On the back of a 12 person recruiting class the Seahawks of Wagner bring a large contingent to face the Lafayette Leopards on Friday at 7pm. In addition, coach Niki Miller has tabbed last year’s goal tender, Daisy Ruhle as an assistant coach. Ruhle had a very credible 76 pct save percentage. However finding a new GK was not the only task Miller had in reconstructing this team that tied for the regular season title with Rider last year.
The Seahawks finished the season at 11-7 and 6-1 in the NEC. They are a preseason pick for second this year tied with Rider and behind Fairfield, last year’s tournament champion. Of the 46 goals scored last year the top 5 scorers ( accounting for 35 goals) are no longer on the team which explains the large incoming class which includes three goalkeepers including one from the Netherlands. One interesting stat was the number of offensive corners ( 146)
Number 8 Laura van Hamburg a graduate student from the Netherlands looks like their top returning scorer. Altogether, I count 5 graduate students on the roster!! There are 10 freshman on the roster 4 from western Europe.
Opening games are always intense competitive affairs and I expect much of the same this time. The Leopards seem to be working well together. The question I suppose will be the relative size of the benches friday night. This is the first game between the two schools and each will want start the season with a win!! Early goals will be a key stat on friday as will avoiding giving up corners giving the Seahawks scoring chances.
I would expect both teams to defend their 40 and try to stop circle penetrations. The Seahawks are a scouting enigma given their turnover. I would hope a nice home crowd will weigh heavy in the Leopards favor!!
Katie Gibb and Mackenzie Hall were in the middle of it all afternoon
Delaware arrived at Rappolt Field prepared for a competitive outing and that’s exactly what they got in the 2 1/2 hour game like scrimmage. The Blue Hens drew first blood in the first half but the Leopards showed a diversified attack and a tenacious defense to eventually go to a 2-1 lead in the second half. Delaware tied it all up with less than a minute to go.
India Ralph and Lena Thedrian were there on defense
The two then practiced a 7 v7 showdown and that ended with no score for either side. It was then to the inevitable shoot out and quite frankly it was a that point I lost track of the scores. The school was experimenting with a new digital scoreboard at the end, which got pushed by the wind and shut down.
I will not go into scoring details but the team and coaches should be very pleased. This was indeed an opposing team in Delaware which played well and could be nationally ranked at the outset of the season. By the second quarter the Leopards looked connected and played like veterans. The Spaans,van Wijk duo was a factor all game. Katie Gibb and India Ralph advanced the ball from the defense. Mackensie Hall was in the mix…especially in the second and third quarter. Lena Thedrian again showed leadership.
The GK duo of Emma Garvey and Raffi Fragmenti were on it all game.
The Leopards now have a week to rest and prepare for Wagner on Friday and Ohio State on Sunday. There are several players who are dinged up but expect they will heal and contribute in due course.
During the Revolutionary War the Men of the 2nd Co of the First Delaware Regiment under the command of Captain Jonathon Caldwell were mostly recruited in Kent County and took with them Blue game chickens. The chickens were known for their great fighting ability, and therefore the regiment became known as the Blue Hens. The University of Delaware adopted the name and in fact their agricultural school still houses and breeds Blue Hens.
There’s a lot to be learned from last year’s stats as the University of Delaware’s season became a drama in two parts. The entire season had a 10-12 record and in fact, the first 9 games left them with a 1-8 record. However, the second part of the season turned it around, as their conference record was 5-1, 3-0 at home and 2-1 away. They ended playing Lehigh in the NCAA tournament beating them 4-0 in North Carolina. In that first stretch they lost to Va., American, Monmouth, UCONN, Penn State, Princeton,Rutgers and St Joes. The best win during their winning streak was a 3-2 victory over William and Mary.
More interesting was their scoring pattern. They scored 54 goals but gave up 60 in the process. They have brought in a transfer from UNC, sophomore Kylie Walbert. In her freshman season at UNC the 5’11 goalkeeper played in virtually every game for 30 minutes each amassing a save percentage of .657 with a goal against average of 1.33.
