NA grad Josh Luchini wraps up stellar sophomore year for Lehigh soccer team

North Allegheny graduate Josh Luchini had a banner season as a sophomore on the Lehigh men’s soccer team.

Luchini, a 6-foot forward, was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-league. He led the Mountain Hawks (13-5-3 overall, 6-0-3 in the conference) to the conference title and an appearance in the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Pitt in the first round.

He had a team-high 24 points and 11 goals, including five game winners, in 21 games.

He was selected to the United Soccer Coaches Division I Men’s All-Atlantic Region First Team.

Luchini, 19, said the highlight of the season was winning the conference championship.

“We had such a good year last year and fell just short of our goal,” he said. “We returned a lot of kids and everyone was ready to go.”

The Mountain Hawks, of Bethlehem, lost in the semifinal round of the conference tournament last season, when Luchini made third-team all-league.

Luchini, a 2017 United Soccer Coaches Fall High School Boys All-American, said he has room for improvement.

“I definitely need to work on my weak foot and my technical work with the ball,” he said. “I need to work on a lot of things.

“I can’t wait to get back into it.”

Mountain Hawks coach Dean Koski said Luchini will focus on playing with more consistency game to game.

“He is not a finished product,” Koski said. “He will study film and work with us to take his game to the next level.”

Luchini is the second member of his family to shine for the Mountain Hawks. His brother, Jamie, was the conference tournament MVP the last time the team earned the crown in 2015.

Luchini said around 40 family members and friends came to the NCAA tournament game at Pitt.

“It was pretty amazing to see everyone there to support me,” he said.