Saturday, September 6
Bethlehem, Pa.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
2-0 , 1-0
28
vs
10
Sacred Heart
1-1 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Sacred Heart
7
0
3
0
10
Lehigh
7
14
0
7
28
Photo by: Hannah Ally
No. 11/13 Lehigh Grinds Out 28-10 Win Over Sacred Heart
9/6/2025 4:17:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Behind a rushing attack that gained 286 yards and a defense that did not allow a touchdown, No. 11/13 Lehigh moved to 2-0 on the season with a 28-10 victory over Sacred Heart Saturday at Goodman Stadium.
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The Mountain Hawks fell behind 7-0 when Sacred Heart's Dean Hangey returned the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown but Lehigh answered by scoring the next 21 points while limiting the Pioneers to a field goal the rest of the way.
Six rushers combined for the 286-yard effort on the ground, led by junior Luke Yoder, who carried 12 times for 127 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Jaden Green rushed for 79 yards and the go-ahead touchdown on 11 carries, while sophomore quarterbacks Hayden Johnson and Matt Machalik both found the end zone.
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Defensively, Lehigh limited Sacred Heart to 177 total yards, including 70 on the ground. Senior Brycen Edwards led the way with nine tackles, while junior Will Parton added eight and senior Tyler Ochojski contributed seven and one of Lehigh's five tackles for loss.
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Lehigh answered the Sacred Heart (1-1) touchdown on the opening kickoff with a six-play, 75-yard drive. On 3rd-and-1, Yoder broke through the line and ran through several tackles for a 28-yard touchdown rush to tie the game at 7-7.
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Green opened the second quarter with rushes of 16 and then 10 yards, with the second rush finding the end zone to give the Mountain Hawks a 14-7 lead. Late in the half, a 23-yard punt return by senior Geoffrey Jamiel set Lehigh up at the Sacred Heart 33. Four plays later, Johnson rushed up the middle for a 20-yard touchdown to give the Mountain Hawks a 21-7 lead at halftime.
Sacred Heart put together a 10-play, 65-yard drive in the third quarter, but Lehigh's defense stiffened in the red zone with Matt Kling's 32 yard field goal making the score 21-10 Lehigh.
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Lehigh's ground game helped the Mountain Hawks establish some cushion entering the final quarter. The Mountain Hawks moved 75 yards in 11 plays, all runs, with Yoder, Green, Johnson, Michalik and sophomore Aaron Crossley all contributing to the effort. Machalik opened the fourth quarter with a two-yard touchdown run to put Lehigh up 28-10.
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Johnson completed 10-of-17 passes for 129 yards with an interception, and added 43 yards on six carries. Machalik completed his only pass for eight yards and rushed for 16 yards on four attempts.
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Jamiel was the top receiver with 60 yards on five receptions.
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Sacred Heart's Jack Snyder on John Michalski combined to go 16-of-26 for 107 yards.
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The Mountain Hawks will hit the road for the first time in 2025 next Saturday when they travel to Pittsburgh for their first-ever meeting with NEC member Duquesne. Game time is set for noon from Rooney Field.
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EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2013 and won its first two home games for the first time since 2013… Saturday's win evened the all-time series versus Sacred Heart at 1-1… Lehigh recognized its newly inducted members of the Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame: Jenny Bender '03 (softball), Andrew Mittendorf '99 (men's soccer) and Joe Sterrett '76 (football/Dean of Athletics) between the first and second quarters… senior TJ Burke and sophomore Cole Hughes registered Lehigh's two sacks… Turnovers were even with Sacred Heart intercepting Johnson in the first quarter and then junior Joseph Marranca forcing a fumble on the return that sophomore Charles Soska recovered to give Lehigh possession… Lehigh has now rushed for 100 or more yards in 22 consecutive games dating back to the 2023 season.
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Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.Â
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The Mountain Hawks fell behind 7-0 when Sacred Heart's Dean Hangey returned the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown but Lehigh answered by scoring the next 21 points while limiting the Pioneers to a field goal the rest of the way.
ÂPostgame with @coach_cahill and Luke Yoder! pic.twitter.com/ouFs4erhdg
— Lehigh Sports (@LehighSports) September 6, 2025
Six rushers combined for the 286-yard effort on the ground, led by junior Luke Yoder, who carried 12 times for 127 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Jaden Green rushed for 79 yards and the go-ahead touchdown on 11 carries, while sophomore quarterbacks Hayden Johnson and Matt Machalik both found the end zone.
