Oct. 8, 2011
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. - In a matchup of two of the nation's top goalkeepers and defenses, the Lafayette men's soccer team bested rival Lehigh on Saturday night, 1-0, at Mike Bourger '44 Field at Oaks Stadium. Graham Heydt made 14 saves in net, and Kyle Scharfenberg scored the game-winning goal for the Leopards.
With their fourth consecutive shutout, the Leopards improve to 6-2-3 overall and 2-0-1 in the Patriot League. The loss snaps a seven-match unbeaten streak for Lehigh, which falls to 4-2-4 on the season with a 1-1-1 league tally.
Heydt's 14 stops are the most for a Lafayette goalkeeper since Craig Schroeder turned away 17 tries by UMBC on Nov. 14, 1999. With his fifth shutout of the season, Heydt lowers his goals-against average to 0.36 and improves his save percentage to .938. He ranked in the top five in the nation in both categories entering the week. As a team, Lafayette has registered seven shutouts and has not allowed a goal in its last 418:11 on the pitch.
The first two of Heydt's 14 saves were the most impressive, as the keeper deflected a point-blank attempt by Steven Avena and then corralled the follow-up by Joe Puleo less than four minutes into the match.
The lone goal came at 9:51 as Scharfenberg headed home a Sean Peckham corner kick past Lehigh keeper Ciaran Nugent. Nugent, who ranked ahead of Heydt in both GAA and save percentage entering the match, made one save and ceded the one Lafayette goal.
Most of the action took place on Lehigh's offensive third of the pitch, but Heydt and the Lafayette back row turned away 19 shots and 11 corner kicks from the Mountain Hawks. Th4ee Leopards took four shots - two on goal - and attempted three corner kicks.
The Leopards are back in action on Tuesday at 5 p.m. for a nationally-televised tilt at Princeton live on ESPNU. Patriot League play resumes in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Oct. 15 against first-place American.
