BETHLEHEM, Pa. – History was made on Saturday night at Ulrich Sports Complex as the No. 6 seeded Lafayette men's soccer team captured its eighth Patriot League Title, defeating archrival Lehigh 4-1 on penalty kicks. Senior captain Eric Axtman made two crucial saves in the penalty shootout that lifted the Leopards to ultimate glory and handed the Harrisburg, Pa. native Patriot League Tournament MVP honors. A record-breaking 2,075 fans were in attendance for Saturday's championship match.

With the championship victory, Bohn's squad earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The selection show will take place at 1 p.m. on Monday, when their opponent will be determined.

The match got off to a nervy start, as emotions were running high, but the first solid chance of the game fell to the Leopards. Sophomore Cade Maglione won a free kick just outside of the Mountain Hawks' penalty area. Junior Samir Dishnica stepped up to take the kick, but his effort glanced just wide of the far post.

Lehigh put together a stretch of opportunities in the final 15 minutes of the half, but the Maroon and White dealt with every attack that was thrown their way. After a back-and-forth opening 45 minutes, proceedings stood still at 0-0.

The hosts broke the deadlock in the 47^th minute. Jason Pynadath had the ball on the right flank and did well to beat his man and serve a cross into the box. Aiden Gonzalez was first to react and his clinical header found the back of the net to give Lehigh the lead.

Now trailing by a goal, the Leopards began to attack relentlessly, but they struggled to find the final pass to break down the Mountain Hawks' back line. Head coach Dennis Bohn looked to his bench as time wore on, bringing on extra attackers in search of the equalizer.

In the 87^th minute, the cardiac Leopards found their magic moment. Sophomore Jackson Vajda was 50 yards from goal, prepared to launch a throw-in into the box. Senior captain Nicholas Liebich was first to make contact before the ball fell back to him kindly. He then fired a right-footed rocket towards goal but Anton Kinnunen made a phenomenal initial save to push the ball onto the post.

It then fell to the feet of sophomore Gabe Faust, but Kinnunen continued his heroics to make another stop. Freshman Nicolas Papadopoulos had his shot blocked and it appeared Lehigh was about to clear its lines. Bora Turker got to the ball and attempted to boot it away, but his clearance ricocheted off of Vajda's heel and miraculously found a way past Kinnunen. Leopards' fans rejoiced and after the 90 minutes had expired, the match headed to overtime.

Both sides took a conservative approach in the overtime periods, not looking to let the other gain any ground. Axtman was called into action twice over the 20 minutes, but nothing was getting by the Economics major. After 110 minutes, the match would be decided from the penalty spot.

The Maroon and White were first to shoot from the spot and Dishnica led off. The Cheshire, Conn. native made no mistake, rolling his effort past Kinnunen. Giacomo Zizza looked to equalize for the Mountain Hawks, but Axtman had other ideas, saving Zizza's chip.

Next up was sophomore defender Joseph Lee. The Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. native sent Lehigh's keeper the wrong way and rolled the Leopards into a 2-0 lead. Turker soon made it 2-1 with his converted strike.

Bohn and his group now looked to clinical finisher Gabe Faust to capitalize on his opportunity. Kinnunen stood no chance, as the forward nearly ripped the back of the net with a left-footed bullet. Axtman made the most important play of his career when Trey Sheeler stepped up for Lehigh's third penalty. The Patriot League Tournament MVP earned his status by making an amazing save down to his right to put Lafayette up 3-1.

The match's result was now in the hands of sophomore forward Riley Martin. The Oreland, Pa. native took a moment to set himself, before rifling home the match-winning penalty for the title. 

Lafayette fans stormed the field in jubilation as the Leopards completed the improbable tournament run -- from the No. 6 seed to Patriot League Champions. Lafayette would not be denied its eighth title in program history.
 

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