Author: William Rappolt

I am past chairman of the Lafayette Friends of Field Hockey and a former BOT member at Lafayette College. My wife and I are members of the Board of Trustees for USA Field Hockey Foundation. I am currently Chairman of that Board. I am the retired treasurer of M and T Bank Corporation and a 30 year fan of Division one field hockey

Leopard Celebrate Senior Day With Win Over Number 20 Temple

Coaches Celebrate Win

As the first fall Lafayette team to qualify for post season action, the Leopards got into the mood by knocking off Temple in an exciting overtime win in Easton. All five seniors started the game which opened with a dominating first quarter getting off a 5 shots to none for Temple. The most important shot was a Stella Malinowski penalty stroke at 11:57 which put the Leopards up 1-0.

Spanns gets ready to drive the baseline

Lafayette continued to dominate defensively with a 12-7 edge in shots for the whole game. However, the Owls did kick it into higher gear and scored a tying goal early, 35 seconds into the fourth quarter. This was indeed a contest worthy of the post season as the game went back and fourth for the remainder of regular time.

Spaans Steps Up

As the game went to overtime, the seven vs seven overtime format hindered the normal zone defense of Temple, as Lafayette and Spanns found space to utilize her speed. Fans were treated to her slashing style eluding defenders along the base line. The Lafayette faithful held their breath as the official held his whistle as Owl defenders tried all the could to stop her from dodging multiple players. As the Temple goalkeeper went to ground Spanns took a Darrah pass, pulled back and lifted the ball into the net.

Having qualified for the post season along with American, Bucknell and Boston, the Leopards are still in the hunt for hosting depending in part on the outcome of next week’s American game at Bucknell. American lost yesterday to Brown 2-1.

Lafayette Offense Struggles In 1-0 Loss To Number 15 UMass

The Leopards went to head to head with the visiting Minute Women, falling by one goal for the second consecutive meeting. UMass did out shoot Lafayette 9-5, as they used a strong second half to overcome the defensive stalemate in the first half. The Minute Women were able to control play and by adding two penalty corners to Lafayette’s none in the fourth quarter.

It was even more remarkable given that Lafayette held, for a time an advantage of three field players due to two cards by UMass and with Coach Stone pulling the Lafayette goalkeeper. Lafayette keeper Fragomeni had 3 saves during the contest.

So does this look like the GK is going for ball….I think not!!!!!

The winning goal came at 45 seconds into the final period during a penalty corner. The Minute Women played a very physical game, often pressing the Leopards especially in the second half. Lafayette’s shots came from two by Leneke Spaans, two from Lea Good, and one from Laila Pasic.

There was strong defensive play from Makenzie Switzer and co captain India Ralph. The Leopards will now move on with a League bye next week and meeting Drexel and Temple before a big game with Boston University in two weeks!

Leopards Roll Against Lehigh 5-0

Stella Malinowski attacks the circle

In a demonstration unlike any other this season, the Leopards put it all together for the 500 fans in attendance. The 5-0 score may have underscored the dominance Lafayette had all game, but it didn’t tell the whole story. It was a game of defense, offense. and personnel depth. Sophomore forward Stella Malinowski was the statistically dominant player of the night with two goals and an assist, but it was “all hands on deck,” as the Leopards just crushed it with speed, team play, and aggressiveness.

Lafayette executes on an OPC

Lafayette had 18 shots to Lehigh’s 3, they were tied in penalty corners, but each corner became offensive opportunities, Fragomeni was perfect in the goal, and scoring was spread around to four players with assists from three different Leopards. As an example of aggressive play, the Leopards had 46 fouls to Lehigh’s 28 and at one point they were down two players on the field due to cards, and Lehigh still could not find a scoring solution. The mountain hawks never gave up playing, but tonight was Leopard night.

Scoring was opened up at 6:04 into the contest with Malinowski delivering on a penalty stroke, to put Lafayette out front, which they would never cede. Lineke Spanns, who was guarded closely all game delivered the second strike with a spectacular drive across the Lehigh goal dodging several players, and putting the Lehigh goalkeeper on her back foot. Lafayette 2-0 at 14:26 into the game.

Trying to shut down Spanns proved to be futile as Lea Good took an assist by Josephine van Wijk at 16:07 as the offense avalanche continued with a deft strike to the back of the cage.

Lafayette reentered the game after halftime as Alex Darrah ( who seems always to be at the right place) delivered a Stella Malinowski assist, to put the Leopards up 4 with 29 minutes to play in the game. Malinowski finished her night with a goal assisted by co-captain India Raph at 37:26.

