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10/3/2026 | 3:00 p.m.
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Colgate
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Taking an early lead against one of the top teams in the Patriot League, the Navy men’s soccer team (2-4-4) could not hold on Saturday night in a 2-1 loss to Lehigh (3-2-4, 3-0-0 PL) at the Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem, Pa.
Using Ryan Skandalis’ first collegiate goal at 21′ and some favorable breaks on the defensive end, the Midshipmen took the lead into halftime, but an unrelenting push by the Mountain Hawks in the second half led to Massimo Talarico’s tally in the 63rd minute and a penalty-kick conversion by Bora Turker at 68′, moving Lehigh into sole possession of first place in the league standings and extending its unbeaten streak to seven-straight games.
With both teams taking awhile to get going offensively, Navy struck first when a push downfield found Gavin McBride moving up the wing and sliding to finish a cross to Keane Brown, with Brown tipping it to a crashing Skandalis who fired it past Anton Kinnunen in the 21st minute.
Lehigh started to swing momentum at 32′ when Aiden Gonzalez put a ball off the right post while Clark had to stop Alex Junquera’s attempt in the 35th minute. A 45′ free kick right outside the box then set up Shea Coughlin to rip a shot off the far right post while the ensuing rebound found Paul Smajlaj in tight, but Clark sprawled on the ground to save it and keep Navy in front heading into the intermission.
While Lehigh fired some early chances in the second half off-target, Jack Illig tried to add to the Navy lead at 57′ when he got the ball in space, rifling a long-distance shot just outside the top-right corner of the cage. A dangerously-close Lehigh free kick in the 63rd minute then allowed the Mountain Hawks to gain the equalizer, as the cross went off the crossbar and right to Landon Bealer, who shuffled it over to a cutting Talarico that then lasered into the right-side of the net past Clark.
Continuing its second-half attack, Lehigh got a break at 68′ when Turker was fouled in the box by Alex Galloway while jockeying for position, who picked up his second yellow card of the evening on the play. Turker then fired the penalty-kick attempt hard toward the right side past the diving Clark to give Lehigh the 2-1 lead.
With Navy then having to play a man down for the final 23 minutes, the Mids were able to block several Lehigh shots as time wore on and Clark denied Vito Braun at 85′. Giving Navy late hope when a 88th-minute corner kick materialized, the Mountain Hawks eventually cleared the ball and held on for their third-straight league win.
Clark finished the night with three saves in net while Kinnunen did not have to record a save in the winning decision.
Match Notes
• Navy moves to 35-25-9 in the all-time series with Lehigh.
• The goal also marked the first collegiate points of Skandalis’ career.
Up Next
Navy will come home to host Colgate on Saturday, Oct. 3, with kickoff set for 3:00 p.m. in Annapolis.