Saturday, October 23
Annapolis, Md.
5 p.m.
Lehigh University
3-10-2, 3-4-0
3
at
2
Navy
10-3-1, 4-3-0
1
2
3
F
Lehigh
2
0
1
3
Navy
1
1
0
2
Sarkos' hat trick and golden goal caps 3-2 OT thriller at Navy
10/23/2021 8:48:00 PM | Men's Soccer
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Jack Sarkos, know the name. The junior forward tallied his first career hat trick, scoring the golden goal in the 92nd minute to knock off Navy on the road, 3-2 in overtime Saturday night at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. With the win over the Midshipmen (10-3-1, 4-3-0 PL), the Mountain Hawks (3-10-2, 3-4-0 PL) stay alive in the hunt for a Patriot League Tournament berth.
Sarkos, now the team leader with five goals and 11 points, scored 23 seconds into the first half and added scores in the 32nd and 92nd minutes to become the first Mountain Hawk to record a hat trick with three goals this season and the first since Josh Luchini did so in the spring against Bucknell.
"I thought our guys did a really nice job of staying with our game plan and playing the way we needed to play against one of, if not the best team in the league right now on the road," said The Ingrassia Family Men's Head Soccer Coach Dean Koski. "We knew we needed to score goals and that's been a challenge of ours all season.
"Jack stepped up in a big way for us today and had certainly the best game of his career. Goal scorers are measured by one thing and that's scoring goals. He did just that, was very opportunistic and I was really proud of him. But it was a team effort and defensively we were good, but we were facing a really solid attacking team tonight. Navy was a handful, but three points on the road in overtime, we certainly are satisfied with that."
The victory is Lehigh's second straight against Patriot League sides and its first on the road this season, improving to 1-5-1 away from home. With just two games remaining on the schedule (vs. Boston U., at Colgate), the Mountain Hawks are currently in a tie for sixth place with Army West Point with nine points (prior to Army's Saturday night result).
Lehigh didn't waste any time scoring to kick off the contest, thanks to Sarkos' first goal of the game just 23 seconds into the match off the assists from Trevor Koski and Josh Luchini, his fourth of the season.
The Midshipmen battled back to fire off four consecutive shots following the early deficit and finally came through with the early equalizer in the 15th minute, courtesy of Sidney Paris and David Jackson's assist to Cristian Coelho.
Freshman Yoni Aidlberg had two straight shots in the 23rd and 27th minutes, the latter of which was saved by the Navy keeper.
Sarkos' second goal of the came in the 32nd minute on the top left of the goal off the feed from Yoni Aidlberg the second assist for Luchini. That gave the Mountain Hawks a 2-1 lead.
Dominic Flowers had a shot on goal in the 34th minute and another that went wide in the 41st.
Looking to take the lead late in the first half, Blake Koski made a save on Navy's David Jackson in the 45th minute, as the score remained 2-1 after 45 minutes.
Navy began the second half with two shots and Lehigh answered back with a shot from Perry Kingson that was blocked in the 59th and a wide shot from Trevor Koski in the 61st.
One of the most crucial moments of the game came in the 69th minute when Stevo Bednarsky committed a foul in the box that set up a penalty kick opportunity for Sidney Paris. Blake Koski came through in the clutch to save the PK chance and keep the score at 2-1.
It was a flurry of chances for the Midshipmen for a span of about 14 minutes with just one shot on goal and save for Blake Koski in the 76th minute.
Josh Luchini had a chance to put the game out of reach in the 83rd minute, but was saved and Navy came through with the equalizer again in the 88th minute, the second goal of the season for Charlie Kriel.
Perry Kingson had a chance to win it in the 89th minute, but Tyler Fahning made the save to force overtime.
It didn't take long for the Mountain Hawks to score to start the overtime period, as Kingson's saved shot on goal rebounded, finding the foot of Sarkos for the golden goal.
Despite the win, Navy out-shot Lehigh 18-4, but the Mountain Hawks had the edge in shots on goal, 8-5. Sarkos and Kingson registered three shots each with two for Aidlberg and Flowers. Trevor Koski, Yoni Aidlberg and Perry Kingson all picked up assists in the victory, with Josh Luchini registering a pair.
Blake Koski allowed two goals, but made three saves to earn the win.
Lehigh has just two more opportunities to qualify for the Patriot League Tournament with the home finale set for Saturday against Boston University for Senior Night and Nov. 3 at Colgate.
"You can't look at team's results when we play them, it's a slippery slope but I think most teams would say that about us right now too," said Koski. "We have to prepare for Boston like we prepare for any team we've played this season. On any given day, any Patriot League team can beat another. So we have to be strong and at our best and healthy going into that game.
"That's going to be our focus, what do we need to do to beat Boston."
Like Lehigh Men's Soccer on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Sarkos, now the team leader with five goals and 11 points, scored 23 seconds into the first half and added scores in the 32nd and 92nd minutes to become the first Mountain Hawk to record a hat trick with three goals this season and the first since Josh Luchini did so in the spring against Bucknell.
