The Patriot League season is complete, the post-season tournament field is set, and doubleheader Friday looks to be a great day of lacrosse.
Lehigh earned the regular season title and the right to host the tournament in Bethlehem with a strong second half against Bucknell, prevailing 11-7 in Lewisburg on April 12th. Lehigh capped a strong end to its season with a 14-5 victory over Lafayette. Dan Taylor and David DiMaria combined for 7 goals and 13 total points to lead the charge over the visiting Leopards. Taylor scored 3 of his 4 goals in the first 18 minutes of the game as the Mountain Hawks controlled play from the start, racing out to a 9-3 halftime lead. Patriot League Goaltender of the Year Matt Poillon made 5 saves in 28 minutes of work.
The rest of the field became known after Army overwhelmed host Holy Cross Saturday night in Worcester 14-5. Army burst out to an 8-1 halftime lead and never looked back. John Glesener lead the Black Knights with 3 goals and 2 assists. Tim Coll and long-pole Brendan Buckley each had a pair of goals. Sam Somers was solid again in the cage with 10 saves in the victory. For now, Holy Cross is on the outside looking in, but the future looks bright as Jim Morrissey has the Crusaders on the right track with young, up and coming talent.
Army slotted in to the #3 seed in the tournament following Bucknell’s 13-8 victory over Colgate earlier on Saturday afternoon. Colgate started to roll after being down 5-3 at halftime lead into a quick 7-5 deficit. However, one of Sean Doyle’s 4 goals and a goalie switch to Sam Grinberg, the Bison found a way to reverse the flow and run away with the game.
All Patriot League Tournament games will be televised on CBS Sports Network starting at 4:30pm on Friday. Bucknell and Army will play in the opener followed by Lehigh and Colgate in the nightcap. Semifinal winners will meet for the NCAA automatic bid Sunday afternoon at 3pm.
Could the Patriot League get two teams in the field again this year? Potentially. Bucknell (wins over Cornell, Albany, Drexel and UMass) has the highest RPI at #8 in the most recent release; however, their position may weaken after Albany’s loss to Siena on Tuesday. Lehigh is #17 (wins over Bucknell and Penn State). If these two teams meet in Sunday’s final, there’s a chance they could both make the field.