In other Patriot League action the American Eagles beat BU 2-0 after taking 26 shots on the road to continue their undefeated league record. Bucknell rolled against Colgate to keep pace with the Leopards in second place, as their last game of the season with ‘American looms large to break the logjam at the top of the standings.

The Leopards will have a league bye next week. and then will meet BU at home which may lock in a place in the PL tournament. The Bucknell/ American game may well initiate going to tiebreakers for the top seed. Just wait…..your head could explode with the possibilities.

In the meantime, Lafayette will meet the ranked UMASS minutemen ( or women) on Sunday which, believe it or not could be a factor in tie breakers. In any case it could help the Leopards break into the top 30!!

Lafayette Downs Providence On The Way to Seven And Four

Leneke Spanns sparks 2-1 victory

Before 307 fans, the Leopards pleased their audience with a 2-1 win. The first half looked like it was going to be a blowout and the first half statistics bear that out. Lafayette out shot the Providence Friars 12-0, out cornered them. 5-3 and outscored them 2-0 even after a deflected penalty stroke. They controlled time in the circle, and seemed by these eyes to dominate play.

Josephine van Wijk powers past Providence

It was only 6:11 into the game when Alex Darrah got her second goal of the weekend. It was a Spanns’ circle penetration and shot, when Darrah found the rebound and delivered it past the Providence goal keeper allowing Lafayette to establish the early lead. The home team Leopards delighted with 7 shots in that opening period. At 7:43 it looked like another point would be added as a result of a penalty stroke as the Providence keeper turned the shot away

Lila Pasic introduces herself to a Friar

The action did not stop in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Spanns took one of her 7 shots in the game and this time connected from the right side of the goal mouth, making the score 2-0 with under 8 minutes left in the half. Providence did manage 3 corners but the Lafayette DPC squad successfully kept the Friars 0 on the scoreboard.

It was the second half when Providence came alive, as perhaps they were thinking about that long homeward trek on I-95 ahead of them. In any case, they came out energized and threw a “zone and high press” at the Leopards and it began to have its effect on ball possession as they began to have more time in their scoring circle. Although they still only had 2 corners in the second half, they did have 5 shots to the Leopards 4.

Suddenly, with 11 minutes ticked off in third quarter Carly Van Benten from Providence found an opening that put the game at 2-1. Leopards needed to redouble their defensive efforts and shut down Providence for the rest of the game. Shots and corners remained level between the teams as Providence continued to try to get the extra goal to tie it up. In one last effort with under 5 minutes to go. Providence pulled their goal keeper as the Leopard defense stiffened, and the final horn sounded giving the Lafayette their win and the 7-4 record.

The Leopards used 23 players during the afternoon as they continue to display strong bench strength. On Friday, Lehigh comes to town not only as an intent rival but a competitor in the Patriot League. It is a key contest as neither team can afford the loss!! A third League win for the Leopards keeps them in the hunt for home field, not to say a place in the league championship tournament.

The American Eagles nearly lost their game with Colgate yesterday but pulled out.a miracle win with one second left on the clock 3-2. They still have yet to play Boston and Bucknell.

But next week, it’s Lehigh our heroines need to focus on.

Lafayette Shows Character With 2-0 Win At Bucknell

Spanns delivers the ball in the circle

The first half of this game looked like overtime was inevitable. Both teams spent most of the first 30 minutes between the 30 yard lines. They had three shots each, while Bucknell had 3 penalty corners while Lafayette had single time with a corner chance. Bucknell’s defense was all it was cracked up to be, and their team speed was impressive. The two players that attracted the most attention were number 12 Lily Neilson from Bucknell who had 4 shots , and number 8 Lineke Spaans from Lafayette, who had no shots was central to getting the ball to circle. Spaans was surrounded by 3 Bison for most of game but managed to break free from time to time. Neilson was well contained one on one by the Leopards, but was clearly on their minds.

Mackenzie Hall holds off a Bucknell defender

It was number 19 Josephine van Wijk, who had the most shots for the Leopards (5), but couldn’t seem to connect, despite being on goal for 4 of them. Lena Thedrian was a key player on defense and contributed 4 shots during the game. Despite the fine defensive play by the Bison it was my impression that the Leopards relentless play began to wear them down eventually. Shots in second half were 12 to 6 in the Leopard’s favor.

With less than 3 minutes left in the third quarter Katie Gibb found a rebound off of two shots during a penalty corner. The umpire could have called another PC for Lafayette but held his whistle as an excellent official should. The Leopard’s took the first lead of the game.

