BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The No. 1 Lehigh Mountain Hawks earned the 2019 Patriot League Men’s Soccer Championship, defeating No. 4 Lafayette, 1-0, on Saturday night at Lehigh’s Ulrich Sports Complex.

Lehigh, who claimed their third League title, took 18 shots to Lafayette’s 13. Sophomore forward Michael Tahiru notched the game-winning goal in the 54th-minute to lift the Mountain Hawks over the Leopards.

With the win, Lehigh captures the League’s automatic berth to the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship. The Mountain Hawks will learn their postseason matchup and destination during the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Selection Show on Monday at 1 p.m. ET.

No. 4 Lafayette (4-3-2 PL, 9-6-5) at No. 1 Lehigh (6-0-3 PL, 12-4-3)
Ulrich Sports Complex, Bethlehem, Pa., 6 p.m.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh sophomore forward Michael Tahiru scored the game-winning goal in the 54th-minute to give the Mountain Hawks their third Patriot League men’s soccer title.
*The game was locked at 0-0 going into the second half, as Lehigh took 10 shots compared to Lafayette’s five.
*Tahiru scored the lone goal of the game with just over 40 minutes left in the second half to give Lehigh a 1-0 lead. The goal was Tahiru’s third of the season.
* Lafayette sophomore goalie Alex Sutton made five saves.
*Lehigh senior goalkeeper Will Smith made six saves for his 25th career shutout and Patriot League-leading 10th of the season.
  
2019 Patriot League Men’s Soccer All-Tournament Team
Will Smith, Lehigh, Senior, GK – MVP
Trevor Koski, Lehigh, Jr., M
Stevo Bednarsky, Lehigh, Jr., M
Michael Tahiru, Lehigh, So., F
Alex Sutton, Lafayette, So., GK
Christian Williams, Lafayette, Sr., D
Ryan Goncalves, Lafayette, Sr., M
Daniel Osuji, Loyola Maryland, Fr., D
Davey Mason, Loyola Maryland, Sr., D
Matt Thorsheim, Bucknell, Jr., M
Luke Smith, Bucknell, Fr., GK
 
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.