The Brown & White

The men's lacrosse team came from behind to defeat Villanova University 9-8 at the Ulrich Sports Complex Saturday.

The win pushes the Mountain Hawks to 4-4 on the season, staying undefeated at home thus far. Villanova fell to 1-5 on the season.

The Hawks went into the second half trailing by three, 6-3, and won after a second half rally. Lehigh scored six goals in the half and held the Wildcats to two.

Head Coach Kevin Cassese said the Hawks picked up their defense in the second half while focusing on a competitive offense.

"They were a little tight, a little nervous in the first half, but in the second half, the guys just relaxed," he said.

With 6:09 left in the game, senior midfielder Fred Cassilly scored to put Lehigh up 8-7, its first lead of the game. The Hawks quickly increased the lead to two points with another goal minutes later by junior attack Max Dahlem.

Cassese said a change in effort and momentum sparked the Hawks' run.

"We needed a change in attitude and demeanor on the field," he said. "We had our heads and shoulders down and in the second half we picked them up. Our bench was excited and into the game."

The Hawks began the game down, as Villanova's sophomore attack Paul Webber scored the first of his two goals in the first minute of the game.

Lehigh freshman midfielder Jonathan Stumpf tied things up 1-1 after an assist from Cassilly.

Dahlem said the team had a slow start in the first half, allowing Villanova's offense to score another three times in the first period alone, making the score 6-3 at halftime.

"In the first half, we didn't play all that well," Dahlem said. "But for the second half we got fired up and got going. Coach gave us a good speech and we came just came out pumped."

Junior attack Ricky Cornetta said the team's offensive power needed work after the first half, but the Hawks got it together coming into the second half.

"We didn't really have that many offensive possessions in the first half, so that didn't help us either," Cornetta said.

Sophomore attack John Henry McNiemey began the Hawks' rally, contributing a second quarter goal to make the score 4-3 early in the second period.

Cassese said the outcome was a result of the team's determination.

"I thought the guys really battled today," Cassese said. "They fought hard on defense and fought hard on offense and to come back from a deficit like that was awesome."

For Lehigh, Dahlem had a game-high three goals, while Stumpf and Cassilly each added two scores a piece. Lehigh out shot Villanova 35-23. Stumpf lead the team in shots with 10, while Dahlem was second with five.

The team's defense was held together by senior defender Dan Honeywell and senior goalkeeper Eric Spirko. Honeywell had a team high three turnovers, while Spirko made eight stops during the entire game.

Cassese said he is still learning how to work with his team, and that each game is a learning process for him.

"As a first year head coach, I'm still trying to learn what makes these guys tick," Cassese said. "They do it for each other, they are a very tight-knit group and they love being around each other. They love winning together and everything they do is because they want to please the guy next to them."

The Hawks face the Black Knights of Army next. Cassese said the team will be well prepared, but, as always, it will be a competitive match-up.

"It's a team and program I know well," Cassese said. "[Head Coach] Joe Alberici was my offensive coach in college, and now he is the head coach at Army and so I know him well. You always want to win, but when it's against your friends, you want to win even more."

The Hawks will face off against No. 15 Army Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Ulrich Sports Complex.