JAMAICA, N.Y. – Junior Tommy Dokho scored the game's only goal in the 44th minute while the Lehigh men's soccer defense pitched its second straight shutout on the road, beating St. John's, 1-0 on Tuesday evening. It marked the second consecutive year the Mountain Hawks defeated the Red Storm after picking up a 2-1 home win last season. Junior goalkeeper Will Smith made five of his seven saves in the second half in a stellar effort. He has now stopped all 13 shots sent his way over the last two contests. With the win, Lehigh improves to 2-2 while St. John's falls to 2-2.
 
"We did a really good job playing together tonight," said Lehigh head coach Dean Koski. "The more we play as a team, work for one another, communicate with each other and trust one another, the more opportunities we'll have to beat teams like this. I believe St. John's is as good a team as we're going to see all season, especially going on the road and playing in a challenging environment. It was a really good opportunity for us to grow and learn."
 
Lehigh's first two shots of the contest were on goal, off the foot of seniors Mark Forrest and Oscar Greene in the 18th and 25th minute, but St. John's goalkeeper Tyron Matuta made the stops. A defensive beginning opened up later in the half as Smith was forced to make his first two saves in the 34th and 40th minutes. Not long after, the Mountain Hawks turned their best offensive opportunity of the game into the first (and only) goal.
 
In the 44th minute, a Forrest shot was saved by a St. John's defender, but sophomore Ikem Mbalewe collected the rebound and fed Dokho, who converted his first goal of the season at the 43:35 mark.

 

"We got a really great effort on Saturday from our bench, so went to our bench again and they stepped up again," said Koski. "Not only did Ikem and Tommy give us a lift, but they were responsible for our goal. I'm happy for them. You need guys to accept roles and be good in those roles."

 

The Red Storm posted the first four second-half shots and six of the first seven, but Smith stood tall, stopping four consecutive St. John's shots, including a dazzling sprawling save in the 69th minute.
 
Lehigh's lone second-half shot on goal came off the foot of Mbalewe in the 78th minute, but his hard strike was stopped. The Red Storm had one last charge in them, tallying four shots in the span of 1:57 between the 87:07 and 89:04 marks. Smith made one final save in that stretch to help preserve Lehigh's second straight 1-0 win.
 
"Our guys have done a really good job of embracing how we want to play defensively," said Koski. "We're more organized. Our players are getting more comfortable playing with one another, which helps. The more games they have with each other, the more they trust one another and the more they're committed to how we want to play, the better we'll be."
 
Final shots were 13-7 in favor of St. John's while corner kicks were even at one.
 
The Mountain Hawks return to action on Friday when they host Binghamton at 8 p.m. in the second game of a Lehigh soccer doubleheader. The Lehigh women's team hosts Temple at 5 p.m.
 
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