Lehigh Falls to Army in PL Semifinals
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Friday afternoon, No. 1 seed Army defeated No. 6 seed Lehigh 13-6 in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals. With the win, the Black Knights advance to the Patriot League Championship game, where they will face the winner of the Colgate-Loyola semifinal.
Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh Falls to Army in PL Semifinals
5/1/2026 8:01:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Friday afternoon, No. 1 seed Army defeated No. 6 seed Lehigh 13-6 in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals. With the win, the Black Knights advance to the Patriot League Championship game, where they will face the winner of the Colgate-Loyola semifinal.
With the loss, Lehigh ends its season at 8-8.
Patriot League Second Team selection Luke Winkler scored twice Friday afternoon to lead the Mountain Hawks offensively. On the defensive end, senior Richard Checo caused a team-high three turnovers. Checo finishes his career with 185 caused turnovers and holds the NCAA Division I career record in the category, which he broke earlier this season.
The Mountain Hawks controlled the first quarter early on. Luke Winkler opened the scoring with 9:30 remaining in the period to give Lehigh the early lead. Army responded midway through the quarter to even the score at 1-1. With 4:24 left in the first, Peter Debusschere scored to put the Mountain Hawks back in front. Later in the quarter, Patriot League Rookie of the Year Finn Morgan found Winkler for his second goal of the game to extend the lead to 3-1. The Black Knights answered less than a minute later to cut the deficit to one, but Luke Breslin found Andrew Kelly for a goal late in the quarter to give Lehigh a 4-2 lead heading into the second period.
The second quarter was a defensive battle, with both teams settling in on the defensive end. Army scored the first goal of the period with 9:40 remaining in the half to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Luke Breslin answered for the Mountain Hawks with a behind-the-back goal at the 3:44 mark to extend the lead to 5-3. Breslin finished the season with a team-high 68 points, which ranked second in the Patriot League. Army scored again with less than two minutes remaining in the half to make it a 5-4 game heading into halftime.
The second half belonged to the Black Knights, who outscored the Mountain Hawks 9-1 over the final 30 minutes to secure the 13-6 victory. Army's offensive attack was balanced throughout the half, with nine different players finding the back of the net.
With the loss, Lehigh ends its season at 8-8.
Patriot League Second Team selection Luke Winkler scored twice Friday afternoon to lead the Mountain Hawks offensively. On the defensive end, senior Richard Checo caused a team-high three turnovers. Checo finishes his career with 185 caused turnovers and holds the NCAA Division I career record in the category, which he broke earlier this season.
The Mountain Hawks controlled the first quarter early on. Luke Winkler opened the scoring with 9:30 remaining in the period to give Lehigh the early lead. Army responded midway through the quarter to even the score at 1-1. With 4:24 left in the first, Peter Debusschere scored to put the Mountain Hawks back in front. Later in the quarter, Patriot League Rookie of the Year Finn Morgan found Winkler for his second goal of the game to extend the lead to 3-1. The Black Knights answered less than a minute later to cut the deficit to one, but Luke Breslin found Andrew Kelly for a goal late in the quarter to give Lehigh a 4-2 lead heading into the second period.
The second quarter was a defensive battle, with both teams settling in on the defensive end. Army scored the first goal of the period with 9:40 remaining in the half to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Luke Breslin answered for the Mountain Hawks with a behind-the-back goal at the 3:44 mark to extend the lead to 5-3. Breslin finished the season with a team-high 68 points, which ranked second in the Patriot League. Army scored again with less than two minutes remaining in the half to make it a 5-4 game heading into halftime.
The second half belonged to the Black Knights, who outscored the Mountain Hawks 9-1 over the final 30 minutes to secure the 13-6 victory. Army's offensive attack was balanced throughout the half, with nine different players finding the back of the net.
Team Stats
LEHIGH
ARMY WES
Shots
31
42
Turnovers
18
15
Caused Turnovers
9
10
Faceoffs Won
8
15
Extra-Man Opps
2
4
Ground Balls
29
36
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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