As the fall sports seasons come to a close, The Brown and White previews the upcoming Patriot League postseason.
Men’s soccer:
After an 0-8-1 start to the season, men’s soccer is now in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Patriot League with Army and Navy.
The team has seen an offensive explosion from their two strikers, senior Josh Luchini and junior Jack Sarkos. Sarkos has six goals in the last four games and Luchini has recorded seven points in the last two games.
Lehigh now is in control of their own destiny with a matchup against Colgate on Nov. 3 in the regular-season finale.
Six teams qualify for the tournament. As of now, teams four through seven are separated by one point in the standings, with Lehigh, Army and Navy at 12 and Lafayette one point behind at 11. If Lehigh defeats Colgate, they would clinch a spot.
If they tie or lose, then it would depend on the results of the other games in the league.
Lehigh holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with Army, Navy and Lafayette after defeating them during the second half of the season.
Update: men’s soccer was defeated by Navy 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament.
Women’s soccer:
The women’s soccer team finished the regular season 6-9-1 overall, with a 4-4-1 record in conference play, qualifying for the Patriot League tournament. In the quarterfinals Lehigh fell in Lewisburg to Bucknell 2-0 on Oct. 31.
The team last made the tournament in 2018, when they made a run, including victories against Bucknell in the quarterfinals and Colgate in the semifinals before ultimately losing to Boston University in the finals.
Sophomore Ava Schaller has had a breakout season, leading the team with four goals and 11 total points. Her three assists are good for second-best on the team, behind Hope Flanegin with four.
Freshman Corinne Lyght is tied for third in the conference for total points in Patriot League play with nine.
Update: women’s soccer was defeated by Bucknell 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament.
Field hockey:
Field hockey wrapped up Patriot League play with a thrilling overtime victory against Lafayette on Oct. 22.
This is the Mountain Hawks’ first winning season in over two decades.
Fifth-year senior Lenke Havas has led the team in total points, goals and shots on goal. If the season ended today, Havas’ 11 goals would be tied for fifth-most in a season in program history.
Havas, junior Sarah Bonthuis and fifth-year Drew Pecora all are in the top 10 for most goals scored in the Patriot League this year.
The Mountain Hawks will look to upset the number 10 ranked team in the country, American, in the Patriot League semifinals on Nov. 4.
Update: field hockey was defeated by American 1-0 in the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament.
Football:
Lehigh football is 0-8 and 0-3 in conference play.
The team has seen action from four different quarterbacks this year. Senior Alec Beesmer in two games, junior Nigel Summerville in three games, junior Cross Wilkinson in four games and sophomore Dante Perri in six games.
Perri has sustained the most success holding a 99.38 quarterback rating, throwing for two touchdowns and four interceptions.
Junior Zaythan Hill has scored three touchdowns while running for 253 yards on the season.
The team has allowed 32.5 points per game while scoring 6.1 points per game.
The Mountain Hawks are currently on the longest losing streak in program history but have shown signs of life late in the season, scoring five touchdowns in the last two weeks. They are not in contention to win the Patriot League.
Volleyball:
After defeating Loyola Maryland on Oct. 30 in Baltimore, Lehigh’s hopes for a Patriot League tournament bid remain alive.
The team is 3-9 in Patriot League action and 7-16 overall. They currently sit in seventh place in the Patriot League standings.
With four matches remaining, Lehigh needs to be flawless, and hope Navy and Loyola struggle down the stretch.
Navy and Loyola are both 6-6 in league action, three games up on Lehigh, with four games remaining. Lehigh needs to overtake one of those two schools in order to qualify for the tournament.
They play Navy, Bucknell, Lafayette and Holy Cross to finish the season.
The team has struggled in close games despite historic careers from two fifth-year athletes Sabrina Lancaster and Hannah Wright.
The team also has two freshman standouts in Megan Shulte, who leads the team with 295 points, and Emily Stewart, who is third on the team with 209.5 points.
Update: volleyball has been eliminated from contention for the Patriot League Tournament
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