PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team played toe-to-toe with Lehigh Tuesday night, but a second-half goal spurred by a Mountain Hawk counter attack pushed the visiting team past the Quakers, 2-1. The loss drops Penn to 3-2-1 on the year.
PENN NEWS AND NOTES
*Penn's goal was scored in the 20th minute by junior
Joey Bhangdia, his fourth goal in six games this season. Bhangdia now has five goals in his career as a Quaker.
*Lehigh outshot Penn 16-10 on the night, including a 6-3 margin in shots on target.
*Penn had six corner kicks to four for the Mountain Hawks.
*Goalkeeper
Dane Jacomen collected four saves between the pipes.
*The loss narrows Penn's all-time series lead against Lehigh to 29-15-5.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Mountain Hawks came out the aggressors, peppering in four shots in the opening 10 minutes, forcing Jacomen into early action with two saves. Penn's first shot came off the foot of
Ben Stitz in the 11th minute, but straight into the hands of the keeper.
The Mountain Hawks jumped ahead 1-0 in the 19th minute, scoring off a crossed ball from Alex Greene, finished by Michael Tahiru. The deficit for Penn didn't last long though, as the Quakers leveled things just 40 seconds later on a missle from Bhangdia, who took a ball outside the top of the box from
Alex Touche and fired it to the right post and past the Lehigh goalie.
With both teams on the board, Penn clung to its momentum, testing the waters in the box with three corner kicks in a five minute span late in the half. Aggression tilted in favor of the Quakers, but the Red and Blue entered the halftime break with nothing to show for it.
Penn averted a couple of dangerous chances from Lehigh in the early stages of the second half and nearly took the lead itself on a beautiful counter attack chance from NIck Schimbeno to
Jake Kohlbrenner. The rookie Schimbeno sprang Kohlbrenner at midfield with only the keeper to beat, but Kohlbrenner sprayed the ball just wide of the left post to the delight of the Mountain Hawks.
It wouldn't be long before Lehigh used the counter attack to its advantage, this time in a fatal blow to the Quakers. The Mountain Hawks found the ball with space after a corner kick opportunity for Penn and ran with it, threading the needle past the pursuing Penn defenders and striking it from the right flank to take a 2-1 lead.
That 2-1 lead would be insurmountable for Penn despite a push late, including a shot from Stitz blocked off the post of the goal in the 80th minute.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Quakers will hit the road this weekend, traveling to face West Virginia on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m.
#FightOnPenn
