It’s never an easy task facing the number six ranked team in the nation, especially on the road. On Saturday, Lehigh utilized its crisp passing, electric speed and physical style of play to keep the Bison men’s lacrosse team on its heels and handed the Bison their sixth loss of the season, an 18-12 defeat.

Despite the final score, the Bison played strong throughout the game, pestering ball handlers and creating a lot of nice fast-break opportunities. The defense struggled to contain Lehigh sophomore Christian Mule, who notched 10 points on seven goals and three assists. But overall, they hung tough against a Mountain Hawk squad that boasted more than one preseason All-American (“Inside Lacrosse”).

Dutch Furlong ’24 continued his hot streak for the Bison, scoring two goals and adding two assists. Jack Freda  ’23 (3g-1a), Alston Tarry ’22 (3g-1a) and Tommy Sopko ’21 (1g-3a) all posted four points apiece as well. Daniel Parson ’23 made a career-high 13 saves between the pipes. The teams were even in shots at 44 each, while the Mountain Hawks led in ground balls (43-27) and faceoffs (24-9).

The Bison scored four goals in the final quarter, twice cutting the deficit to just four, but Lehigh would ultimately hang on to stay undefeated and earn their ninth victory of the shortened season.

Unfortunately, the loss does mark the final collegiate lacrosse game for many of the seniors. “It’s always very bittersweet,” Furlong said. “This senior class is a real great group of guys and are definitely role models on and off the field. I’m excited to see what the future holds for them and all of the accomplishments they achieve.”

The Bison men’s lacrosse showed magnificent effort all season. With plenty of talent returning, this performance against Lehigh should create a lot of momentum going into 2022.