Photo courtesy of Joe Kraus, LaSalle Athletics
Alexandru Zama assisted on LaSalle’s first and scored a golazo to seal the game late in LaSalle’s 4-1 win over Lehigh at Ulrich Sports Complex Friday night. Despite conceding an own goal in the first half, the Explorers rallied with three goals on the counter attack and another off a set piece to start the 2026 season with a momentum-building win over a regional rival on the road. LaSalle and Lehigh opened the 2025 season with a 1-1 draw.
On a beautiful clear night in Bethlehem with the mountainous pink sunset in the background, the visitors created the game’s first chances once the teams settled in. LaSalle captain Toto Esquivel Meza had two good looks at goal in the opening fifteen minutes. His first came from a sitter at the top of the box that he smashed into the chest of Lehigh defender Paul Smajlaj, who never flinched, making a phenomenal stop. Esquivel Meza’s next chance came minutes later when he took a layoff from Kyrese Lynch-Bailey, this time curling the ball toward the far post only to be denied again by a Lehigh defender.
The Mountain Hawks created a few chances as well and finally broke the game open in the 17th minute. Thomas Robertson, who was recently named to the Hermann/MAC Trophy Watch List ahead of the season, picked off a sloppy pass out of the back and drove toward goal, forcing LaSalle keeper Maximillian Retzer to make a sprawling save at the near post. But a lack of communication allowed Robertson to get in a challenge off the rebound, and the ball floated over Retzer’s head. Backtracking with pressure from Luciano Larrea, Retzer couldn’t keep the ball out, and his punch sent the ball into the back of the net for own goal.
The game played a little more evenly for the remainder of the half with Lehigh creating some of the better chances to double their lead. Retzer pushed Vito Braun’s strike over the bar in the 21st minute, and a minute later Braun took a short corner into toward the near post that Retzer kicked away. Braun, again found himself on the ball in the box with ten minutes to go, but a siding block in front from LaSalle defender Sasha Rabala denied him again.
Minutes later, the visitors found the equalizer on the counter attack. Zama, the senior midfielder from Warminster, PA, got the comeback going when he took a pass from Davin Millisock from inside LaSalle’s own half and fed Lynch-Bailey in space through the midfield lines. Lynch-Bailey did the rest as he drove at the central defense, cut to his right and beat keeper Anton Kinnunen to the far corner. Lynch-Bailey had three goals last season.
LaSalle didn’t waste any time taking the lead. Just over two minutes later, Millisock looped a corner to the far post where Esquivel Meza stood alone. With time to take the ball out of the air with a volley, Esquivel Meza’s shot deflected off Ajani Banton and over Kinnunen’s head to give the visitors the 2-1 lead. The goal was Esquivel Meza’s first as an Explorer.
After the break, Lehigh come out prepared to push for a second, but LaSalle broke through on another counter attack to extend their lead. Luca Brems-Stamov, a freshman center back from Lyngby, Denmark, pushed the ball forward from the defensive third and split two Lehigh defenders down the middle with a pass to Gabe Faust. With his first touch, Faust beat Smajlaj’s sliding effort then he slipped the ball past Kinnunen to give LaSalle the 3-1 lead.
Zama shut down Lehigh’s attempts to get back in the game ten minutes later, this time off a Lehigh free kick that ended up in another counter. Esquivel Meza won the header inside the LaSalle penalty area and Lynch-Bailey dribbled out of the defensive end where Julius DeVries waited for an outlet. DeVries played a quick ball to Zama into space down the left side with only defender Jay Adkins to beat. Zama set up Adkins to the outside then cut in, unleashing a shot that beat Kinnunen to the top corner.
“It’s amazing,” Zama said about his goal. “I practice it a bunch, so it was nice that it came off. Most importantly, it was exciting to celebrate with my team in the corner. It just shows how close a group we are.”
Zama had two goals and four assists last season, one of his assist coming in LaSalle’s 2-1 win against George Mason. The William Tennent graduate and former YSC player has high expectations for the 2026 season. “This is my fourth year, and my first year we didn’t make the playoffs. Second, third year we made the playoffs but lost in the quarterfinals. So we’re looking to go over that hump. The goal is to get to the A10 finals and get an NCAA berth.”
Lehigh coach Dean Koski, now in his 34th season, said about the game, “We had enough looks in the first half that could change the game. We had a bunch of looks in the second half, but they were really good in transition counter attack, and we were really poor defending that.”
For Koski, the opening-season loss won’t affect his team’s pathway toward an NCAA berth through conference competition, but the game will provide some teachable moments.
“We’re learning more about the players and what they understand, what they don’t understand,” he said. “We’ll find the positives, but we have to take some time to absorb this and make sure we look at the film and make sure we get it right in terms of how we want to teach them.”
Last season, Lehigh went 9-5-6 and reached the Patriot League final, only to fall in penalties. This season, they’ve been predicted to finish third in the conference, and both Kinnunen and Trey Sheeler were honored as preseason Patriot League Goalkeeper and Midfielder Players of the Year respectively.
LaSalle head coach Taylor Thames, a recent Over-30 regional champion with VE, began his 6th season leading the Explorers and secured his first opening-season victory since a 5-3 win over Stonehill in 2022. LaSalle tied Lehigh last season and in 2024, and they drew 3-3 at Stonehill to open 2023.
“We said the expectation has to be that this is going to be a dogfight,” he said. “It’s going to be messy at times. Sometimes, we’re going to have the momentum, other times they will, and we’re just going to have to persevere.”
Thames also spoke about the closeness of his team and his player’s determination to overcome a flurry of late chances by Lehigh. But he also acknowledged his team’s transition game as a strength in their performance.
“These guys are electric, really dynamic group, and a lot of different personalities that bring different things to the table,” he said. “They’re flexible, versatile, and there’s a ton of energy about trying to score goals. They all want to get goals, and the right guys get goals tonight.”
Thames had five new players in his starting XI and recognized their seamless integration to start the season as a positive. “It’s good that we can use that as a jumping off point.”
LaSalle will host FDU Monday night at McCarthy Stadium. Lehigh will travel to Norfolk, Virginia, next Friday night to play Old Dominion.
