Month: May 2019

USA Field Hockey announced the athletes who have been selected to compete in the Young Women’s National Championships. This competition is used to select players for the various US National teams. It is a group of 144 elite female field hockey athletes which includes current under 19 team members. During the spring, select athletes tried out and trained at various centers around the country. The 144 athletes will have an opportunity to be selected to the 2020 under 21 team, the US National Development Team, or a trial for the U.S Women’s National Team. The five days of competition will be at Spook Nook from June 14-18.

Grace Angelella and Molly McAndrew Selected

Two players from Lafayette have been asked to participate. Rising Junior Grace Angelella and rising Sophomore Molly McAndrews have been selected to this elite group.  Both have participated in last year’s event, so both will have an advantage of having been there before.

Both teammates are dangerous once they get in or near the circle. Grace has had two outstanding years, missing only 1 game during that period. She is a very good distributor and has a good nose for the goal. During her freshman year she tied for the lead in team scoring with five goals. In her sophomore season she scored four goals from the midfield position making key goals against Lehigh and Villanova.  She is an intense competitor and will always be found in a position to make an impact.

Molly McAndrews was no less spectacular in her first season in Division one field hockey. She was named to the All-Patriot League first team as well as the rookie of the year in the league. She scored seven goals and was the difference maker on a number of occasions, scoring a pair of goals in the win against American, and had the overtime goal against Lehigh. She was named rookie of the week 3 times and offensive player of the week once. She seemed to get better as the season progressed  showing she has a deadly shot once in the circle.

The Patriot League had a total of 7 selected for the tournament off their current roster. Boston had 3 of the six ( Kiley Gallagher, Elizabeth Ryan and Casey Thompson), Lafayette had 2, Bucknell had 1 ( GK Olivia Harris), and American had 1 (Josie Formica).

This is another indication that Lafayette should field a very good team this fall. GO PARDS.

The Leopards offensive corner battery executes

Audrey Sawer continues to fight for possession even as she goes to the turf!!

Audrey Sawers closes on a Richmond attacker

Audrey Sawers no sooner laid down her pen and bluebook after final exams, did she begin her journey to represent Canada on their Under 21 team. This rising 19 year old economics major will play tomorrow in Dublin Ireland at 16.30 local time against India in the first match of a four team tournament which includes a game against Scotland on Saturday at 16.30, and Ireland on Monday at 15.30. The medal games will be on Tuesday at 13.30 and 15.45. The tournament will be played at Pembroke Wanderers HC in Dublin.

Sawers has played in every single game of her career for the Leopards. The tall athletic midfielder will be playing defense for Canada. She earned the spot on the Canadian team in a series of games last year in Toronto and was picked by the national coaches having observed her first hand.

Sawers is a natural athlete having been named female athlete of the year two years in a row at her high school. Like many outstanding athletes she has played a variety of sports while starting on her field hockey team. Her sports included basketball, soccer, volleyball, and track and field!! She was named MVP in her provincial FH games.

Athletics seem to be a family trait with an uncle who played football at the University of British Columbia, another uncle rowed for the University of Washington, and cousin   played rugby for the University of  Victoria.

She has been a key starter for the Leopards and one of my favorite players to watch on the field with her reach, speed and courage always on display. She wears number 16 for the Leopards but her red and white uniforms will display the number 22 as she shows her versatility on defense for Canada.

She will undoubtably be a key weapon in the Lafayette arsenal this fall. There are  2 team members who have qualified for the for the Women’s National Championship which will be staged at Spooky Nook in mid June. ( I will divulge their names tomorrow!)  The Championship could lead to selection on national teams. It is believed the Leopards will suit up 7 freshmen this fall to add to an already talented squad. The excitement is building!!

Magadan plays key role in win

The US picked up the first 3 points in FIH competition Saturday night by beating number 10 ranked China 3-1. It was the defense that was the deciding factor as they turned away China’s 13 corner opportunities. It was the nine corners in the first half  that were turned away that set the tone for the evening.  China had four corners in first quarter alone. It was that  corner defense that stood tall for  the large home crowd that cheered them on all night long. Kelsey Bing , the US goalie, was credited with 17 saves and was named MVP of the game. Janneke Schoopman, the US Coach was pleased with her team’s performance, saying she believed all along we’d have a chance against this Chinese team and declared after the contest, “Sometimes it falls your way and today it did.”

Lafayette alumnus Amanda Magadan started the game and played key roles on at least two goals. On the second goal by Laurean Moyer she was able to bring the ball forward and slip the ball to Anna Dessoye who found  Moyer in front of the goal for the score. Magadan was all over the field playing her usual game, countering the hard physical play of the Chinese.