Josephine van Wijk scoots around a Bucknell defender

Bucknell was not giving up, but the visiting team scored again with 8:20 left in the game as Alex Darrah found the back of the net with the help of a perfect pass from Laila Pasic after two other shots at the cage. It should be noted that both came off the bench seconds before the goal!!

DPC unit had a good night

Goalkeeper Raffi Fragomeni had a very good night, not only getting the shutout but by using her kickers to direct the ball. In my opinion, this was the best effort by this Lafayette team of the year. It was a wonderful turnaround after losing 2 tough game last weekend. The importance of the game cannot be overstated as this drops Bucknell out the League unbeaten ranks and gives Lafayette two victories with 3 League games to play. Lafayette and Bucknell are now tied with a 1 game loss in the League. This Bison team is a fine team, and in my opinion could very well beat American later in the season.

American Gets By Lafayette In Double Overtime

As the late great Yogi Berra might say, it was ” deja vu all over again,” as Lafayette lost to the American Eagles 1-0 in a similar play that ended the 1-0 championship game last season. The game was played at that level as each team had their chances during regular time. Game statistics were a reflection the closeness of the action. American led in shots 9-8, while Lafayette led on shot on goal 5-4, American’s goalkeeper Bryn Underwood had 5 saves to Raffi Fragomeni’s 3. American led in corners 3-2.

Several times the Leopards had breakaway opportunities which were stopped by American’s fifth year goalkeeper coming out to meet the threat. It was the class of the Patriot League, in my opinion in this early game. American had lost in three other overtime games this season. It was American’s first League win, so there is a lot of hockey yet to play but it is a huge step up to claim another home field advantage by the DC based American Eagles.

The Leopards will move on to Happy Valley with a meeting with nationally ranked Penn State on Sunday. A win would certainly help with the sting of tonights game, but the Leopards will face another challenge with an ever improving Bucknell Bisons next week in Lewisburg

Alex Darrah Drills Two To The Back Of The Cage In Patriot League Win Over Holy Cross

Lea Good goes after the ball. She had an assist on the first goal

Lafayette saved their offensive fireworks for the second half as they were only able to manage two shots to Holy Cross’ six shots in the first 30 minutes. Penalty corners went to Holy Cross 3 to 2 as well. From my perspective it looked like the Leopards were having trouble with a bouncy turf, but the Maroon and White turned it around and outshot the Crusaders 14-3 in the second half to record a 3-0 win in Worcester

Katie Gibb gets encouragement from Alex Darrah

The Holy Cross goalkeeper was forced to make 11 saves, while Raffi Fragomeni earned a shutout, with 7 saves.

Lafayette bench was a huge advantage, as Coach Stone used 20 players during the game while Holy Cross only 15.

The second goal of the game came at 35:49 after a desperate scrum in front of the cage resulted in a penalty stroke goal by Stella Malinowski. Alex Darrah score her second goal of the game at 42:06. Although the Crusaders fought hard, the field seemed to tilt in Leopards favor and they managed 7 shots to one, and threatened all period long.

The Leopards will take their 5-2 record and 1-0 record in the Patriot League back to Rappolt Field in an important game next Friday against American University. In other league action Bucknell beat Boston 2-1 in overtime!!!

Lafayette Field Hockey: Intense Battle vs 14th Ranked Syracuse

India Ralph and Lena Thedrian chase down Syracuse’s Hattie Madden

It was a game of inches and chances as Lafayette gave the 14th ranked Syracuse Orange all they could handle. The difference was an early foul that produced a penalty stroke goal by Syracuse, and a goal from a corner with thirty six seconds left in the game. But it was game in which Lafayette proved they could play with the big dogs. The Leopards out shot, out cornered the ACC opponent. All American Leneke Spaans proved she was among the best, by tying up the score at 56:28 in the game with a corner strike after a Katie Gibb insert and Stella Malinowski stop.

Lea Good chases down Syracuse player

It was an uncharacteristically hot day in the 90’s in Syracuse, as both teams seemed to battle the heat. The play went back and forth. In intense play Syracuse collected 3 green cards and and a yellow while Lafayette had two greens and a yellow. The Orange were very physical as they seemed to give fouls rather than let Lafayette advance. Both teams guarded closely, and substituted liberally during the contest.

Spaans winds up to tie the score!!

