Inside Lacrosse Photo: James Beaver)
Lehigh rebounded from last week’s loss to Villanova, stemmed a recent surge from Colgate and advanced to Sunday’s Patriot League championship game thanks to a 13-9 win over the Raiders at the Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem, Pa., on Friday.
The Mountain Hawks, who hosted the semifinals and final, will play the winner of Army-West Point vs. Loyola, the No. 1 seed in the North region and the No. 2 seed in the South region, respectively.
Lehigh FOGO Mikey Sisselberger did what’s come to be expected: feeding his team the ball, winning 18-of-25 and picking up 14 groundballs. John Sidorski was the primary beneficiary of Sisselberger’s outing and the primary source of production for the Mountain Hawk offense, posting three goals and three assists.
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Andrew Eichelberger’s recruiting visit to Lehigh back in 2014 seems oddly prescient now. When the Texas native came to Bethlehem, a snowstorm delayed the Mountain Hawks’ game, so he had to wait an extra day.
He clearly remembers the Kurtis Kaunas’ bouncer that won the game in triple-overtime, but it was his experience off the field that sealed the deal.
“The experience with the guys off the field was just as great. All the parents were super inviting and accepting of me and my dad,” he says. “I found my second family out here.”
Flash forward to early February 2021, and Eichelberger’s still in Bethlehem as a grad student, and he’s taken on the role of the inviting, mentoring figure to young players.
For the four fifth-years who decided to come back after the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to all spring athletes after the 2020 season was canceled, they have a lot riding on this upcoming year with only more chance to capture that title.
Midfielders Crew Cintron, Andrew Eichelberger and Christian McHugh were the other fifth-years who chose to return.
“It’s really exciting to have them back, not only for the type of players they are, but the type of leaders and characteristics they possess is going to add so much value to our team,” coach Kevin Cassese said.