Tuesday, November 12
Bethlehem, PA
6 p.m.
Bucknell University
6-7-7
0
at
1
Lehigh (Patriot League Semifinals)
12-4-3
1
2
F
Bucknell
0
0
0
Lehigh
0
1
1
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
Men's Soccer Falls Late to Lehigh In Patriot League Semifinals, 1-0
11/12/2019 8:51:00 PM | Men's Soccer
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Trevor Koski scored the game-winning goal in the 76th-minute as top-seeded Lehigh held on in the final minutes to defeat sixth-seeded Bucknell on a frigid evening at the Ulrich Sports Complex.
The Mountain Hawks looked solid to open the game, controlling much of the early possession as Bucknell sat back and looked to strike on the counterattack.
Lehigh, which trailed to Bucknell after just 5:49 in the last meeting between the two teams on Wednesday, nearly took an early lead of its own after a Mountain Hawk attacker found some space in the box ten minutes in. However, center back and Second Team All-Patriot League selection Quinn Bredin made a great sliding block and got his foot in front of the ball to deny the opportunity.
Junior midfielder Matt Thorsheim managed Bucknell's first shot on target of the day with 27 minutes left in the first half as he fired a hard shot straight at Lehigh goalkeeper Will Smith, who did well to hold onto the shot cleanly.
Luke Smith, the younger brother of Will, made an impressive save at his near post to deny Josh Luchini, the Patriot League's leading marksman with 11 goals to his name this season. Smith got a strong left hand on the ball to force Luchini's hard shot over the crossbar for a corner kick with ten minutes to go in the first half.
Bucknell looked more aggressive offensively in the second half, forcing the Mountain Hawks to defend more as Bucknell began to see more of the ball. However, Lehigh found the first clear chance of the half after a deflected cross rolled to the top of the 18 to an onrushing Mountain Hawk attacker. Senior midfielder Dany Teran made a great sliding tackle to deny a clear opportunity for Lehigh to help keep the game scoreless.
The younger Smith once again came up with a big save for the Bison as Lehigh's Michael Tahiru found just a bit of space at the penalty spot in the 61st to fire a low shot, but Smith stuck out his left leg to knock the ball away, and Tahiru's second effort went just over the cross bar.
Thorsheim posted another great chance in the 66th after some tricky work down the left wing allowed the midfielder to drive to the endline and poke a hard shot at Smith, but the senior goalkeeper was once again up to the task in holding onto the shot.
Lehigh broke through the resilient Bucknell defense after three straight corner kicks in the 76th minute. After the initial corner was flicked on at the near post on the third corner kick, Euan Forrest directed a header towards goal that was cleared away initially by the Bison defense. A fortunate ricochet in the scramble in the box allowed Koski to redirect the ball at the near post to give the Mountain Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Bucknell mounted pressure in the final minutes, looking to find a late equalizer. Junior defender Trevor Wiggins fired a stinging shot from distance that forced W. Smith into a save, while Teran nearly curled in his first career goal on a nice effort from the top of the box that just skimmed the top of the net. Bucknell created several corner kick opportunities near the end, but couldn't convert as Lehigh held on for the 1-0 win.
Bucknell outshot the Mountain Hawks 18-15, while also registering a 7-4 advantage in shots on target.
The game was the final contest for Bucknell's seven-man senior class of Bernie Wright, Nick King, Quinn Bredin, Daniel Hallowell, Dany Teran, Emmett Witmer, and Patrick Mahoney. The senior class combined for three postseason appearances in four years, while also helping Bucknell to two Patriot League semifinal appearances in 2016 and 2019.
The Mountain Hawks looked solid to open the game, controlling much of the early possession as Bucknell sat back and looked to strike on the counterattack.
Lehigh, which trailed to Bucknell after just 5:49 in the last meeting between the two teams on Wednesday, nearly took an early lead of its own after a Mountain Hawk attacker found some space in the box ten minutes in. However, center back and Second Team All-Patriot League selection Quinn Bredin made a great sliding block and got his foot in front of the ball to deny the opportunity.
Junior midfielder Matt Thorsheim managed Bucknell's first shot on target of the day with 27 minutes left in the first half as he fired a hard shot straight at Lehigh goalkeeper Will Smith, who did well to hold onto the shot cleanly.
Luke Smith, the younger brother of Will, made an impressive save at his near post to deny Josh Luchini, the Patriot League's leading marksman with 11 goals to his name this season. Smith got a strong left hand on the ball to force Luchini's hard shot over the crossbar for a corner kick with ten minutes to go in the first half.
Bucknell looked more aggressive offensively in the second half, forcing the Mountain Hawks to defend more as Bucknell began to see more of the ball. However, Lehigh found the first clear chance of the half after a deflected cross rolled to the top of the 18 to an onrushing Mountain Hawk attacker. Senior midfielder Dany Teran made a great sliding tackle to deny a clear opportunity for Lehigh to help keep the game scoreless.
The younger Smith once again came up with a big save for the Bison as Lehigh's Michael Tahiru found just a bit of space at the penalty spot in the 61st to fire a low shot, but Smith stuck out his left leg to knock the ball away, and Tahiru's second effort went just over the cross bar.
Thorsheim posted another great chance in the 66th after some tricky work down the left wing allowed the midfielder to drive to the endline and poke a hard shot at Smith, but the senior goalkeeper was once again up to the task in holding onto the shot.
Lehigh broke through the resilient Bucknell defense after three straight corner kicks in the 76th minute. After the initial corner was flicked on at the near post on the third corner kick, Euan Forrest directed a header towards goal that was cleared away initially by the Bison defense. A fortunate ricochet in the scramble in the box allowed Koski to redirect the ball at the near post to give the Mountain Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Bucknell mounted pressure in the final minutes, looking to find a late equalizer. Junior defender Trevor Wiggins fired a stinging shot from distance that forced W. Smith into a save, while Teran nearly curled in his first career goal on a nice effort from the top of the box that just skimmed the top of the net. Bucknell created several corner kick opportunities near the end, but couldn't convert as Lehigh held on for the 1-0 win.
Bucknell outshot the Mountain Hawks 18-15, while also registering a 7-4 advantage in shots on target.
The game was the final contest for Bucknell's seven-man senior class of Bernie Wright, Nick King, Quinn Bredin, Daniel Hallowell, Dany Teran, Emmett Witmer, and Patrick Mahoney. The senior class combined for three postseason appearances in four years, while also helping Bucknell to two Patriot League semifinal appearances in 2016 and 2019.
Team Stats
BUMSOC19
LEHIGH
Goals
0
1
Shots
18
15
Shots on Goal
7
4
Saves
3
7
Corners
6
8
Fouls
7
9
Scoring Plays
Koski, Trevor (5)
Shot off the goalie and in for score by
75:29
Game Leaders
Shots
4
SOG
3
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
D
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's SoccerMF
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's SoccerD
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