Tag: field hockey

Now that graduation has passed and final exams are done, our favorite Leopards have spread to destinations all over the world. There is exploration of all kinds going on. Whether it be athletic, academic or an internship to sharpen skills and provide contacts for eventual employment, I am sure our athletes will find the skills of teamwork, time management, perseverance and leadership valuable commodities to their eventual employers in the future.

Their experiences this summer will be varied, but will no doubt enhance their multiple resumes. We have already seen Audrey Sawers earn her first international caps in Ireland, witnessed by her friends and teammates in Dublin, Liza Welch who was traveling, and Sophie Carr who lives in Ireland. I got an email from Sue Kullby,  Greta is studying in Germany, and she attached a picture of Greta with her new teammate Lici. Greta also hopes to contact Lisa Van der Geest in Holland and Ana Steps in Germany before her return to the states.

There are a number of Leopards at school doing research with their professors, one I hear is involved with an NIH a research grant. Others are taking courses to enhance their education at Lafayette, and try new things. However, Hockey remains on their minds. Tomorrow, my wife and I will take a drive out to Spooky Nook to watch Grace Angelella and Molly McAndrews participate in the Young Women’s National Championships.

I understand members of the team regularly get together for informal captains practices to keep their skills sharp. Head Coach  Jennifer Stone no doubt has given them a fitness regimen to follow, and I am sure they all have early August in mind, as they rigorously follow its carefully prescribed exercises.

It is 63 days until the first scrimmage and we are all anxiously awaiting!! Go PARDS

Rising Junior Grace Angelella and rising sophomore Molly McAndrews are set to travel to  the “Nook” for a chance to be selected to the US  U21 team, US Women’s National Development Squad or the US Women’s National Team Trial. Phil Edwards, Senior Manager of Junior High Performance is quoted:

Looking at the caliber of players selected, the level of coaches who will be there to support them and the balance of the teams it promises to be an excellent tournament!!

The 144 selected elite athletes from across the United States will begin play on June 14 and play everyday until the final games Tuesday June 18. They will be playing and training at the national training headquarters at Spooky Nook in Lancaster, Pa. The selectees will be split into 8 teams, coached by a variety of college coaches from around the country. The eight teams form two pools. and  based on the their records they will play final games on Monday and Tuesday.

Both Leopards, Grace and Molly will play on the same team, Freedom, coached by Richmond Head Coach Jamie Montgomery  and asst UNC coach Mark Atherton. They will be joined by fellow Patriot League opponent Taylor Blood from Boston University. The rest of the team is populated with stars from colleges and universities  from across the United States including the NCAA tournament final two competitors, UNC and Maryland. They will also have players, from nationally ranked teams such as St.Joes, Virginia, UConn, Rutgers, Ohio University, and Delaware. It is also populated by Ivy Leaguer Columbia and out of conference Lafayette competitor Drexel.

Each team will have a practice under the Dome some time between 11 am and 2pm on Friday and games will begin at 3pm. Freedom, Molly and Grace’s’team will ply outdoors at 3pm against the Patriots that same day. Saturday, they will play at 11 am, on the outdoor turf against Courage, and Sunday, they will be third on the outdoor turf against Honor at 3 pm. Monday and Tuesday game schedule will depend on the outcome during the previous two days.

All games are free for spectators for the entire tournament. I will be there for several of the games and will certainly report on the outcome via this blog. It is less than two months before preseason begins and this is a great time for hockey fans to get a feel for the fall season approaching. Best of Luck to our two Leopards!!

Audrey Sawers started every game with the Canadian U21 team this weekend as the  team earned a third place medal in the friendly  team  tournament. Audrey earned her place on the team last year being observed by Canadian National team coaches in an all-nation tournament last summer.

This week end she played defense for her nation’s team who had two shut outs. They earned their third place finish after getting a goal in the 36 th minute on a penalty corner. The defense stepped from there on to deny their opponent, Scotland,a chance to tie it up.

While at Lafayette she played the midfield. She has started every game of her career at Lafayette after a distinguished career in high school. She will certainly be a key component in Lafayette’s NCAA division one fall campaign, as they compete in the Patriot League and hope for that mandatory spot in the NCAA national tournament.

Supported along the way she has received encouragement from her teammates at home and in the stands in Dublin. We are anticipating her return to Rappolt Field and helping her teammates to challenge for the Patriot League championship this fall.

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.

Ok, I confess, I am a homer. I want and I believe that this team can challenge for a championship.  What I saw this spring has impressed me with their chances.  The players had an opportunity  to improve their skills. They showed  fans and coaches  they could step up and perform well. The fall “championship” season is a test of endurance and this coaching staff can take solace ,that they have the “horses.” Everyone can be contributors to earning a championship and a winning season.

First, the team has demonstrated they can perform even though they were missing key players at some point this spring. Certainly the convincer was the Towson competitions where they met last years NCAA finalist and held their own. They followed that with a good performance yesterday, winning the first game against Villanova off a Grace Angelella goal. The second game was a 1-0 loss to a surprising Drexel squad who stunned the Leopards early on with a hard high press. However, they regrouped and proved to many that they could come back with several strong offensive efforts. In the third game, not only did they play well against a young, and skilled veteran, Quinnipiac squad but came away  with a two goal victory due to second efforts by Caroline Turnbull , an all PL selection last year, who scored the two goals.

