Men’s Soccer Preview: Navy at Lehigh
Navy at Lehigh, Saturday 6pm ET
Navy’s men soccer team travels to Bethlehem, PA Saturday night to face Lehigh in Patriot League action.
The Midshipmen and the Mountain Hawks enter the game at Ulrich Sports Complex on two very different trajectories. While Lehigh upset #20 Colgate in their last match to win their second in a row, Navy lost their fifth straight game.
In the 3-2 loss to American on Wednesday night, the Mids played hard the entire game, outshooting the Eagles 13-7 in the second half. Jacob Williams scored his team-leading third goal of the season. Diego Manrique scored the second goal for Navy on a penalty kick. Tyler Fahning made his first start in goal, finishing the game with three saves.
Lehigh benefits from two prolific goal scorers. Mark Forrest, the 2017 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, has recorded five goals this season. In addition, Forrest’s stats include five assists and 15 points this year. Meanwhile, Josh Luchini has four goals and two assists in 2018, his freshman season.
Here’s a look at the 2018 season numbers for both teams.
Comparison of the 2018 Team Stats
Record: NAVY: 1-8-1, (0-3)… Lehigh: 6-4-1, (3-0)
Goals: NAVY: 10… Lehigh: 14
Shots: NAVY: 124… Lehigh: 128
Shots per Game: NAVY: 12.4… Lehigh: 11.6
Shots on Goal: NAVY: 35 of 124… Lehigh: 54 of 128
Yellow Cards: NAVY: 7… Lehigh: 16
Red Cards: NAVY: 0… Lehigh: 2
Assists: NAVY: 5… Lehigh: 15
Saves: NAVY: 34… Lehigh: 43
Fouls: NAVY: 86… Lehigh: 128
Corner Kicks: NAVY: 43… Lehigh: 50
Penalty Kicks: NAVY: 1 for 1… Lehigh: 2 for 2
Streak: NAVY: Lost 5 in a row (2-3, vs. American)… Lehigh: Won 2 in a row (1-0, vs. Colgate)
Saturday evening’s contest will be a challenge for Navy, but a win against Lehigh would be a huge step in turning the Mids’ 2018 season around for the better.
