Sunday, October 10
Worcester, Mass.
4 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Holy Cross
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Mountain Hawks take good form into Sunday showdown at first place Holy Cross
10/8/2021 12:18:00 PM | Men's Soccer
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's soccer team has just one win in 11 games this season, but they sure aren't playing like it as of late. The Mountain Hawks (1-8-2, 1-3-0 PL) are 1-1-1 in their last three games and are coming off a giant win over first place Army West Point on Saturday night and a 1-1 draw Tuesday against No. 4 West Virginia. Lehigh is peaking at the right time heading into another matchup against a first-place opponent, taking on Holy Cross (6-3-2, 3-1-0 PL) at 4 p.m. on Sunday in Worcester.
Senior forward Josh Luchini finally broke through with his first goal in six games, scoring the penalty kick equalizer against the nationally-ranked Mountaineers on Tuesday. Luchini's three goals are a team-high, upping his career total to 23 in four seasons.
The defense was excellent, anchored by reigning Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week Hassane Diakho and Spencer Koski. The Mountain Hawks back-line gave up a first minute goal to WVU, but kept it out of the net for the next 109 minutes through two overtime periods.
Sophomore goalkeeper Blake Koski replaced the injured Noah Sutherland after that first minute goal and shut out the Mountaineers for the remainder of the contest, making six saves on 24 shots faced. Koski has a 1.52 goals against average in 2021, but has seen the number decrease over his last three appearances. He has only allowed two goals over his last 293 minutes played.
With just four Patriot League contests remaining following Sunday's match vs. Holy Cross, the wiggle room is tiny as every point matters to get into the tournament. The Mountain Hawks earned their first three points of the campaign against Army and in eighth position, are three points off the cut-line at sixth where Loyola Maryland and American sit tied (both with victories over Lehigh).
Holy Cross is having a remarkable season following a Patriot League Tournament berth in the shortened spring season. In their last full season in 2019, the Crusaders went just 3-15 overall with a 1-8 record in the league.
This season, Holy Cross is 6-3-2 with a 3-1-0 record in Patriot League games, most recently coming off a 3-0 loss to Navy on Saturday. Before that, the Crusaders reeled off victories over Colgate (3-1), Loyola Maryland (1-0) and American (2-1). The team is searching for their first Patriot League title since 2002.
The Crusaders have scored 17 goals so far this year but have conceded 15 (averaging 1.36 goals per game). Evan Jones leads with four goals and four assists for 12 points, while Dylan Scanley has three goals and two assists and Max Krause has a team-best five helpers.
Jimmy Joyce has started 11 of the Crusaders' 13 games this season and has a 1.34 GAA with 32 saves, stopping shots at a save percentage of .681.
Lehigh leads the all-time series, 14-13-6 including the previous two matchups in 2018 and 2019. In 2019, the Mountain Hawks got the 2-1 overtime victory in Worcester, when Josh Luchini scored the golden goal on the free kick feed from Nick Jennings.
Sunday's matchup will not be streamed, but live stats will be provided.
Like Lehigh Men's Soccer on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Senior forward Josh Luchini finally broke through with his first goal in six games, scoring the penalty kick equalizer against the nationally-ranked Mountaineers on Tuesday. Luchini's three goals are a team-high, upping his career total to 23 in four seasons.
The defense was excellent, anchored by reigning Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week Hassane Diakho and Spencer Koski. The Mountain Hawks back-line gave up a first minute goal to WVU, but kept it out of the net for the next 109 minutes through two overtime periods.
Sophomore goalkeeper Blake Koski replaced the injured Noah Sutherland after that first minute goal and shut out the Mountaineers for the remainder of the contest, making six saves on 24 shots faced. Koski has a 1.52 goals against average in 2021, but has seen the number decrease over his last three appearances. He has only allowed two goals over his last 293 minutes played.
With just four Patriot League contests remaining following Sunday's match vs. Holy Cross, the wiggle room is tiny as every point matters to get into the tournament. The Mountain Hawks earned their first three points of the campaign against Army and in eighth position, are three points off the cut-line at sixth where Loyola Maryland and American sit tied (both with victories over Lehigh).
Holy Cross is having a remarkable season following a Patriot League Tournament berth in the shortened spring season. In their last full season in 2019, the Crusaders went just 3-15 overall with a 1-8 record in the league.
This season, Holy Cross is 6-3-2 with a 3-1-0 record in Patriot League games, most recently coming off a 3-0 loss to Navy on Saturday. Before that, the Crusaders reeled off victories over Colgate (3-1), Loyola Maryland (1-0) and American (2-1). The team is searching for their first Patriot League title since 2002.
The Crusaders have scored 17 goals so far this year but have conceded 15 (averaging 1.36 goals per game). Evan Jones leads with four goals and four assists for 12 points, while Dylan Scanley has three goals and two assists and Max Krause has a team-best five helpers.
Jimmy Joyce has started 11 of the Crusaders' 13 games this season and has a 1.34 GAA with 32 saves, stopping shots at a save percentage of .681.
Lehigh leads the all-time series, 14-13-6 including the previous two matchups in 2018 and 2019. In 2019, the Mountain Hawks got the 2-1 overtime victory in Worcester, when Josh Luchini scored the golden goal on the free kick feed from Nick Jennings.
Sunday's matchup will not be streamed, but live stats will be provided.
Like Lehigh Men's Soccer on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Players Mentioned
D/M
/ Men's Soccer
D/M
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
GK
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