No. 20 Lehigh Kicks off 2025 Season at Home Versus Rutgers

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The wait is over. No. 20 Lehigh men’s lacrosse opens up its 2025 season at home against Rutgers on Saturday at 12 p.m. Saturday’s game will mark the season opener for both teams. 

Lehigh was 10-7 last season. The Mountain Hawks are reigning Patriot League Champions after downing Boston University 11-10 in the championship game. Their 2024 season came to an end with a 13-10 loss to Johns Hopkins in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

The Scarlet Knights were 7-7 last season. Rutgers suffered a 14-8 loss to Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament. 

Saturday’s game will mark the second straight season Lehigh takes on Rutgers in the season opener. The Mountain Hawks suffered a 14-12 loss to the Scarlet Knights last season. In the third quarter, Rutgers outscored Lehigh 5-2 to secure the win. Junior attackman Andrew Kelly led the way for Lehigh with four goals. 

Lehigh returns three of its top five scorers from last season. Kelly returns as the top point scorer from the 2024 campaign. The Blue Bell, Pa., native recorded 40 points, the second most on the team last season, scoring 26 goals while dishing out 14 assists. 

Junior attackman Grant Rodny was fourth on the team in scoring, tallying 27 points on 20 goals and seven assists. Senior attackman and captain Dakota Eierman was fifth in scoring with 24 points (18 G, 6A). 

Eierman was one of two Mountain Hawks to earn preseason All-Patriot League honors. Junior defenseman Richard Checo was also named to the All-Patriot League team.

Eierman had a breakout campaign last season, registering a point in 12 of Lehigh’s 16 games. He finished with four hat tricks, including a hat trick in the Patriot League Championship. 

Checo’s 2.82 caused turnovers per game were the second most in all of NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse last season. He finished with 48 caused turnovers and 62 ground balls in 2024. In two seasons played, he’s racked up 102 caused turnovers and 106 ground balls.

Senior Sean Dow returns as the top primary faceoff specialist for the Mountain Hawks. Dow earned second team All-Patriot League honors last season after winning 206-of-363 (56%) faceoffs.

Colin Kurdyla returns as the top scorer for Rutgers. Kurdyla finished with 30 points last season (20 G, 10A). Kurdyla was one of three Scarlet Knights who were named Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch. Cardin Stoller and Tommy Mendyke were the other two players to achieve the honors. 

Stoller played in 14 games as a goalkeeper, racking up 174 saves. Mendyke finished with 20 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers.

Lehigh is 10-40-1 all-time against Rutgers. The Mountain Hawks last defeated the Scarlet Knights in 2019, when Lehigh picked up a 13-10 victory. 

Next up, Lehigh will have its first road test of the season with a matchup at Fairfield on Feb. 7 at 5 p.m.