Delaware is picked to win the CAA and three players were circled as preseason all conference, Julia Duffuiss (nbr 12), Beber Bakerman (nbr 7), and as an Honorable Mention KiKi Oudshoorn (nbr 8). Julia Duffuiss is named preseason player of the year as a defender recognizing her 14 goal contribution. I suspect she is a key player in their offense corner set.
The Lafayette corner defense will be tested
Delaware scores the most in the third quarter and gives up the most in the fourth quarter. They earned 125 corners and gave up 110. Lafayette conversely, earned 77 corners and gave up 106.
Lafayette’s record is 11-19-2 with the Blue Hens. The last win was a 4-2 win on Oct 15, 2003. The last game was a loss in 2017, although there have been exhibition games since. The first game was on Nov. 10 1977.
This will be a good test in this last exhibition game before the regular season!!
Yes, I know it was only scrimmage, but I saw a lot to like this afternoon. I am a homer, but in 20 plus years of watching Leopard Field Hockey this seemed to me to be the best first outing of the season. They were fast, aggressive, tough on defense and especially impressive with the integration of our first year players. The Leopards scored 3 goals during the 4 quarter practice contest. Goals were scored by Alex Darrah on a scramble in front of the goal, Ellie Barton on a nifty reverse stick shot after a feed by Mackensie Hall, and finally Lineke Spaans rocketed the go ahead goal in the last quarter.
Leneke and the ball
Lineke was a threat all game long while she did her usual impression of the “flash.” She will be scary to opponents this season! In addition, Josephine van Wijk showed terrific skills moving the ball through the midfield and into the scoring circle. First year player Lena Thedrian was a force on defense, but also was a key contributor in starting the offense. By my observation she had 2 defensive saves!
Mackenzie Switzer showed great maturity and field presence. I’ll leave it there, and save the surprise for future opponents. However, rest assured there is more to tell. The best part is their team attitude…they are mentally tough!!!
Defense was all there as Switxer and friends defend the goal
This was no easy team in Monmouth. This afternoon they were picked as the number 2 preseason picked in the CAA. On Friday, the Leopards will meet the number one pick, Delaware. There are more surprises to come in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, the Leopards were picked to finish fourth in the Patrtiot League. Lineke Spaans, and India Ralph were picked as all conference preseason picks. The order of finish picked by coaches and school athletic PR officials is American, Boston, Bucknell, Lafayette, Lehigh, Holy Cross, and Colgate. We shall see!!!
Aylin Aufenacker Field Hockey vs. Fairfield 8-26-2022
The Leopards head for the Jersey shore for a scrimmage with Monmouth University on Tuesday. The field is named in honor of the donor’s favorite race horse to answer the obvious question in the title of the article. The Leopards have a had good history with Hawks having won 12 out of the 14 times the two teams have met. Of late Monmouth has been an improved team by landing in the top 25 and moving to the CAA. During last year they acquired a won loss record of 10-9 with a loss of 1-3 to Drexel in the CAA tournament.
They played an ambitious schedule which include UConn, Delaware, Rutgers, Syracuse, Harvard, Boston College, and Princeton. Their worst loss was 1-6 against Princeton and best win was 8-0 against Sacred Heart. In all, they outscored their opponents 45-33.
The last meeting with Lafayette was in 2019 in which the Leopards prevailed 2-1 in double overtime. At the time the Hawks were ranked 25 in the nation. Against Lafayette they have a 1-4 recored at home. All the games have been close affairs for the most part with the last 4 meetings showing total goals in Monmouth’s favor 5-6.
Field Hockey vs. Delaware 9-4-2022
Of the 45 goals scored last year 24 were scored by their all American Annick van Lange scoring 24. She will be on the field Tuesday but this time as a student coach!! The next two highest scorers with 5 each from last year will return. Jess Tucker a junior, number 22 from New Zealand, and graduate student Aylin Aufenacker number 10 from Hamburg, Germany will be looked upon to step up this season.
