Philadelphia, PA - The La Salle University men's soccer team will open its 2026 season Thursday night in Bethlehem vs. Lehigh at 8 pm on ESPN+. This is the fifth game in four years between the teams and the ninth meeting overall. 

This marks the second consecutive season La Salle and Lehigh meet in their respective season opener. Senior defender Lucas Kelley scored in last year's match-up against the Mountain Hawks, which resulted in a 1-1 draw.
Last season, the Explorers earned a 4-5-8 record overall and finished conference play with a 2-2-4 record. The Explorers qualified for the A10 tournament after going unbeaten during the final five games of the regular season.

Last season, La Salle led the A10 and was fifth nationally in corner kicks per game (7.29), as well as being second in conference for shot accuracy (0.441%) and shots on goal per game (6.18), third in conference for saves per game (4.29) and shots per game (14.00), fourth in conference for save percentage (0.737) and total assists (27), and fifth in conference for total points (77). 

Taylor Thames leads the Explorers for a fifth season, joined by Associate Head Coach Ahmed Elgayar. New to their staff for this season are Assistant Coaches Shawn McCourt and Louis Beddouri.
Among the returners, sophomore Julius de Vries was named to the 2025 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team, as well as the Philly Soccer Six Top XI Team. The Dutch forward earned All-Rookie honors following an outstanding freshman campaign, finishing tied for first on the team in goals with four, and second on the team in points with nine.

Kyrese Lynch-Bailey returns for his senior season, after tying for third in team points (8) and shots on goal (10), and holding third individually for goals scored (3) and shots (22). Two other top goalscorers return, including senior Alexandru Zama, who tied for most games played last season (17), as well as Pedro Amadou, who tied for third in assists (3), and held fifth in points (7) a season ago.

La Salle is ranked 11th in the pre-season poll, but has made the A-10 post-season the last two years. The Explorers have a strong veteran presence, with 11 seniors and 3 graduate students suiting up for the Blue and Gold for 2026. 

Lehigh looks to expand on their 2025 season, earning a 9-5-6 record overall and a 5-1-3 conference record.

The Explorers' home opener is set for Monday at 6 pm against FDU at McCarthy Stadium.