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Defensively, Lehigh limited Sacred Heart to 177 total yards, including 70 on the ground. Senior Brycen Edwards led the way with nine tackles, while junior Will Parton added eight and senior Tyler Ochojski contributed seven and one of Lehigh's five tackles for loss.
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Lehigh answered the Sacred Heart (1-1) touchdown on the opening kickoff with a six-play, 75-yard drive. On 3rd-and-1, Yoder broke through the line and ran through several tackles for a 28-yard touchdown rush to tie the game at 7-7.
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Green opened the second quarter with rushes of 16 and then 10 yards, with the second rush finding the end zone to give the Mountain Hawks a 14-7 lead. Late in the half, a 23-yard punt return by senior Geoffrey Jamiel set Lehigh up at the Sacred Heart 33. Four plays later, Johnson rushed up the middle for a 20-yard touchdown to give the Mountain Hawks a 21-7 lead at halftime.
ÂPostgame with @coach_cahill and Luke Yoder! pic.twitter.com/ouFs4erhdg
— Lehigh Sports (@LehighSports) September 6, 2025
Sacred Heart put together a 10-play, 65-yard drive in the third quarter, but Lehigh's defense stiffened in the red zone with Matt Kling's 32 yard field goal making the score 21-10 Lehigh.
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Lehigh's ground game helped the Mountain Hawks establish some cushion entering the final quarter. The Mountain Hawks moved 75 yards in 11 plays, all runs, with Yoder, Green, Johnson, Michalik and sophomore Aaron Crossley all contributing to the effort. Machalik opened the fourth quarter with a two-yard touchdown run to put Lehigh up 28-10.
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Johnson completed 10-of-17 passes for 129 yards with an interception, and added 43 yards on six carries. Machalik completed his only pass for eight yards and rushed for 16 yards on four attempts.
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Jamiel was the top receiver with 60 yards on five receptions.
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Sacred Heart's Jack Snyder on John Michalski combined to go 16-of-26 for 107 yards.
Â
The Mountain Hawks will hit the road for the first time in 2025 next Saturday when they travel to Pittsburgh for their first-ever meeting with NEC member Duquesne. Game time is set for noon from Rooney Field.
Â
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2013 and won its first two home games for the first time since 2013… Saturday's win evened the all-time series versus Sacred Heart at 1-1… Lehigh recognized its newly inducted members of the Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame: Jenny Bender '03 (softball), Andrew Mittendorf '99 (men's soccer) and Joe Sterrett '76 (football/Dean of Athletics) between the first and second quarters… senior TJ Burke and sophomore Cole Hughes registered Lehigh's two sacks… Turnovers were even with Sacred Heart intercepting Johnson in the first quarter and then junior Joseph Marranca forcing a fumble on the return that sophomore Charles Soska recovered to give Lehigh possession… Lehigh has now rushed for 100 or more yards in 22 consecutive games dating back to the 2023 season.
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Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.Â
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Team Stats
SHU
LEH
Total Yards
177
423
Pass Yards
107
137
Rushing Yards
70
286
Penalty Yards
15
75
1st Downs
14
21
3rd Downs
8
3
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
26:23
33:37
1st Quarter
SHU 7, LEH 0
SHU - Hangey,Dean 91 yd kickoff return (Kling,Matt kick)
SHU 7, LEH 7
LEH - Yoder,Luke 28 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:09
2nd Quarter
SHU 7, LEH 14
LEH - Green,Jaden 10 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 3 plays, 43 yards, TOP 01:25
SHU 7, LEH 21
LEH - Johnson,Hayden 20 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 4 plays, 33 yards, TOP 00:31
3rd Quarter
SHU 10, LEH 21
SHU - Kling,Matt 32 yd field goal 10 plays, 65 yards, TOP 05:17
4th Quarter
SHU 10, LEH 28
LEH - Machalik,Matt 2 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 06:13
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
10
TD
0
YDS
129
INT
1
CMP
1
TD
0
YDS
8
INT
0
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ FootballQB
/ FootballQB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
LB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
RB
/ FootballLehigh Sports Central: Football
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