Saturday, February 29
Bethlehem, Pa.
3 p.m.
Lehigh University
4-1
14
vs
6
Navy
2-2
1
2
3
4
F
Navy
4
0
1
1
6
Lehigh
3
1
3
7
14
No. 17 Lehigh uses 9-0 second-half run to surge past Navy, 14-6
2/29/2020 9:38:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The No. 17 Lehigh men's lacrosse team scored nine straight goals in the second half to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 13-5 lead, on the way to a 14-6 victory in the Patriot League opener for both sides on Saturday. After giving up four early goals, the Mountain Hawks allowed just two over the game's final 52:10. Senior Andrew Eichelberger paced the offense with a career-high four goals while the Mountain Hawks' faceoff unit won 19-of-24 on the afternoon, including 15-of-16 over the final three quarters. With the win, Lehigh improves to 4-1 on the season, 1-0 in Patriot League play.
"We had a great practice week," said Lehigh head coach Kevin Cassese. "We learned a lot last week playing two games in three days. We were able to approach the practice week knowing we'd need to be physically and mentally tough in order to beat Navy. Anytime you play a service academy, that's the way it's going to be.
"They really took the fight to us in the first half," Cassese continued. "They were out working us in the early going and we were struggling to find our way. We were able to refocus and get back in the fight in the second half. I was really proud of the way our guys responded to adversity."
The Mountain Hawks scored 10 second-half goals, seven in the fourth quarter. Last season, Lehigh trailed Navy 5-4 at the half, but went on to win 15-8. A year later, the Mountain Hawks and Midshipmen were tied 4-4 before Lehigh surged to victory.
Along with Eichelberger's four goals, freshman Christian Mule' had three goals and an assist. Sophomore Tommy Schelling tallied two goals and an assist. Fifth-year senior Andrew Pettit scored twice, including his 100th-career goal. Sophomore Cole Kirst also scored his first two goals of the season. Junior Teddy Leggett collected seven groundballs while posting a career-high two points (both assists).
Also defensively, sophomore Anthony Tangredi stood out with a career-high four caused turnovers, along with an assist. Senior Christian McHugh tallied two caused turnovers as well.
Senior Conor Gaffney paced the faceoff unit, winning 11-of-14 with nine groundballs. In the process, he reached 389 career groundballs, breaking the Patriot League all-time record (previous mark was 384). Sophomore Mike Sisselberger won 8-of-10 faceoffs with five groundballs, and an assist. The impressive effort came against a Navy team that was winning more than 70 percent of its faceoffs coming in.
"I'm really proud of our seniors; I thought they stepped up big," said Cassese. "We had a few seniors who were out of the lineup today for various reasons and that left our seniors a little shorthanded. I thought Andrew Eichelberger really stepped up today and played like an All-America caliber midfielder. Ryan Klose put a gritty effort in. Crew Cintron is just pure heart out there. Conor Gaffney did a really good job and led the way at the faceoff. Christian McHugh was a warrior, taking nearly every shift at defensive midfield, and Andrew Pettit continues to make timely plays and provide leadership to a young attack unit. Our seniors did a great job overall, and we will continue to lean on them as we move forward."
Four of the game's first five goals were on the extra man, as Eichelberger scored just 1:01 in and Pettit followed less than two minutes later with his 100th career goal. Navy responded with three consecutive man-up goals, all from Tyler Perreten, to take a 3-2 lead. The Mids later extended their lead to 4-2 then 5-4 early in the third quarter, but that's when the Mountain Hawks took control.
An unassisted goal from Cintron tied the score at 5-5 with 7:00 left in the third quarter, sparking a 9-0 run. Kirst followed with his first of the season at the 4:07 mark to give Lehigh the lead, and would open the third-quarter scoring to put the Mountain Hawks ahead 8-5. The goals kept coming for the Mountain Hawks, who eventually went ahead 13-5 following Mule's third, assisted by Sisselberger off a faceoff win. Eichelberger's fourth with 19 seconds on the clock wrapped up the 14-6 final.
In the end, Lehigh's defense held Navy scoreless for a stretch of 23:59 in the second half, to just one goal over 51:08 and to only two over the game's final 52:10. The Mountain Hawks allowed just two even-strength goals all game.
The Mountain Hawks finished with a 44-23 edge in shots and 45-31 advantage in groundballs. Navy was 4-of-4 on the extra man while Lehigh was 1-of-3. After a tough start, junior James Spence stopped 11 of the final 13 shots sent his way in a stellar performance.
"The one thing about James is that he's really mentally tough," said Cassese. "If he gets off to a bad start, he can typically correct it. I also thought the defense did a really good job responding. They saw he was struggling early and they were able to tighten it down after the first few went in."
The Mountain Hawks return home next Saturday for another Patriot League showdown, hosting Holy Cross at 1 p.m.
Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
"We had a great practice week," said Lehigh head coach Kevin Cassese. "We learned a lot last week playing two games in three days. We were able to approach the practice week knowing we'd need to be physically and mentally tough in order to beat Navy. Anytime you play a service academy, that's the way it's going to be.
"They really took the fight to us in the first half," Cassese continued. "They were out working us in the early going and we were struggling to find our way. We were able to refocus and get back in the fight in the second half. I was really proud of the way our guys responded to adversity."
The Mountain Hawks scored 10 second-half goals, seven in the fourth quarter. Last season, Lehigh trailed Navy 5-4 at the half, but went on to win 15-8. A year later, the Mountain Hawks and Midshipmen were tied 4-4 before Lehigh surged to victory.