In the goal, the Hawks will be replacing Phileins Hazen who had a save percentage of 78.8. The roster shows two freshman goal keepers, Jessie Eiselin from Amsterdam and Maeve Clarke from Beverly Ma.
Coach Carli Figlio likes to run a fast break offense and I’m sure she will be trying to recapture her offensive explosiveness during the scrimmage. It should be a challenge for the reconstructing Leopard defense.
Weather is expected to be good for a 12 noon start. Both should be excited as they try to establish their personalities early on!!
It’s three days before the first competition of the season and for two hours of practice I saw a very skilled group on the pitch. They all seemed fit and ready to learn and from my perch on the sidelines this practice was all about establishing a tempo of play. There is no doubt that this group has the skills. In years I have been watching the Leopards this may be one of the more collectively skilled teams that we have seen on the field.
Each drill emphasized moving and reacting, imprinting in muscle memory the actions necessary to move the ball down the field. What was most amazing was the ability of first year players to integrate into the system. Secondly, it is clear there is a commitment to succeed and to win on the field. This is an ambitious squad with some obvious ability to be led. And there are clear leaders on the field!!
Much like the football practice I witnessed several days ago there is a clear crisp plan and timing to practice with very little standing around. The team is responding with the intensity of winners! During my playing days, in football and lacrosse, preseason was two and sometimes three sessions a day. Today it seems there is an assumption of fitness and an emphasis on learning.
As hard as the team is working, there are efforts in the background to provide the support needed to be a Division one representative. You may have to trust me on this, but there are significant efforts afoot on venue, and background support as well. It’s all a race to August 25 and the first game weekend with Wagner and Ohio State.
Let there be no doubt there is dedication and hard work which will result in success. That is part of the educational experience for all involved.
I made a short trip to Easton and saw a Lafayette Campus in the process of rebuilding on many fronts. The path leading down the hill from the campus is being rebuilt, there is a new dorm rising on a building site off of McCartney street, and out at Metzger there is construction on a new stadium for soccer rising. The soccer stadium should be ready for the first home game, but there is still lots of work to be done. The soccer stadium is the first of the physical enhancements scheduled for Lafayette’s athletic facilities.
Still to come will be a multi story structure for Lacrosse which will be adjacent to the field hockey field and I am told it will house and support some elements of the hockey program. Eventually, there will be a new press box for field hockey and perhaps a Jumbotron scoreboard. Already, field hockey has the only video referral capability in the patriot league. It is my belief we could see some of those improvements at some point this season! Perhaps even a third asst coach by September.
However, it was not only the physical plant that is in the process of changing. Teams have already started arriving and practicing. Football and soccer teams have been hard at work for the last week. In evidence on Saturday were current and future field hockey players engaged in a clinic. Formal arrival is in three days but no doubt many of our Leopards are hard at work preparing for a challenging preseason. The first preseason game is August 15th at Monmouth only 11 days away!!
Meanwhile at work was the football team training in shoulder pads and helmets as they become accustomed to the August heat. Their first game is nearly one month away but their practices are crisp and run with military precision. If the effort and enthusiasm is any indication, this could be an interesting season on the gridiron.
Meanwhile, it was great to see our field hockey Leopards on the field giving direction and instruction at a clinic for younger players. I was impressed with Lineke Spaans’ teaching skills as the participants held on to every word from last year’s athlete of the year.
Impatience, is my current mindset. I am ready for the season to begin with all sports, and I am especially ready to see some of those one goal losses from last year turn to multi-goal wins.
Coaches and asst coaches are being hired, athletes are preparing for a challenging preseason, fields are being prepared, clinics are executed, travel is arranged and schedules are finalized. But there is one area most participants forget about and that is umpire preparation.
