BALTIMORE — The Mountain Hawks fought to the end, including an early goal in the first half, but Lehigh couldn't get the victory, falling to Colgate, 2-1 in the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament.
 
Oscar Greene got Lehigh on the board early in the first half, scoring a goal on a feed from Josh Luchini to put the Mountain Hawks up 1-0 in the sixth minute.
 
But from that point forward, Colgate's defense thrived and kept the Mountain Hawks out of the net. Colgate out-shot Lehigh 15-7, including 9-2 in the first half.
 
Colgate got the equalizer in the 22nd minute, an Oliver Harris score on the assist from Freddy Jonsson to tie up the game. Harris then put the Raiders up 2-1 in the 31st minute on a penalty kick.
 
Both of the teams went scoreless for the remainder of the game, with Lehigh unable to penetrate the defensive backfield and goalkeeper Jacob Harris.
 
"I thought our guys competed for the full 90 tonight," said head coach Dean Koski. "Our response to the penalty kick was good. I loved effort that they showed tonight and I thought they really cared out there, we just couldn't find the equalizer."
 
The Mountain Hawks had the luxury of playing Colgate with a man down for the final six minutes, but they weren't able to capitalize on the advantage.
 
The last time the two teams played, Lehigh defeated Colgate at home, 1-0, but this time the Raiders got the victory and head back to the Patriot League Championship for the third year in a row.
 
"We didn't really see anything different (out of Colgate) besides their tempo and rhythm," said Koski. "We just couldn't disrupt them. They're an experienced playoff team especially in the important games.
 
"We learned a lot about ourselves tonight though and I'm especially proud of our seniors and how they ended their careers. Every single one of them made our program better."
 
Michael Tahiru led the Mountain Hawks in shots with two, with Josh Luchini getting the other shot on goal, in addition to his assist.
 
Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Mark Forrest finished his final game with Lehigh with just one shot. Forrest ends his career with 41 career goals and 103 career points, second in Lehigh history in both of those categories.
 
"Mark is a special player and one of the best forwards in the history of Lehigh University," said Koski. "Losing him will just make others have to step up in the future. We're likely going to get our goals by committee next season.
 
"However, Mark has helped us significantly this season and I'm excited for his future and to support him going forward."
 
The season ends abruptly for the Mountain Hawks, as they were unable to advance to the championship game on Sunday to play for their third title in team history, but the outlook is bright for a young team heading into the 2019 season.
 
"I really think we got the most out of this team, given how young and inexperienced we were," Koski said. "Many of our young players stepped up starting for the first time, and we played with 11 or 12 different lineups this season.
 
"We stayed with the game plan all season long and I really believe it puts us in a position to compete for championships in the future."
 
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