Along with Eichelberger's four goals, freshman Christian Mule' had three goals and an assist. Sophomore Tommy Schelling tallied two goals and an assist. Fifth-year senior Andrew Pettit scored twice, including his 100th-career goal. Sophomore Cole Kirst also scored his first two goals of the season. Junior Teddy Leggett collected seven groundballs while posting a career-high two points (both assists).
Shoutout to Andrew Pettit, who eclipsed 100 career goals in today's win over Navy! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/zB4vmcDSQJ
— Lehigh Lacrosse (@LehighLacrosse) February 29, 2020
Also defensively, sophomore Anthony Tangredi stood out with a career-high four caused turnovers, along with an assist. Senior Christian McHugh tallied two caused turnovers as well.
Senior Conor Gaffney paced the faceoff unit, winning 11-of-14 with nine groundballs. In the process, he reached 389 career groundballs, breaking the Patriot League all-time record (previous mark was 384). Sophomore Mike Sisselberger won 8-of-10 faceoffs with five groundballs, and an assist. The impressive effort came against a Navy team that was winning more than 70 percent of its faceoffs coming in.
Big shoutout to Conor Gaffney, who broke the Patriot League career groundball record today!! The previous mark was 384, and after today's game, he's up to 389 (and counting). #Beast pic.twitter.com/RZZXhXZXeY
— Lehigh Lacrosse (@LehighLacrosse) March 1, 2020
"I'm really proud of our seniors; I thought they stepped up big," said Cassese. "We had a few seniors who were out of the lineup today for various reasons and that left our seniors a little shorthanded. I thought Andrew Eichelberger really stepped up today and played like an All-America caliber midfielder. Ryan Klose put a gritty effort in. Crew Cintron is just pure heart out there. Conor Gaffney did a really good job and led the way at the faceoff. Christian McHugh was a warrior, taking nearly every shift at defensive midfield, and Andrew Pettit continues to make timely plays and provide leadership to a young attack unit. Our seniors did a great job overall, and we will continue to lean on them as we move forward."
Four of the game's first five goals were on the extra man, as Eichelberger scored just 1:01 in and Pettit followed less than two minutes later with his 100th career goal. Navy responded with three consecutive man-up goals, all from Tyler Perreten, to take a 3-2 lead. The Mids later extended their lead to 4-2 then 5-4 early in the third quarter, but that's when the Mountain Hawks took control.
Andrew Eichelberger puts Lehigh on the board early in the first half off of a feed from Tommy Schelling! Lehigh leads 1-0 over Navy. #WinToday Watch live: https://t.co/fYn4znC03a pic.twitter.com/hHT7OXcNip
— Lehigh Lacrosse (@LehighLacrosse) February 29, 2020
An unassisted goal from Cintron tied the score at 5-5 with 7:00 left in the third quarter, sparking a 9-0 run. Kirst followed with his first of the season at the 4:07 mark to give Lehigh the lead, and would open the third-quarter scoring to put the Mountain Hawks ahead 8-5. The goals kept coming for the Mountain Hawks, who eventually went ahead 13-5 following Mule's third, assisted by Sisselberger off a faceoff win. Eichelberger's fourth with 19 seconds on the clock wrapped up the 14-6 final.
Strong defensive effort from Judah Hicks leads to a goal scored by Schelling on the opposite end! Lehigh leads 11-5 with eight minutes remaining. Watch live: https://t.co/fYn4znC03a pic.twitter.com/D8iLXWRqV4
— Lehigh Lacrosse (@LehighLacrosse) February 29, 2020
Mountain Hawks aren't wasting any time out here. #WinToday Watch the final minutes live: https://t.co/fYn4znC03a pic.twitter.com/AAa3IGWK8u
— Lehigh Lacrosse (@LehighLacrosse) February 29, 2020
In the end, Lehigh's defense held Navy scoreless for a stretch of 23:59 in the second half, to just one goal over 51:08 and to only two over the game's final 52:10. The Mountain Hawks allowed just two even-strength goals all game.
The Mountain Hawks finished with a 44-23 edge in shots and 45-31 advantage in groundballs. Navy was 4-of-4 on the extra man while Lehigh was 1-of-3. After a tough start, junior James Spence stopped 11 of the final 13 shots sent his way in a stellar performance.
"The one thing about James is that he's really mentally tough," said Cassese. "If he gets off to a bad start, he can typically correct it. I also thought the defense did a really good job responding. They saw he was struggling early and they were able to tighten it down after the first few went in."
Another great save by Spence helps Lehigh maintain its 11-5 lead over Navy. Four minutes remain. #WinToday Watch live: https://t.co/fYn4znC03a pic.twitter.com/rWpghqIjpE
— Lehigh Lacrosse (@LehighLacrosse) February 29, 2020
The Mountain Hawks return home next Saturday for another Patriot League showdown, hosting Holy Cross at 1 p.m.
Like Lehigh men's lacrosse on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
NAVY
LEHIGH
Shots
23
44
Turnovers
18
23
Caused Turnovers
11
11
Faceoffs Won
5
19
Extra-Man Opps
4
3
Ground Balls
31
45
Game Leaders
G
4
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
2
CT
0
G
3
A
1
FO
-
Pen
1-60
GB
3
CT
2
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
G
2
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
3
CT
1
Players Mentioned
M
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LSM/D
/ Men's Lacrosse
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LSM/D
/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's LacrosseA
/ Men's LacrosseA
/ Men's LacrosseA
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FO/M
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