On a cold November evening in front of a rowdy Ulrich Stadium crowd, No. 4 Lehigh defeated No. 5 Lafayette College in an offensive first-round quarterfinal matchup of the Patriot League Tournament.
Lehigh began the shooting five minutes into the match, with a corner kick from junior midfielder Shea Coughlin, but failed to follow through.
Lehigh totaled six shots on goal, compared to Lafayette’s two.
Lafayette attempted to capitalize, as senior forward Roy Biegon charged one-on-one toward Lehigh junior goalie Anton Kinnunen, but the shot attempt was saved by Kinnunen and ruled offsides after the fact.
This save set the tone for a busy night for the Mountain Hawk defense.
Kinnunen totalled only one save, while the Mountain Hawk defense kept strong in front of him to limit the Leopards’ shots
This win comes after the Mountain Hawks fell to the Leopards on Nov. 3rd, in a slim 2-1 loss to end regular season play at Lafayette.
Lehigh outshot Lafayette 28-7 during the loss, but Lafayette’s goalie, sophomore Harrison Wolfrom, made 13 saves to keep the Leopards in the game and keep them ahead of the Mountain Hawks.
This rematch had the opposite tone, with Wolfrom making six saves on the day.
21 minutes into the first half, Lafayette drew first blood.
Senior midfielder Beaux Lizewski assisted sophomore forward Tommy Clark on a corner kick goal that came from a contact penalty by Lehigh.
In reaction to the referee call, the fans rumbled from the stands in reaction as Lafayette players celebrated the score.
Lehigh rushed to respond quickly, with a shot that nearly hit the crossbar by first-year defender Andre Erickson.
With 12 minutes left in the half, Lehigh made three substitutions to their lineup. They sent in junior Aidan Gonzalez, first-year Mateo Briceno and fellow first-year Alex Junquera.
With the fresh legs on the field, the Mountain Hawks and the Leopards remained at a defensive crossroads for the remainder of the first half, as the score stayed in Lafayette’s favor, 1-0.
The defensive back-and-forth didn’t stop each team from taking shots. Lafayette junior defender Anthony Durling took a narrow shot that Lehigh’s Kinnunen was able to get a hand on to make the save.
Lehigh’s Coughlin took another shot to end the half that went slightly over the top of the goal.
The narrow back and forth kept going through the second half, with a close call from Lehigh senior Thomas Robertson as he swept the ball cross-goal for a shot.
A foul in front of the goal then resulted in a near miss corner shot with an attempted header by Lehigh junior Bora Turker.
As Lafayette took the ball down the field in response, a yellow card was issued to Lehigh senior Landon Bealer, keeping the tense tone of the rivalry on the field.
Lafayette made Lehigh pay, with their second score coming 15 minutes into the second half in dramatic fashion. Lafayette’s Biegon scored on an assist from senior midfielder Samir Dishnica to net the ball on Kinnunen’s opposite side.
Lehigh responded immediately with a foul committed by Lafayette in front of the goal, leading to a penalty shot.
Lehigh’s Bora Turker missed his initial shot and scored the first goal for Lehigh on the rebound, as the crowd erupted from the bleachers.
Just minutes later, Lehigh notched their second goal to level the score with senior Trey Sheeler assisting junior Paul Smajlaj as he took advantage of a deflected shot for his first goal of the season coming at a crucial time.
This goal brought life back into the Mountain Hawk offense, as they kept control of the ball on both sides of the field for the remainder of the contest.
The Mountain Hawks kept the momentum going, with a third score coming from Robertson assisted by Erickson shot into the back corner, turning their initial two-goal deficit into a strong lead.
This marked the third straight goal for the Mountain Hawks in a matter of 10 minutes, coming with 17 minutes left in the game.
Lehigh’s spring of offense didn’t discourage the Leopards, they followed with a narrow shot that ringed the post followed by a long shot attempt that was grabbed out of the air by Kinnunen.
Ultimately, Lafayette was not able to regain control of the ball offensively. This dominance gave Lehigh the ability to keep the score 3-2, resulting in a win for the Mountain Hawks in the first round of the Patriot League tournament.
After securing this win, Lehigh will continue to play in the Patriot League tournament semifinals on Nov. 10, with their opponent pending the next round of quarterfinal matchups.
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