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LVU Rush defeat West Chester, clinch club’s first USL League Two playoff berth
LVU Rush took down West Chester United in USL2 action Sunday night, coming from behind to defeat the defending Mid-Atlantic champions 3-2. It was a historic night for LVU Rush, claiming their 10th win of the season and earning the club’s first USL2 playoff appearance.
After falling behind 1-0, LVU Rush responded with an own goal followed by an acrobatic goal by Nathan Bradway to take the lead. Peter Tichy scored an insurance goal as a substitute to make it 3-1, and West Chester scored a second at the death to make the final score 3-2 in favor of LVU.
Sunday’s match was among the most consequential matches of the USL2 season in the Mid-Atlantic division. West Chester United needed to win the match to keep their USL2 season alive, finding themselves in 4th place after winning the division in 2025. LVU Rush, on the other hand, were flying high. The surprise of the 2026 season, LVU Rush found themselves a result away from clinching a spot in the top two, needing a win or draw to qualify for the playoffs and eliminate West Chester in the process.
West Chester started the match on the front foot, applying pressure high up the field to the LVU Rush defense. The opening goal game in the 18th minute after the Predators forced a turnover in the LVU Rush half. Ronan Sullivan broke up a pass and the loose ball fell to Tommy Robertson, who beat LVU goalkeeper Lou Liedtka to open the scoring. Ronan, with brother Cavan Sullivan in attendance, was one of West Chester’s most involved players in the first half.
LVU Rush responded quickly. A long ball to the corner found dynamic attacker Saleem Diakite in the 23rd minute. His cross went into a dangerous area, forcing a miscommunication between West Chester defender Daniel Krueger and goalkeeper Jonathan Evans. Krueger tried to head the ball clear, but inadvertently put it into his own net. The own goal tied the match at 1-1, with Diakite forcing the issue. LVU Rush took the lead only minutes later in the 29th minute. Starting with Diakite on the left side again, the shifty forward whipped in another cross. Nathan Bradway controlled the pass with his chest before unleashing an acrobatic volley that nestled into the top right corner, beating Evans and giving LVU Rush the 2-1 lead.
Moments after Bradway’s goal, the match was delayed due to weather for about an hour. When the storm passed, players returned to the field, and the rest of the first half was completed after a brief warm-up.
The end of the first half and beginning of the second half were choppy and lacked rhythm, as the flow of the game seemed to have been broken up by the weather delay. LVU Rush gained some momentum back after 63rd minute substitutes Gavin Huey and Peter Tichy entered the match, as the LVU defense and midfield continued to frustrate a strong West Chester unit. LVU Rush center backs Dylan Marco and Nico Bustos won plenty of loose balls, but also threatened West Chester with their long passing.
LVU found their insurance goal early in second-half stoppage time. A long ball found Tichy on the right wing, who ran a great distance to keep the ball in play. With West Chester pushing up high for a goal, Tichy had space to dribble the ball into the box before finishing with his right foot past Evans. Tichy’s goal put LVU Rush up 3-1, seemingly securing the club’s first ever playoff spot in their USL League Two era.
However, there was a late scare for LVU Rush. Almost straight from kickoff, West Chester moved the ball forward finding Robertson. Late in stoppage time, Robertson fired a hopeful shot from distance that beat Liedtka, bringing the deficit back within 1. There was little time left,
however, and the match ended 3-2 with LVU Rush victorious, clinching their spot in playoffs and eliminating West Chester.
To call LVU Rush’s season improbable is an understatement. The club history puts it into perspective.
Lehigh Valley United’s first season came in 2010 in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). The club started the 2010s in dominant fashion, winning a national championship in 2012 and finishing in the top two of their division all five seasons from 2010 to 2014. In 2015,
LVU made the shift to the USL Players Development League (PDL), which would rebrand to USL League Two in 2019. In the ten seasons since LVU joined USL2, the club has only finished outside of the bottom 2 in their division once, finishing 6th of 8 clubs in 2019. In January 2023, Lehigh Valley United and Pennsylvania Rush partnered to make a joint USL2 club, naming it LVU Rush. In the three seasons since the merger, LVU Rush had finished rock bottom of the Mid-Atlantic Division, failing to win more than two matches in any season. Their best season throughout this stretch was last season in 2025, when LVU Rush finished on 9 points in 12 matches.
