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The number that kept popping up during Lehigh’s (1-1, 0-0 PL) win over Wagner (1-1, 0-0 NEC) was “2016”, probably the last number any member of Lehigh Nation might have imagined surfacing on a rainy afternoon at Murray Goodman Stadium.
BETHLEHEM, PA – From the moment head coach Kevin Cahill stepped onto campus as Lehigh’s head football coach, he’s been talking about making Murray Goodman stadium a true home field advantage. He was right to broach the subject. The last time Lehigh had a winning record was in 2016, when the Mountain Hawks were 9-2,.
Fordham scored on all six of its possessions in the first half and was in command from start to finish en route to a 56-7 win over the Seahawks in a non-conference tilt at storied Jack Coffey Field.
On February 1st, Northeast Conference Commissioner Noreen Morris announced revised regular season competition and NEC Championship formats for fall-to-spring, winter and spring sports, which included football.
I have five burning questions on the issue that might help to give clarity on what a spring season for the Patriot League might look like.
A brand-new rivalry is spawned in the NEC and a league tilt between St. Francis (PA) and Bryant feature this week.
Another interesting week awaits us in the NEC, featuring a battle between a NEC title contender and a Pioneer Football League contender.
Things pretty much played out as expected when the teams of the NEC stepped up in class, losing some games against tough competition. It was the losses to D-II squads that were an issue, with Wagner and Robert Morris losing some bad games against sub-D-I competition. This week, the NEC has another mixed back of play-up and play-down competition.
Wagner, who came within a blown defensive penalty from having a chance to beat FBS UConn, isn’t the only NEC team chomping at the bit to start Week 2 of the football season. Duquesne, Central Connecticut State, Robert Morris and Sacred Heart also have their home openers this week.
The NEC starts their 2019 football season as road warriors with the exception of Merrimack, who is not a full NEC member but is competing against mostly NEC squads. All of the games should be a challenge – with the exception of Merrimack, once again.
The Northeast Conference welcomes two new members in 2019 in LIU and Merrimack, two teams that should bring some juice to the league in future years. That newness extends to many of the existing teams of the NEC, many of whom are headed by first or second year head coaches. In such an environment, Duquesne’s returning talent and longtime head football coach really stand out.
A tough, brutal early stretch of the schedule saw the Seahawks limp to a 1-5 record, though they would win their final two games against Bryant and Robert Morris to achieve a 4-7 record.