"I thought our guys did a really nice job of staying with our game plan and playing the way we needed to play against one of, if not the best team in the league right now on the road," said The Ingrassia Family Men's Head Soccer Coach Dean Koski. "We knew we needed to score goals and that's been a challenge of ours all season.
"Jack stepped up in a big way for us today and had certainly the best game of his career. Goal scorers are measured by one thing and that's scoring goals. He did just that, was very opportunistic and I was really proud of him. But it was a team effort and defensively we were good, but we were facing a really solid attacking team tonight. Navy was a handful, but three points on the road in overtime, we certainly are satisfied with that."
The victory is Lehigh's second straight against Patriot League sides and its first on the road this season, improving to 1-5-1 away from home. With just two games remaining on the schedule (vs. Boston U., at Colgate), the Mountain Hawks are currently in a tie for sixth place with Army West Point with nine points (prior to Army's Saturday night result).
Lehigh didn't waste any time scoring to kick off the contest, thanks to Sarkos' first goal of the game just 23 seconds into the match off the assists from Trevor Koski and Josh Luchini, his fourth of the season.
The Midshipmen battled back to fire off four consecutive shots following the early deficit and finally came through with the early equalizer in the 15th minute, courtesy of Sidney Paris and David Jackson's assist to Cristian Coelho.
Freshman Yoni Aidlberg had two straight shots in the 23rd and 27th minutes, the latter of which was saved by the Navy keeper.
Sarkos' second goal of the came in the 32nd minute on the top left of the goal off the feed from Yoni Aidlberg the second assist for Luchini. That gave the Mountain Hawks a 2-1 lead.
Dominic Flowers had a shot on goal in the 34th minute and another that went wide in the 41st.
Looking to take the lead late in the first half, Blake Koski made a save on Navy's David Jackson in the 45th minute, as the score remained 2-1 after 45 minutes.
Navy began the second half with two shots and Lehigh answered back with a shot from Perry Kingson that was blocked in the 59th and a wide shot from Trevor Koski in the 61st.
One of the most crucial moments of the game came in the 69th minute when Stevo Bednarsky committed a foul in the box that set up a penalty kick opportunity for Sidney Paris. Blake Koski came through in the clutch to save the PK chance and keep the score at 2-1.
It was a flurry of chances for the Midshipmen for a span of about 14 minutes with just one shot on goal and save for Blake Koski in the 76th minute.
Josh Luchini had a chance to put the game out of reach in the 83rd minute, but was saved and Navy came through with the equalizer again in the 88th minute, the second goal of the season for Charlie Kriel.
Perry Kingson had a chance to win it in the 89th minute, but Tyler Fahning made the save to force overtime.
It didn't take long for the Mountain Hawks to score to start the overtime period, as Kingson's saved shot on goal rebounded, finding the foot of Sarkos for the golden goal.
Despite the win, Navy out-shot Lehigh 18-4, but the Mountain Hawks had the edge in shots on goal, 8-5. Sarkos and Kingson registered three shots each with two for Aidlberg and Flowers. Trevor Koski, Yoni Aidlberg and Perry Kingson all picked up assists in the victory, with Josh Luchini registering a pair.
Blake Koski allowed two goals, but made three saves to earn the win.
Lehigh has just two more opportunities to qualify for the Patriot League Tournament with the home finale set for Saturday against Boston University for Senior Night and Nov. 3 at Colgate.
"You can't look at team's results when we play them, it's a slippery slope but I think most teams would say that about us right now too," said Koski. "We have to prepare for Boston like we prepare for any team we've played this season. On any given day, any Patriot League team can beat another. So we have to be strong and at our best and healthy going into that game.
"That's going to be our focus, what do we need to do to beat Boston."
Like Lehigh Men's Soccer on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Team Stats
Lehigh
NAVY
Goals
3
2
Shots
14
18
Shots on Goal
8
5
Saves
3
5
Corners
7
10
Fouls
15
9
Scoring Plays
Sarkos, Jack (3)
Assisted By: Koski, Trevor , Luchini, Josh
GOAL by Lehigh Sarkos, Jack (FIRST GOAL), Assist by Koski, Trevor and Luchini, Josh, goal number 3 for season.
0:23
Coelho, Cristian (2)
Assisted By: Paris, Sidney , Jackson, David
GOAL by NAVY Coelho, Cristian, Assist by Paris, Sidney and Jackson, David, goal number 2 for season.
14:40
Sarkos, Jack (4)
Assisted By: Aidlberg, Yoni , Luchini, Josh
GOAL by Lehigh Sarkos, Jack, Assist by Aidlberg, Yoni and Luchini, Josh, goal number 4 for season.
31:27
Kriel, Charlie (2)
Assisted By: Aoyama, Jason
GOAL by NAVY Kriel, Charlie, Assist by Aoyama, Jason, goal number 2 for season.
87:21
Sarkos, Jack (5)
Assisted By: Kingson, Perry
GOAL by Lehigh Sarkos, Jack, Assist by Kingson, Perry, goal number 5 for season.
91:05
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
3
SOG
3
Goals
3
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
2
Shots
3
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
D
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