Saturday, October 11
Washington, D.C.
1:00 PM
Lehigh University
5-4-3, 3-1-1
1
at
3
American
5-6-1, 4-1-0
1
2
F
Lehigh
0
1
1
American
0
3
3
Photo by: Olivia Link
Lehigh Suffers First Patriot League Loss At American
10/11/2025 6:29:00 PM | Men's Soccer
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Lehigh men's soccer traveled south for an afternoon tilt against Patriot League foe American University on Saturday. The Mountain Hawks suffered their first Patriot League loss of the season by a score of 3-1.
"I thought we played well from the start," said Ingrassia Family head men's soccer coach Dean Koski. "I was pleased to see us fight and get a goal back, which is certainly representative of this team. I thought that we were back in it, and then we gave up an unfortunate third goal. It's difficult to win games giving up three goals in soccer, so we need to make sure we sure ourselves up defensively going into the rest of the season."
Lehigh (5-4-3, 3-1-1 PL) generated a lot of offense in the opening 45 minutes, registering nine shots and four shots on goal. Despite their efforts, the American (5-6-1, 4-1-0 PL) defense and goalkeeper Matthew Tibbetts held strong, making four saves in the frame. The Mountain Hawk defense stymied the Eagles in the first half, holding them to only one shot on goal. The two teams entered the locker room knotted 0-0 at the half.
It did not take long for American to break the tie in the second half, as Mustapha Sowe scored on an assist from Bethlehem native Sebastian Garces in the 48th minute. The Eagles then doubled their lead ten minutes later off the foot of Taku Takahashi to make it 2-0 American. The Mountain Hawks got one back in the 78th minute when sophomore Aiden Gonzalez delivered a strike off a corner kick, cutting the AU lead in half. However, the Eagles netted another in the 82nd minute to seal the win.
Lehigh outshot American 14-10 in the match while tying them with six shots on goal apiece.
"I thought we did a good job of creating the kinds of chances we like to create," said Koski. "We were efficient in terms of attacking and creating chances, but we were inefficient in terms of the final product."
Gonzalez finished the game with two shots and a goal. Sophomore Giacomo Zizza tallied four total shots with three on goal while junior Trey Sheeler, senior Sam Davis, junior Thomas Robertson and senior Yusef Gueye also registered shots for the Mountain Hawks. Sophomore goalkeeper Anton Kinnunen made two saves on the day.
The Mountain Hawks are back at the Ulrich Sports Complex on Tuesday, October 14 to take on Saint Joseph's at 6 p.m.
"We have to look ahead to the next game," said Koski. "We have to buckle up and understand that this next stretch of Patriot League games is going to be one of our more challenging stretches, but we can't overlook our next game, which is Saint Joseph's."
Like Lehigh men's soccer on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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"I thought we played well from the start," said Ingrassia Family head men's soccer coach Dean Koski. "I was pleased to see us fight and get a goal back, which is certainly representative of this team. I thought that we were back in it, and then we gave up an unfortunate third goal. It's difficult to win games giving up three goals in soccer, so we need to make sure we sure ourselves up defensively going into the rest of the season."
Lehigh (5-4-3, 3-1-1 PL) generated a lot of offense in the opening 45 minutes, registering nine shots and four shots on goal. Despite their efforts, the American (5-6-1, 4-1-0 PL) defense and goalkeeper Matthew Tibbetts held strong, making four saves in the frame. The Mountain Hawk defense stymied the Eagles in the first half, holding them to only one shot on goal. The two teams entered the locker room knotted 0-0 at the half.
It did not take long for American to break the tie in the second half, as Mustapha Sowe scored on an assist from Bethlehem native Sebastian Garces in the 48th minute. The Eagles then doubled their lead ten minutes later off the foot of Taku Takahashi to make it 2-0 American. The Mountain Hawks got one back in the 78th minute when sophomore Aiden Gonzalez delivered a strike off a corner kick, cutting the AU lead in half. However, the Eagles netted another in the 82nd minute to seal the win.
Lehigh outshot American 14-10 in the match while tying them with six shots on goal apiece.
"I thought we did a good job of creating the kinds of chances we like to create," said Koski. "We were efficient in terms of attacking and creating chances, but we were inefficient in terms of the final product."
Gonzalez finished the game with two shots and a goal. Sophomore Giacomo Zizza tallied four total shots with three on goal while junior Trey Sheeler, senior Sam Davis, junior Thomas Robertson and senior Yusef Gueye also registered shots for the Mountain Hawks. Sophomore goalkeeper Anton Kinnunen made two saves on the day.
The Mountain Hawks are back at the Ulrich Sports Complex on Tuesday, October 14 to take on Saint Joseph's at 6 p.m.
"We have to look ahead to the next game," said Koski. "We have to buckle up and understand that this next stretch of Patriot League games is going to be one of our more challenging stretches, but we can't overlook our next game, which is Saint Joseph's."
Like Lehigh men's soccer on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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Team Stats
Lehigh
Americ
Goals
1
3
Shots
14
10
Shots on Goal
6
6
Saves
2
5
Corners
4
2
Fouls
7
10
Scoring Plays
Mustapha Sowe (3)
Assisted By: Sebastian Garces
GOAL by Americ Sowe, Mustapha Assist by Garces, Sebastian.
47:55
Taku Takahashi (1)
Assisted By: Sebastian Garces
GOAL by Americ Takahashi, Taku Assist by Garces, Sebastian.
56:59
Aiden Gonzalez (1)
GOAL by Lehigh Gonzalez, Aiden.
77:20
Kobe Keomany (1)
Assisted By: Chris Sullivan
GOAL by Americ Keomany, Kobe Assist by Sullivan, Chris.
81:10
Game Leaders
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
4
SOG
3
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
M
/ Men's Soccer
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/ Men's Soccer
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/ Men's Soccer
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/ Men's SoccerM
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