BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men’s soccer team dropped a 2-0 contest to Colgate on Saturday night at the Ulrich Sports Complex. The game was scoreless at halftime, but two Raider goals in the second half doomed the Mountain Hawks.

“It’s terribly frustrating to watch a group of guys who work so hard during the week and care about winning and competing and not play to the level I think they’re capable of,” said head coach Dean Koski. “The team is a good mixture of upperclassmen and underclassmen. They just haven’t played up to the ability that they’re capable of.”

Senior James Meyerkord got the offense started for the Mountain Hawks when he had a good chance on a rebounded corner kick, but the shot flew just wide. Colgate had  a free kick just outside of the 18-yard box in the 16th minute, but freshman keeper Jacob Gottwald thwarted the opportunity. A foul was called on Lehigh in the box in the 24th minute and the Raiders were awarded a penalty kick. Zach Pagani took the kick for Colgate, but Gottwald made a diving save to pound the ball upwards. The ball ricocheted off the crossbar back into play where Pagani attempted another shot, but Gottwald stepped up once again.

Lehigh’s first shot on goal came in the 37th minute when freshman Stefan Woort-Menker had a one-on-one chance with Colgate’s keeper Liam Stapleton. Woort-Menker’s attempt flew into Stapleton’s body as the Raider was able to make the save. Gottwald made another impressive save in the 44th minute to send the contest into halftime scoreless.

Colgate got on the board within the first two minutes of the second half as Colin O’Neill put a ball into the lower right corner of the net in the 47th minute. Sophomore Jamie Luchini dribbled his way through a number of Colgate defenders to set up a shot in the 57th minute, but his attempt curved wide. The Raiders added an insurance goal in the 62nd minute when Evan Heroux connected on a ball from Pagani to net the Raiders’ second goal. The Mountain Hawks wouldn’t go quietly, firing off five more shots on goal before time expired. None could find the back of the net as Colgate claimed a 2-0 victory.

Final shots stood at 16-11 in favor of Colgate, while the Raiders also held a 9-6 shot on goal advantage. Gottwald finished the game with seven saves in 71 minutes. Sophomore Kevin Motylewski played the final 19 minutes in Lehigh’s net.

Lehigh returns to action at home next Saturday at the Ulrich Sports Complex against Holy Cross. The game will be the final match of the 2013 season and will serve as Senior Night for the Mountain Hawks. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the contest will be aired live on the Patriot League Network.

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