Lafayette earned 16 corners to Syracuse’s 5 and they out shot their opponent 16-11. The Leopards seemed to get stronger, as the game went on and saw a 12-2 advantage in corners the second half and a 13-4 advantage in shots. In the post game interviews, the Syracuse players felt their pre game scouting allowed them to defend the Leopard corners. The Leopards however, were able to penetrate the fast Orange defense and counter the opponent’s attempted pressure during the game.

We always enjoy a win but there was nothing in this game that would provoke a sad feeling. Lafayette can hold their head high, and realize that they have not played their best hockey yet. They are a very dangerous team. Meanwhile the second season approaches with the first Patriot League game happening this Friday against Holy Cross in Worchester. They should not take the Crusaders lightly as these League games have all the intensity of opening day.

The American Eagles demonstrated their own danger, losing in overtime to the number 3 ranked Virginia Cavaliers, Holy Cross lost to a good Northeastern team, 1-2, Lehigh beat Fairfield 2-1, Bucknell beat Columbia 2-1, and Colgate lost to Michigan State 0-5.

Leopards’ Victory: Deep Bench and 29 Shots

Lea Good delivers one of 29 shots

The Leopards finally walked way with the fourth win of the season against the Bobcats of Quinnipiac, following a ton of shots and an amazingly deep bench 3-2. Think twenty nine shots ( sixteen on goal), twenty one players seeing action on the pitch, three different players scored goals while the Bobcats had 8 shots 5 on goal, 4 defensive saves, 9 saves by their goalkeeper. They used only 4 players from their bench but found the back of the net twice during the game.

Laine Delmotte delivers the ball to Stella Malinowski

Quinnipiac jumped out to a lead in the first quarter behind a 3 shot to 1 advantage at 9:28 into the game. following a lift past two Leopard defenders and a shot into the left corner. For the moment it looked like the momentum was moving in the Bobcats favor. The home crowd of 403 fans were about to see the Leopards turn it on. Lafayette managed 15 shots to 1 for the visitors in second quarter, with a 5-0 penalty corner advantage as well. Finally, India Ralph delivered a deftly tipped the ball into the back of the net tying the score at 1-1 at 22:21 Mackenzie Hall and Leneke Spaans were helpers on the goal. Spaans attracted as many as three defenders at times, enabling her and the Leopard offense to find openings. She and Stella Malinowski were involved in the second go ahead goal by freshman Laila Pasic, who delivered by tipping the ball into the net at 33:44. It was the first goal of her career and first appearance on the turf this season!!

Spaans escapes triple coverage

To the credit of Quinnipiac, they kept fighting and tied up the score 4 minutes later, and seeming to breathe life into the Bobcats who had a 3 -2 advantage in penalty corners in the third quarter, but the Leopards still had the advantage in shots 6-3.

Josephine van Wijk delivered the winning go ahead goal at 44:47 with help from Lineke Spaans again on a tip in. Van Wijk had a team leading 5 shot 3 on goal during the contest.

Mackenzie Hall closes in

At end of the contest the players and close fans were treated to a post game tailgate by the ever supportive parent delegation.

Lafayette hits the road to Syracuse to play the Orangemen on Sunday, their first ranked opponent of the season. Syracuse is 3-1 and are coming off a 2-0 win against Northeastern. Last Season’s game in Easton was cancelled because of a thunderstorm. They are ranked 14th in the NFHCA poll. Their one loss came at the hands of Ohio State 0-5.

Leopards Drop One In Durham

Spanns powers past her opponent

Lafayette finished their New England tour, losing their first game of the season to the University of New Hampshire 3-0. All three New Hampshire goals were made in the first half, where each side made 5 shots, but the home team found the back of the net on 3. Lafayette had the edge in penalty corners during the game 7-3 but couldn’t connect while two New Hampshire corners resulted in scores. New Hampshire led 11-9 on shots for the whole game.

I watched the game on TV, which was a real challenge as there was no replay, no close up shots, and the one camera man had a hard time following the ball. However, right from the outset it seemed Lafayette was having a hard time with the new turf. There were slippery conditions, and ball seemed to bounce in way that gave our players difficulty. However, that is not an excuse, New Hampshire was quick and their defense was stout, keeping the Leopards from getting into any real rhythm. According to the stat sheet, Addis Kahn the Leopard freshman Gk did get in for 5:14.

The second half did see the Leopard’s defense shut down the New Hampshire offense, but the Lafayette offense had little to offer. Josephine van Wijk led the Leopards with 3 shots, Spanns had 2, Evans had 2, Darrah had 1, along with India Ralph. Of the 9 shots 4 were on goal.

Next week challenges include a home contest with Quinnipiac on Friday and a meeting with number 7 ranked Syracuse on Sunday.