BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A goal in the 57th minute from senior Jamie Luchini proved to be the game winner as the Lehigh men’s soccer team recorded its sixth shutout of the season in a 1-0 victory over Colgate Saturday night at the Ulrich Sports Complex. The Mountain Hawks move to 1-1 in league play and 6-3-1 overall, while Colgate falls to 4-4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Patriot League.

“This was a really important win for us against a really good team,” said head coach Dean Koski. “I thought we came out very strong in the first half although we didn’t score a goal. In the second half we missed a penalty kick opportunity, but responded to it well. Three points is always important, home or away, and the team has worked hard for this.”

Sophomore Jack Miskel had the first good scoring chance of the game in the seventh minute when he first a point-blank shot at Colgate keeper Ricky Brown who was able to make the stop. The Mountain Hawks controlled possession for much of the opening half and allowed just two Colgate shots, one in the sixth minute and one in the 42nd. Lehigh scattered 11 shots throughout the first half, three of which were saved by Brown, but none could find the back of the net as the contest went into halftime scoreless.

The Raiders picked up pace in the second game, peppering Lehigh with three shots within the first seven minutes, including an attempt from Jared Stroud that just skirted wide of the goal. Lehigh had a golden opportunity in the 53rd minute when Colgate committed a foul in the box to set up a penalty kick from senior Ryan Bertrando. Bertrando fired the ball towards the lower left corner of the net, but Brown made the diving save.

The Mountain Hawks picked up pressure over the next few minutes, and Brown made another big save, but Lehigh was able to capitalize in the 57th minute. Luchini grabbed a pass from junior Danny Gonzalez and sent it past the diving Brown into the far lower corner to put the Mountain Hawks up 1-0.

Sophomore Doyle Tuvesson nearly added an insurance tally in the 69th minute, but his ball skirted just wide. The Raiders threatened with a few dangerous changes over the next 15 minutes, but none more so than an attempt in the 86th minute that sophomore David Zipkin was able to kick off the goal line to keep Lehigh ahead 1-0 after a scuffle in front of the net.  The defense took care of the rest as time expired and Lehigh secured its sixth shutout of the season.

Sophomore Joe Bogan made two saves en route to his fifth shutout of the season. Brown finished the game with seven saves. Final shots stood 21-10 in favor of Lehigh, while the Mountain Hawks also held an 8-2 corner kick edge. Tuvesson and Luchini tallied six shots apiece to lead Lehigh.  

The Mountain Hawks now hit the road for a two-game road trip that begins Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Navy. Lehigh will then travel to Army West Point for a 2 p.m. Sunday matchup. Free video of both games will be available on the Patriot League Network.

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