"We played well, competed well and defended well," said head coach Dean Koski. "We had one breakdown that cost us the game. There are a lot of variables, but at the end of the day we can't win games if we don't score goals."
 
Villanova rifled the first shot of the game in the fourth minute and followed with another shot in the sixth minute, but both flew far wide. Freshman Gianfranco Giammatteo fired a shot from the Mountain Hawks in the eighth minute, which also flew wide. The Mountain Hawks controlled the ball for the majority of the first half, and had a good scoring chance in the 37th minute when senior James Meyerkord sent in a shot on goal, but Villanova keeper Michael Barr kept the Wildcats out of trouble. The Lehigh defense played a strong first half not allowing a single shot on goal from the Wildcats.
 
Giammatteo fired off a pristine shot to open the first half, but Barr was able to get just enough of a fingertip on the ball to barely send it away from the goal. Just a few minutes later, freshman Danny Gonzalez provided a spark in the Lehigh offense with an impressive cross that was just out of the reach of junior Matt Shreiner.  
 
The Wildcats struck in the 59th minute on a penalty kick off the foot of Sean Sheridan to give Villanova the 1-0 advantage. The Mountain Hawks began to pick up pace in the final ten minutes of the game, including a good scoring opportunity off a free kick from Meyerkord, but the Villanova defense held strong to preserve the shutout.
 
Giammatteo and Meyerkord led the Mountain Hawks with three and two shots, respectively, while also each tallying a shot on goal. Gottwald stood strong in goal once again, only allowing the penalty kick and making two saves. The teams each ended the game with 13 shots, while Lehigh held a 3-2 corner kick advantage.
 
Lehigh will now return home to begin preparations for a Saturday night contest with Patriot League newcomer Loyola. The Mountain Hawks and Greyhounds will both be searching for their first Patriot League win in the 7 p.m. match.
 
Like Lehigh men's soccer on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.