and four assists on the year. Senior Ryan Klose enjoyed a career offensive game for a second straight Saturday; after scoring three goals at Virginia on Feb. 15, he scored four times at NJIT. Sophomore Tommy Schelling continued his torrid start to the season, posting three goals and an assist - all after halftime. He reached the 50-career goal plateau in the process. One game after tying a program-record eight goals, fifth-year senior Andrew Pettit scored a goal and dished four assists.
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Three different Mountain Hawks scored their first-career goals - freshman John Sidorski (who finished with two), Anthony Tangredi and Matt Marker. Lehigh outscored NJIT 12-2 over the middle two quarters to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 12-3 advantage heading to the fourth. Saturday marked the fifth-ever meeting between Lehigh and NJIT, but first on the road.
Â
The Mountain Hawks controlled the faceoff circle, winning 24-of-29, including 14-of-16 over the middle two quarters. Junior Conor Gaffney won 13-of-14 faceoffs, marking the fewest losses of his career with at least 10 wins, and added 10 groundballs. Now with 380 career caused turnovers, Gaffney needs just four groundballs to tie and five to break the Patriot League all-time mark of 384 set by Peter Strid of Colgate between 1993 and 1996.
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Lehigh is now 3-1 or better after four games for the sixth time in the last seven years. On Saturday, the Mountain Hawks will be eying their third straight Patriot League opening victory and ninth in the last 10 years. Lehigh has won two straight overall vs. Navy, but lost the last two at home (the victories came at a neutral site and at Navy). Saturday will mark just the second time in program history Lehigh men's lacrosse plays on February 29 (also 2004, an 8-6 loss at Villanova).
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Navy stands 2-1 on the young season, owning wins over Manhattan (9-4) and Furman (19-3) along with a 12-9 defeat at No. 18 Richmond. The Midshipmen are led offensively by Christian Daniel, who owns 11 points behind five goals and six asssists. Nick Cole leads the team in goals (6) while Tyler Perreten and Patrick Skalniak each have five points via three goals and two assists. The Mids have won 70.6 percent of their faceoffs as a team, led by 30-of-41 (73.2 percent) from Nick Barry. Veteran Ryan Kern has started all three games in goal, tallying a 6.40 goals against average and 60.0 save percentage.
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Lehigh has won two straight against Navy following four straight defeats. Overall, the Mids own a 33-8 all-time advantage. The Mountain Hawks are 7-4 over their last 11 games against Navy (since 2011) after the program was 1-29 over the first 30 all-time meetings. In 2011, Lehigh defeated Navy 14-10 in Bethlehem to beat the Mids for the first time in 98 years and snap a 26-game losing streak in the series. The first-ever meeting was in 1910, a 4-2 Navy victory.
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Following Saturday's game, the Mountain Hawks remain home next Saturday for another Patriot League showdown, hosting Holy Cross at 1 p.m.
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Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Players Mentioned
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