In 2026, LVU Rush have won 10 of 11 matches, good for 30 points. That’s more than triple their season high since the merger, and there’s still three matches left on the schedule.
Philadelphia Soccer Now met with LVU Rush head coach Eric Lambinus after the match to discuss the improbable turnaround.
“In my wildest dream, I didn’t expect this. 10-1, you know what I mean? But we started off well, and we just kept the momentum going,” Lambinus said after the match. “It’s our club. We finally embraced who we are as a club and the way we play… 90 percent of the guys we play have grown up through LVU. They all know each other. I’ve coached a lot of them too… I think we found a good formation that fits them and lets them have fun.”
Lambinus takes pride in the local emphasis in LVU Rush’s roster construction. Now with both the Lehigh Valley United and Pennsylvania Rush youth clubs to pick from, the LVU Rush USL2 roster consists almost entirely of players from these youth clubs or from Muhlenberg College, where LVU Rush play their home matches. USL2 is a league in which many clubs recruit active NCAA players from all over the country, but Lambinus believes that his roster full of former youth club teammates gives his team chemistry that sets them apart. That chemistry has earned LVU Rush a playoff spot, as well as a much-improved defense from years prior.
“I think our formation almost lulls teams into a sense of security. There’s certain spots where they have space. Once we shut it down and once we lock them into one side, I think it almost surprises them,” Lambinus explained. “It wouldn’t work without guys like Nate [Bradway] and Trey [Sheeler] and Brady [Sutton], Sebastian Tis, and Shane [Velez]. Those guys are just working their butt off in there, and we can just bring waves.”
One of the mainstays of the defense was 2008-born Nico Bustos, one of the youngest players on the team. Bustos is an incoming freshman at Lehigh and is due to impress after a dominant season in USL2.
“He is just a beast,” Lambinus said, singing Bustos’ praises. “I think he’s going to be an All-American in college. He’s going to Lehigh. I think he’s one of the best players I’ve ever coached. He’s a type of player that, no matter what the stage is, he steps up… He’s the real deal. You’ll
hear a lot more about him.”
One of LVU Rush’s most important veteran leaders is a name some might recognize. Lou Liedtka signed a short-term contract for Philadelphia Union II last season after a year at the University of Vermont and four years at Davidson. He has returned to LVU Rush for the 2026 season. Philadelphia Soccer Now spoke with Liedtka after the match.
“I think [Lambinus] has so much experience with the game and has a really good head on his shoulders. He just knows what to do in different situations… and that keeps everybody calm,” Liedtka explained on LVU’s shock season. “There’s a few pieces we added. I think a lot of games last year we were close and we would give a bad goal away. This year, everyone is really committed to defending well and being hard to beat. I think that takes you pretty far in summer ball when teams don’t have a lot of time together.”
Despite LVU Rush making history with their win on Sunday, the team still has plenty to play for in the remainder of the regular season. LVU Rush are currently sitting in 2 nd place in the Mid-Atlantic, only three points behind Ocean City Nor’Easters. The two teams play each other twice in their three remaining matches, meaning the division title is still up for grabs. The Mid-Atlantic Division winners qualify outright to the Round of 32, while second place will enter in the First Playoff Round.
“We both score a lot of goals, but both teams are built on defense,” Lambinus said about his next opponent. “Last week of the season, to get two games to win the division, there’s nothing more we can ask for. It’ll be a great game.”
The first of two matches between the division leaders will take place on Wednesday, July 1 at Scotty Wood Stadium. A win from LVU Rush will see them go level on points with Ocean City, while a Nor’Easters win would likely secure the division title. LVU Rush will make their USL2 Playoff debut in mid-July.
