Box Score 
Bethlehem, Pa – On a chilly evening night at the Ulrich Sports Complex, the La Salle men's soccer team began its 2024 season with a road point and shutout against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.

Tino Kneis made three saves to get the clean sheet, and Andoni Garrogerricaechebarria led the team in total shots with two.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first scoring chance of the game came from La Salle's Garrogerricaechebarria, whose header from inside the box went over the bar.
• La Salle earned a free kick in the 11^th minute that got the bar sent into the box, but the Lehigh keeper quickly came out to retrieve the ball.
• The Explorers' best chance in the first half came in the 27^th minute, when Garrogerricaechebarria had a short-range shot on frame, yet the Lehigh goalie made a diving stop to keep it scoreless.
• Tino Kneis made a stop on a dangerous opportunity for Lehigh off a corner kick in the 35^th minute, but the ref blew the play dead because there was a foul committed by a Lehigh player.
• Lehigh outshot the Explorers in the opening half 5-2, though Garrogerricaechebarria had the only shot on target. 
• The second half started out with some heavy pressure from the Mountain Hawks, with a shot on goal in the 46^th minute. Kneis was able to make the save on that tap-in attempt.
• Kneis would continue to stand tall by making two saves in the next 15 minutes, as the game approached the hour mark still knotted up at zero.
• Around the 70^th minute, the Explorers began to put some pressure on the Lehigh defense. Nevin Baer had a shot on goal aimed at the far post that was blocked out by the Lehigh goalie for a corner kick.
• Both teams would exchange a few more shots, but neither goalie was called in to make any more saves, and the game ended scoreless.

GAME NOTES

• Bilal Bell, Michael Chiha, Robert Myrick, and Garrogerricaechebarria saw their first action in an Explorers uniform as they all started the game.
• Kneis made all three of his saves in a span of 15 minutes to get the team's first clean sheet since Oct 10, 2023, when they beat Lafayette 1-0.
• There were a total of seven yellow cards, with the Explorers responsible for five of them.

UP NEXT

• The Explorers travel back to campus to face NJIT for their home opener Monday night at McCarthy Stadium. The game will kick off at 7 p.m.