The game is not possible without competent well trained umpires.The speed and wide ranging movement of the game demands fitness, as much as a deep understanding of the rules and skills of the players. There is a constant need for replacement, as older umpires retire. Recruitment and training is a key ingredient for a successful and safe experience for fans and athletes alike.
Sean Rapapport was recently appointed Head of Umpires for US Field Hockey and he gave a presentation to the Board of US Field Hockey describing his efforts on recruiting and training of umpires. He also described some points of concern he has as the sport expands.
In general he was pleased with the available talent and recently he used some of the more senior players at the Nexus tournament as umpires in the younger divisions. He was extraordinarily pleased with their performance and was encouraged with the hope when many of the athletes finish their playing careers, perhaps they might choose umpiring to stay connected to the game.
Officials attention on skills
He got into details on the use of certain skills and potential issues. As an experiment at Nexus, he took a random collection of 10 under 16 athletes and had the group execute a reverse stick. Remarkably, 8 out of the 10 would have been guilty of a back stick violation. He demonstrated using film show how an umpire can detect the back stick violation, confirming it with how the ball bounces after striking the stick.
It is that kind of detail which is included in the training of a new official, and a caution to coaches and players to execute skills according to the rules.
It is one of the many elements for a successful experience for fans, athletes and coaches, that umpires are prepared. Let the games begin!
The long wait is over and as I write this the schedule is published and allows us to plan our “field hockey treks” for this fall. The first competition is less than a month away and as I assess the schedule there will be some exciting hockey this fall with interesting and challenging opponents. The exhibition schedule opens at the beach on Aug 15 against a good Monmouth squad. Monmouth in recent years has changed conferences and their schedule has been beefed up in the process. They are a quick team that relies a lot on the fast break and will be a great preseason challenge for our rebuilding defense. Just 3 days later the challenges don’t get any easier as the Leopards host the Blue Hens of Delaware. They are always a tough opponent who will test our offense.
After that early preparation, Wagner comes to Rappolt Field a week later for the opening game of the season at night under the lights at 7pm. It will be time for the Buckeyes of Ohio State at our field that following Sunday at 3:30. We are the second game for Ohio State in the Valley as they will be playing Lehigh Friday afternoon. It will be interesting to see the comparative scores. I plan to attend both games.
The road beckons again on Friday the 1st of Sept as the Leopards will travel to Vermont for a first ever game with this team. They have a new field and are celebrating with a 12 game home schedule. The New England Labor Day weekend swing ends on Sunday with UMass at Amherst.
Spanns flies through the Crusader defense
The Schedule doesn’t get any easier as Friday will mark the ACC’s Syracuse University Orange return to Lafayette for a 6 pm game. Sunday the 10th it’ll be a trip to the BIG APPLE and the Columbia Lions who have been improving in the Ivy League.
The Patriot League opener arrives on our home field on Friday at 7pm as the Bison of Bucknell show up. This is a game the team should be looking forward to and the Leopards will look to avenge the one goal loss last year. This is always a competitive match and this year will be no exception. A win for either team launches the pathway to the post season and a trip the NCAA’s. Four wins against Patriot League opponents will be needed to make the League tournament. The regular season league winner will host.
We will catch our breath and get ready for 1pm Sunday and Fairfied ,who actually was a Patriot League member a decade ago. The first Saturday game for the Leopards will be against American in DC, home to many Field Hockey alums. The noon time game as always will be key to title hopes and hopes to host the PL tournament. The Leopards lost by one goal in overtime last year!!
Leneke Spanns speeds through the Terrier defense
The Patriot League will again be on our mind as Holy Cross comes to town the following Saturday at noon. The Crusaders always seems to get up for the Leopards!!
The Patriot League challenge continues the following Saturday, October 7 with Colgate. By the end of the game we should be able to plot our post season chances and what might be needed to be done to get there.
