BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Lafayette College men's lacrosse pulled within a goal in the fourth quarter, but No. 7 / 8 Lehigh held on, 14-11, in the second meeting of The Rivalry this season.
 
Freshman Peter Lehman continued his strong year, scoring a career-high four goals, including a second-half hat trick. Sophomore Macklin Fitzpatrick had a two-goal game, while junior Cole Dutton dished out two assists and tallied three points. Senior midfielder Bryan Hess scored his third goal of the season and had an assist. Junior goalie Ryan Ness made 14 saves and had a .500 save percentage.

Rookies once again had an impact, with Kalman Kraham totaling two points, John Mathes finding the back of the net, and Charles Cunniffe registering an assist.

The Mountain Hawks (8-0, 7-0 PL) used a quick start, jumping out to a 5-1 lead in the first quarter, to stay undefeated. 

Yet, it was their rivals that posed one of the toughest challenges thus far in 2021.

The Leopards (0-9, 0-6 PL) slowed the Lehigh offense in the second quarter, holding it to two goals in the period and keeping the deficit at four heading into halftime. Lafayette continued to apply pressure in the second half, as Lehman scored twice and assisted on sophomore Evan Lotz's second goal of the year midway through the third quarter to pull Lafayette within two.

Down 12-8 at the start of the final period, Lafayette once again went on a three-goal run to make it a one-goal game with nine-minutes remaining. That's as close as the Leopards could get, though, as Lehigh kept them off the board down the stretch and added a pair of insurance goals to hold on for the win.

Lafayette continues Patriot League play next weekend at home with another nationally-ranked foe, No. 14/15 Loyola. The game is set for a 2 p.m. start on Saturday and will be streamed live on ESPN+.