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Navy (Patriot League Quarterfinals)
5/3/2022 | 7 p.m
ESPN+
May 03 (Tue) / 7 pm
Navy (Patriot League Quarterfinals)
History
BALTIMORE – In a game featuring wild swings of momentum, Loyola evened the score with 29 seconds remaining in regulation, then scored the game-winner 29 seconds into overtime, to hand the Lehigh men’s lacrosse a heartbreaking 13-12 defeat on Friday evening at Ridley Athletic Complex. With the loss, the Mountain Hawks fall to 5-3 in league play and will host a Patriot League Quarterfinal game on Tuesday night at 7 pm They will be the No. 4 seed and host fifth-seeded Navy.
Lehigh fell behind 5-0 and didn’t score until 5:57 left in the second quarter, but senior Matt Marker’s tally sparked a 4-0 Mountain Hawks’ run and from that point forward, neither team led by more than three goals.
Senior Tommy Schelling posted three goals and three assists to lead the offense while sophomore Scott Cole had three goals and two assists. Playing in his third game of the season after returning from injury, junior Justin Tiernan scored three times, including twice in Lehigh’s 4-0 run that changed the course of the game.
Defensively, senior Michael Gomez caused two turnovers. Sophomore Nick Turrini tied a career-high four groundballs and caused a turnover. Senior James Spence was sensational in goal, making 15 saves, including 10 in the first half.
The Mountain Hawks trailed 5-0 after Kevin Lindley’s third of the game midway through the second quarter. Lehigh answered with goals from Marker (at the 5:57 mark), Cole (at 4:37) then two from Tiernan (at 3:55 and 2:30). The Greyhounds responded less than a minute later, but the Mountain Hawks were still within 6-4 at the half.
Lehigh’s momentum continued into the third quarter, as Tiernan scored his third at 2:29 p.m. and Cole added his second at 12:25 p.m. to pull the Mountain Hawks even. Later in the quarter, two Schelling goals in the span of 31 seconds gave Lehigh his first lead at 8-7 with 4:12 remaining.
The Greyhounds answered with four consecutive goals to take an 11-8 advantage early in the fourth. But Lehigh had a response, as sophomore Quinn Armstrong and Schelling scored at 9:14 and 8:02 of the fourth to pull within 11-10. Then, with 5:47 left in regulation, Decker finished a highlight-reel behind-the-back goal, from Schelling, to pull the Mountain Hawks even.
Aidan Decker had this smooth behind-the-back goal in the fourth quarter tonight at Loyola, which tied the score at 11.#SCTop10 #PLTop3 @ESPNAssignDesk @Inside_Lacrosse @USALacrosseMag pic.twitter.com/X71kHuQR7X
— Lehigh Lacrosse (@LehighLacrosse) April 30, 2022 Cole went on to score his first, an unassisted tally, to give Lehigh the lead back at 12-11 with 3:01 remaining. That score held until the final minute when two non-releasable penalties were whistled on Gomez. The Greyhounds evened the score with 29 seconds on the clock, then scored with 3:31 remaining in overtime – both man-up – to hand the Mountain Hawks the heartbreaking defeat.
Final shots were 46-32 in favor of Loyola while the Greyhounds held a 35-22 edge in groundballs. Lehigh was 0-for-2 on the extra man while Loyola was 3-for-6. Twenty two turnovers hurt the Mountain Hawks, compared to 13 for the Greyhounds. Spence’s 15 saves came across Loyola’s Sam Shafer, who made eight. Senior Mike Sisselberger won 11-of-28 faceoffs with four groundballs.
The fourth-seeded Mountain Hawks will now return home on Tuesday night to host fifth-seeded Navy at 7 pm in the Patriot League Quarterfinals on ESPN+.
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