Twenty five hours later Drexel arrives as the Leopards will try avenge the one goals loss from last year. It’ll be back on the bus as our heroes make a second trip to New England, first meeting League rival Boston University who will want to avenge their 2 goal loss in Easton last year. They will playing on their resurfaced field.
The Leopards will stay in New England and after an overnight rest will meet the next challenge, the Provdence Friars at 1 pm. The last game with them ended in a loss, so this could be a very competitive game.
The schedule again switches to a Friday night game at 6:30 with Towson on the home turf to be shortly followed by a noon away game with Quinnipiac in Hamden CT. They will be under new coaching this season!!
Lineke Spanns loses the goalie on the way to a score
The Patriot League regular season ends appropriately with Lehigh at Lehigh. Lehigh has consecutive victories of late and this game regardless of the records, holds drama for each team. Lehigh will be the defending League champion. It will be a key contest in any case. It is a Oct 27 7 pm start that no doubt could define the season!
The regular season ends with a home game with Temple on Sunday at noon, hopefully with both teams looking at a post season! The PL tournament is Thursday November 2 and Saturday November 4th at the site of the regular season champion.
Schedules are crafted to fufill specific aims. Coaches first must fill their league commitments, but they are also constructed with an eye to the playoffs, preparing for league games, recruiting, and alumni support. League demands are first and you can imagine the differences, depending on the size and geographical scope of the league. Most schools will look to fitting in conference games first and structure an out of conference schedule that fits travel demands with an eye to RPIs.
A conference like the Big Ten, NEC, Ivy and the Patriot League will fill dates right away with mandatory games of 9, 8 or 7 dates, before filling in the out of conference games. Coaches will keep in mind travel budgets and time away from campuses. Some coaches will avoid weekday games and missing classes. Others, in divergent geographical conferences will bunch out of conference games in regions they will be traveling.
Many large schools will not play Saturday games on the same day their football home games are played. ( one team shamefully years ago cut short a field hockey game that went to overtime because a football game in the adjacent stadium was about to begin pregame festivities).
Josephine van Wyck defends
The Ivy League this year, for the first time will have a league tournament, but the price was to have teams cut one game from their schedule. Given the fact the Ivies will not allow any game before Sept 1 has always resulted in scheduling nightmares. Teams that normally had 18 games on the schedule now have 17, 16 and in one case 15 games. The result is that there are 16 less games in division one this year. The late start also means, as usual, some teams are forced to play on a weekday. Many teams like Lafayette try to avoid middle of the week travel. The Ivy League stance is inexplicable considering it would be more convenient, and less missed classes if early season games could be scheduled before classes started.
The trickier aspect is to get a schedule that could maximize a team’s RPI. Losing to a team with a lower RPI could be disastrous for the post season on those teams depending on an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Even a loss to a high ranked team may even help a ranking. Strength of schedule is a closely watched element for those post season slots.
Penn State’s Mackenzie Allessie (2) during the game with Lafayette. The No.5 Nittany Lions defeated Lafayette, 2-1 in double overtime at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex on Sunday afternoon Oct. 9, 2022.
Photo by Mark Selders
Finally, recruiting could be considered. Getting exposure in areas of strong high school interest in the sport could be factored in. An even bigger draw is if the roster has some local player on the squad.
Although Lafayette has not officially announced its schedule, it can be found on the League website. There’s a lot for fans to be excited about with early games at Lafayette with Big Ten and ACC teams traveling to Easton. There is an away game with an Ivy school and some Big East and CAA schools to add excitement. We cannot forget the annual game at Lehigh who won the PL last year.
The winner of the PL tournament goes to the NCAA’s and the seeding will depend on how well that team did and strength of the schedule. Once the schedule is announced alumni in the area should be alerted so they can see their school in action. Games in New England, Washington, and New York City always draw alumni interest. As usual ESPN plus will be carrying Lafayette games with some OTC games on other streaming platforms.
Only four weeks to go before preseason and teams will begin practice. The first preseason scrimmage is Aug 15!!!
Lafayette College Field Hockey 