Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lehigh
Men's Soccer Falls to Lehigh 2-0 in PL Quarterfinals
11/10/2015 9:39:00 PM | Men's Soccer
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Lehigh scored a goal early in each half and got 13 saves from goalkeeper Joe Bogan in a 2-0 victory over Bucknell on Tuesday night in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal round at rain-soaked Ulrich Sports Complex. The defending-champion Bison finish the season 7-7-5, while Lehigh improves to 11-5-3 and moves on to play top-seeded Colgate in the semifinals on Friday.
Bucknell outshot Lehigh 25-13, but the Mountain Hawks benefitted from playing with the lead for the final 75 minutes and with a two-goal cushion for the final 42 minutes.
Mark Forrest headed in a corner kick at the 15:23 mark to give Lehigh a 1-0 lead, and just over two minutes into the second half Doyle Tuvesson sent a high arcing shot to the top right corner from about 25 yards out.
"Unfortunately we gave up a goal on a restart, which has been a hindrance to us all season long," said head coach Brendan Nash. "Then the early goal in the second half negated our game plan. Lehigh conceded possession when they had the lead, and at times we were unlucky not to score."
Bucknell found itself in a similar position one year ago, when it was seeded fifth and traveled to fourth-seeded Lehigh for the quarterfinals. The Bison won that one 4-0 and went on to capture the championship with two more victories over the weekend.
The Bison were coming off a four-goal outburst against Army West Point on Saturday to earn their way back into the postseason for the fourth year in a row, but on a rainy night in Bethlehem they were unable to find the back of the net despite nine shot attempts from Jesse Klug and five from Sebastiaan Blickman.
Bucknell took 15 of its shots in the second half and also built a 7-4 edge in corner kicks. Clarke Fox made four saves in goal for the Bison.
The game marked the end of the road for seven members of a terrific senior class. Klug, Fox, Chris Thorsheim, Patrick Figgie, Connor Willings, Mike Lansing and Mark Kramarchuk all donned the Orange & Blue for the final time. They will graduate with 37 victories and a Patriot League championship.
"This was a special senior class," said Nash. "They left their mark on our program and their legacy will be felt for a long time to come."