The first goal was scored by Dessoye  as the ball got behind the Chinese goalkeeper after a hard shot by Captain Kat Sharkey and Dessoye was there for the tap in.  The most dangerous score in hockey  is a 2 goal lead,  but it was the third quarter goal that was to make the crowd less anxious. That third goal was a rocket at 5:37 in the third quarter, which Linnea Gonzales delivered, to put the game away and making it 3-0. China was to score in the fourth, but were unable to do more, giving the Red, White and Blue the victory.

I spoke briefly with Simon Hoskins, the Executive Director of USA Field Hockey before the game. He praised Amanda Magadan saying how pleased he was to have her on the team. ” She can play any position on the field and her competitive spirit is a great asset.”

It was a fine endorsement for Amanda, which was echoed  by Head Coach Shoopmann on other occasions. Amanda mentioned to me that she will be at the Lafayette Camps this summer to help coach and promote the game. It will be an opportunity to take advantage of her attendance, and meet this fine athlete and outstanding graduate of Lafayette College and pick up some pointers in the process..

Some PL Schools Have Published Schedules

Boston U’s Schedule is out, and Lafayette will play them in Beantown at 12 on Oct 5. They will play UConn before us and Penn on the 6th. They will be playing Princeton at BU on the 20th

Bucknell has published their schedule and they will meet Lafayette at Lafayette On Oct 26. They will play Colgate before our game and  Penn State after.

Temple has us at Lafayette on Oct 13 at 1 pm

Colgate has just. posted their schedule they will be in Easton Sept 28 @ 12 pm

Liberty just posted their schedule and Lafayette will be in Lynchburg Va on Sunday Sept 8 at noon

Penn has posted and we will play them at Penn on Oct 27 at 2 pm

App State had us on their schedule on Friday Sept 6 at 7pm in Lynchburg, so a weekend in Lynchburg with two games.

Monmouth will be Easton Sunday Sept 29 at 2pm!!

Holy Cross Sept 21 1 pm @ Lafayette ( recognition of 1999 PL champions

Providence will be at Lafayette on September 13 at 7 pm

I will keep a lookout as schedules get published. The only other schedule I saw was Maryland’s and Princeton’s and we are not on either.  American will meet JMU at Maryland  on Oct the 13th and will play Maryland on Oct 29 at American.

Mary Gould closes in on Columbia mid fielder

Caroline Turnbull closes in on a Columbia attacker

It’s been several months since my last article on Patriot League recruits for next fall, so I thought I might backtrack to see what has been happening. In past years, the names, numbers and details of recruits in the Patriot League has been top secret for many schools, but the advent of hockey clubs who publish their seniors who have signed an NLI  has pushed that tradition to the background for the most part. There are several schools who have probably not announced their full new freshmen roster ( American, Lafayette and Boston, all who may be adding foreign names to rosters before the fall), but we are getting a picture of what rosters will look like.

In summary, since my last article on new faces, Lafayette has five announced ( with possibly 2 others to come),.  Holy Cross has added three to the original three I wrote about. Lehigh has added two to bring their total to a league leading class of 10. Colgate has added 2 to bring their class to five adding to their 17 veterans. Bucknell has added  two and will have a class of six, American is tight lipped on their 3 but if past is prologue they will add a foreign player or two by the fall. Boston has added added one to an already strong class. The one is a transfer from Albany, Liz Ryan, who is on the US under 21 team. She will arrive as a junior. A surprise indeed!!

Holy Cross’s addition for the most part come from a distance including California and South Africa.

Lehigh is adding almost a whole second team with the addition of two. Their most impressive get is the goalkeeper Kahn who playing with the US under 19 team. There is also a new Dutch player arriving this fall as well.

Colgate adds two to the three announced, but their biggest asset is their returning vets.

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Bucknell has added two to make a class of six. One intriguing recruit is Alina Arko who is rumored to have speed to burn. The other addition is Noor Kaus whose father played in India.

No additions to American doesn’t mean there will not be more.

Boston has an excellent class and the addition of transfer Liz Ryan means they will be tough again.

However,  my interest is Lafayette. This class and what I know of the eventual additions tells me, we are at least in the top three in incoming talent. Combined with a strong returning class I predict the Leopards, with hard work and a little attitude, will be in the hunt at the end of the year.

Although there is no schedule published, I see key games in the Patriot League with the familiar American, Boston and maybe a dark horse in the way. Holy Cross always gives us a hard time and for some reason Lehigh, with their new players and playing them at the end of season ,at their place gives me pause. Holy Cross, Colgate and Bucknell will be at our place.