Lehigh Opens Patriot League Play with 2-0 Win at Loyola
BALTIMORE – For 45 minutes, Lehigh were stuck in neutral. By full time, they had three points, two goals and a statement road win to open Patriot League play.
The Mountain Hawks shook off a flat first half to beat Loyola Maryland 2-0 at Ridley Athletic Complex on Saturday afternoon, powered by second-half strikes from junior Bora Turker and senior Thomas Robertson.
Head coach Dean Koski didn’t sugarcoat the slow start.
“I thought we struggled in the first half to be consistent with the way we wanted to play, but we regrouped at halftime and thought we came out in the second half with better intentions,” the Ingrassia Family men’s head soccer coach said. “We did a better job of creating chances in the second half and did a good job defensively of shutting them down.”
Kinnunen keeps Lehigh level
Lehigh (1-2-3, 1-0 Patriot League) went into the break locked in a 0-0 stalemate with Loyola (1-6, 0-1), and they were fortunate to do so.
The Greyhounds dictated much of the first-half play, outshooting Lehigh 6-2 and pinning the visitors back. Junior goalkeeper Anton Kinnunen stood firm, making three saves before halftime to deny Loyola and give his side a platform.
Lehigh’s attack barely flickered in those opening 45 minutes. The back line and Kinnunen had to ride out spells of pressure, with Loyola also piling up corners and territory.
Yet the game flipped quickly after the interval.
Turker breaks through, Robertson kills it off
Lehigh came out after halftime with purpose, and the pressure finally told.
Just three minutes into the second half, Turker pounced for his first goal of the season, finishing off a move created by junior Aiden Gonzalez and first-year Alex Junquera in the 48th minute. The goal jolted the Mountain Hawks to life and silenced the home crowd.
With the deadlock broken, Lehigh grew into the game. Passes sharpened, runs stretched Loyola’s back line, and the visitors began to look like the side in control.
By the 65th minute, they had daylight.
Robertson, the senior leader, doubled the advantage with his second goal of the year, giving Lehigh a 2-0 cushion that felt decisive given the way Kinnunen and his defense were operating.
“No game has been easy, and I think our guys have learned a lot early on this season,” Koski said. “We had good confidence going into this game and we’ll have a better confidence coming out of it.”
Defensive spine delivers again
Loyola kept firing, finishing with a 15-10 edge in shots and a 5-2 advantage in corners, but Lehigh’s defensive structure held.
Kinnunen added one more save after the break to finish with four on the day, securing his third straight shutout and the seventh clean sheet of his career. The Greyhounds pushed. The Mountain Hawks refused to bend.
“Our backs and Anton are in sync with each other,” Koski said. “I like our mentality and we’re defending better in the box. And when we need Anton to make a save, he’s been there and he’s been sharp.”
The numbers favored Loyola in volume, yet Lehigh’s discipline in their own area and Kinnunen’s calm presence turned those threats into empty pressure.
Big test next: Army at home
The win hands Lehigh an ideal start in Patriot League play and a surge of belief heading into their home opener.
Lehigh returns on Saturday, September 19 at 6 p.m. to host Army in a matchup that will test just how far this defensive resilience and newfound confidence can carry them.
“We’re glad to get three points on the road, but we know that every game is going to be a challenge for us,” Koski said. “We’ve got a big game next weekend against Army at home. They’ve had a good start, so it’ll be a good challenge.”
The shutouts are stacking up. The confidence is growing. Now comes the question: can the Mountain Hawks turn this foundation into a real Patriot League push?
