BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Jeffrey Kordenbrock's 28-yard field goal with 47 seconds left in the game propelled Lafayette to a 17-16 win over Lehigh in the 155th Meeting of College Football's Most-Played Rivalry.

Lafayette finishes the season 4-8 overall and 4-2 in Patriot League play, ascending to second place in the conference standings.

The game-winning drive was set up with a 28-yard kick return by freshman Jaden Sutton. With fellow freshman Keegan Shoemaker at the helm of the Lafayette offense, the Leopards took over with 2:54 left. Shoemaker picked up 11 yards on a scramble on first down. 

Four straight completions, two to Zadok Scott (4, 15) and one each to Jordan Hull (5) and Sutton (6) took Lafayette to the Lehigh 20, well within Kordenbrock's go zone. Lehigh used all three of its timeouts sandwiched around runs by Sutton, Shoemaker and John Gay. Gay's five-yard run set up Kordenbrock's game-winning kick that was true from 28 yards.

The score capped a nine-play, 50-yard drive to help earn him the game MVP honors. The junior, who handled placekicking and punting duties for the third straight week, is the first Lafayette kicker since Rick Nowell in 1970 to win the MVP award. 

Shoemaker finished the day 16-of-24 for 124 yards and was also the team's leading rusher with 49 yards. He finished his rookie season with 2,540 passing yards, a mark that ranks him fourth in a season at Lafayette  and the most in a season all-time for a Lafayette freshman QB.  Junior TB Selwyn Simpson rushed for 41 yards and the Leopards' first two scores of the afternoon. The Lafayette defense forced four turnovers, leading to 14 points. Major Jordan had nine tackles while fellow freshman Marco Olivas contributed eight with one sack, a fumble recovery and an interception. 

"We battled back, showed resiliency, grit and attacked when we needed to," said John Garrett, the Fred M. Kirby '42 Head Football Coach. "I'm just really proud of the effort and it was a great win…a great win for Lafayette."

Lafayette turned the first turnover of the game, at the seven-minute mark of the first quarter, into points. Senior S Yasir Thomas picked off Alec Beesmer and the Leopards took over at midfield . The offense followed with a 12-play scoring march. Ryan Monteyne (2-yard run) and Simpson (3-yard run) both picked up fourth downs to keep the drive alive. Simpson finished off the drive, scoring from 18 yards out on 3rd-and-14. Lafayette led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Lehigh opened the second quarter with a 10-play 68-yard drive. Zaythan Hill handled the final three carries of the drive with runs of 13, 4 and 5 yards. The last run was good for the touchdown as Lehigh tied the game 7-7 going into halftime.

The Leopards and Mountain Hawks exchanged interceptions. Olivas made a leaping interception to pick off Beesmer at the 50 and returned it 13 yards. Two plays later, after a 12-yard designed run by Shoemaker on first down, Shoemaker was picked off by Keith Woetzel at the three-yard line. The teams went into the intermission tied 7-7. 

As the second half opened, Lafayette continued to force turnovers. Billy Shaeffer put his helmet on the ball of a Lehigh runner and Olivas recovered at the Lehigh 24-yard line. 

When the offense took over, Shoemaker hit senior WR Julian Spigner on first down for eight yards. Six plays later Simpson scored his second touchdown of the day, a three-yard run that gave Lafayette at 14-7 lead with 11:20 left in the third. 

On the ensuing kick off, Lafayette looked like it could seize the momentum for good. Thomas forced a fumble and Lafayette took over at the Lehigh 38-yard line. The Leopards moved the ball to the 30-yard line, but Simpson was stopped on 4th-and-2. 

Lehigh used 5:38 on the clock before cutting Lafayette's lead to 14-10 when Austin Henning connected for a 20-yard field goal. 

Four minutes into the fourth quarter, controversy struck the game. Lafayette lost a down on its offensive possession, forcing Lafayette to essentially punt on third down. Several plays occurred before the officials gathered at the Lafayette coaching staff's continued urging. The ball was returned to the original spot and Lafayette was given back its missing down. The Leopards eventually re-punted, this time on fourth down. 

Henning brought Lehigh (4-7, 3-3) within one (14-13) after the punt, booting a 33-yard field goal to cap a seven-play drive with eight minutes left in the game.

The Leopard offense went three-and-out on its next drive. When Lehigh took over, Beesmer connected with Devon Bibbens for 41 yards to setup Lehigh's go-ahead field goal. Hennie then hit a 22-yarder with three minutes left in the game as Lehigh led 16-14.

The stage was set for Shoemaker and the Leopard offense to cover 50 yards on nine plays before Kordenbrock's game-winning, streak-ending, season-ending, satisfying, perfectly straight 28-yard field goal. The Leopards continue to lead the all-time series 79-71-5.