Second, I saw, especially yesterday, many second and third shots inside the circle and the team was not intimidated by hard, physical play.

Third, the team is well led. I heard of senior players assisting the younger less experienced players in a demonstration of team solidarity. It was good to see the people not in the game, encouraging their teammates from the sidelines.

Fourth, they are just that good. The team was short three or four experienced players due to injuries all spring but those that were in their place  played well, adding to our overall strength. Add to that, a class of seven good incoming players means this team is ready to accept challenges and will overcome adversity should it occur along the way.

As I mentioned to several after the game, there was a lot to like this spring.

My only sadness is, I now have to wait until August until I can see the Leopards in action again. I suppose I can review videos of old games in the meantime.

On paper in may look like the three opponents meeting at Rappolt Field, starting at 11 am on Saturday, are in a similar position. All four teams had similar records last year. Villanova was 9-10, Quinnipiac was 7-10, and Drexel was 9-9. But the won/loss records end similarities. All of course, have played Lafayette in recent years.  Lafayette beat Villanova and Drexel last year, while the last meeting with Quinnipiac, two years ago, was a loss for Lafayette  3-2. However, a deep dive into the numbers may tell us more about the challenges for each team.

Villanova plays in the Big East, and besides their 9-10 overall record had a 4-4 record in the Big East. Their coach Joannie Milhous has been with Villanova for 24 years. She had early success, but Villanova worked under difficult circumstances, having to play on field turf for many years. However, the construction of their new astro turf field, more suitable for field hockey, signaled a turn around. One should consider their signature game last year, a win over ODU in overtime 2-1. Lafayette’s Villanova game last year against Lafayette last year  could be considered Lafayette’s best game of the season. Villanova last year scored 40 goals against 55 scored on them. They had a 7-3 win against Lehigh, their only other Patriot League opponent. They are replacing 6 seniors.

Quinnipiac’s 7-10 record hides the fact that the Bobcats had 13 freshmen on their squad and are only graduating 3. Several years ago the school designated the field hockey team a “team of emphasis,” meaning they were to get fully funded status. That included a new field and the 12 scholarships allowed by the NCAA. Still in building mode last year their 25 year coach Becca Main, used her freshman to score 32 goals while giving up 57. Now playing in the Big East, Saturday’s contest will be the last competition of spring for them and the last chance for her rising sophomores to show they belong on the field in the fall. This could be an interesting contest, especially against their Big East rival Villanova.

The third opponent for the Leopards will be Drexel, who look like the reciprocal of Quinnipiac. They had a 9-9 record playing in the CAA and lost to Lafayette 2-1 in an exciting overtime game. Denise Zelenak, who is a 24 year veteran at Drexel, will bring her fast break offense to challenge, but she will have lost 10 to graduation this year . They did score 46 goals and gave up 49 while taking 9.8 shots per game and giving up 13.7. She will also be losing a senior goal keeper which will be a concern for her in the fall.

All in all, it looks like and interesting day for hockey and for our Leopards, and since it is the last competition of the spring it has significance. Lafayette will be missing their Rookie of the Year Molly McAndrews due to illness so there will have to be someone to step up in her place. The weather looks perfect so come on out and enjoy the day!!

After last week’s showing what they are capable of, this week became shot of reality for our Leopards, after losing to Columbia University 6-2.  Lafayette gave up more goals today, than they had all spring, giving the Leopard coaches plenty of fodder to review with the team this week. This team is certainly capable of challenging for a Patriot League title, but winning championships is as much mental as it is physical.

Lisa van der Geest returned to turf after a week’s absence, and was her old self. Molly McAndrews was absent due to a bout of mononucleosis, Kara Tiedtke and Sophie Carr are still nursing knee surgeries. So there  was moving around with some players in unfamiliar positions. But there was a spark missing, which manifested in Columbia’s ability to defensively jump on the Leopard players , almost seeming to know where a pass was to go.

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In addition, Columbia was to dominate the second half getting more corners and shots which eventually resulted in scores. Lafayette’s scores occurred in the second half with a penalty stroke by Van der Geest and a nifty deflection by Anna Steps. Whereas, the second half had limited scoring  opportunities, the first half was marked by missed opportunities.

Perhaps it was overconfidence, which should be a cautionary tale for the regular season. You must respect each opponent, lest you can lose games that should have been competitive. The Leopards seemed hesitant on passes, and failed to move after receptions, allowing the powder blue Columbia  players to take advantage.

Audrey Sawer looks for Sam DiMaio

Mary Gould closes in on Columbia mid fielder

The game was played in a light rain virtually the whole contest, only to let up with a few minutes left to play. As the saying goes, it rained on both teams so the weather could hardly be blamed.

This is an opportunity to leave in the minds of the team, the reminder to play every game like a playoff game. There is nothing wrong with confidence but a lot wrong when confidence turns to being desmissive of your opponent. Spring is a learning period to learn a variety of lessons, perhaps this lesson might be one of the more important lessons to take into the fall campaign!!!

There is one more competition next Saturday…we shall see how well our Leopards absorb today’s reminder. Quinnipiac, Drexel and Villanova will travel to Rappolt Field for an 11:00 am start. I would not want to be any of next week’s opponents!!