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!
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.
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.
Raffi Fragomeni has an excellent weekend with a 89 pct save percentage
In an intense game that was competitive right to the end, the Leopards emerged with a quality win. Leneke Spaans put the Leopards in the lead with her second game winning goal of the weekend. The one to zero lead was preserved right to the final buzzer as Fragomeni and the defense needed to turn away three straight corners in the last one minute of fifteen seconds. In addition, there were multiple video reviews which added to the tension. The last occurred with 3 seconds left after which the fans on the sideline breathed a sigh of relief with a 1-0 win against a quality opponent.
Spaans circles towards the goal
But be not misled, this was a team victory earned on the pitch today. It would be hard to name outstanding individual players as everyone put their heart and soul into earning the win. There was play after play when it looked like Delaware tried to turn it around and someone came up with a big play to reestablish momentum
Laine Delmotte and Josephine Van Wijk team up to stop Delaware advance
Although there is no official stat for time in the attacking end the Leopards would have had that stat hands down. It was not because Delaware was not a fine hard working team, but Lafayette’s speed and skill seem to overcome their opponents at crucial times. If there were mistakes, there was back up to turn it around. The Lafayette defense seems to be everywhere.
Lea Good and Mackenzie Hall trap Delaware along the sideline
American lost their second game of the year as Boston University lost to Boston College, Lehigh won over Wagner, Colgate lost to Ohio State and Holy Cross beat LIU in a shoot out. So Holy Cross and Lafayette are the only Patriot League teams emerging from the weekend undefeated.
Lena Thedrian was a force all game long!!
The Leopards will travel to New England risking their undefeated record against Dartmouth on Friday afternoon and New Hampshire on Sunday,
Columbia had a record of 3-13 last year, but looks to improve in 2024. However, along the way last season, they had several good games. They beat a very good Monmouth team 2-1, Lafayette 3-2, only lost to Princeton 1-2, and New Hampshire 0-1 in two overtimes. However, today, in Easton, the Leopards owned the Lions. I really don’t like to transmit scores in pre-season games, but I will say this, it was the Leopard team I hope we will see mid-season.
Inda Ralph lines up a shot on an APC
I saw speed, stick skills, strength and strong corner execution and defense. Stella Malinowski had the kind of day that earned her Rookie of Year in the Patriot League, Even some of the first year players got into it with Olivia Krey getting her first collegiate goal on a feed from Leneke Spanns in the second half. Junior Gk Raffi Fragomeni looked ready for prime time!!
Launching an attack penalty corner
APC’S were as sharp as they were numerous and DPC’s were solid. Much of the game was in the Leopard offensive end and the Leopards were able to turn the attack into fast break opportunities. Lafayette will give opponents at lot to think about. Yes, there is the ever present threat with Lineke Spanns. but once they try to concentrate on her there will be another Leopard waiting to sprint up the field, deflecting the ball into the goal on a feed, or dodging single coverage, freeing the ball to set up an attack.
There is a challenging week ahead with the regular season starting on Friday against Vermont. After that on Sunday the always dangerous University of Delaware Blue Hens arrive to test our Leopards. Vermont was 8-10 last year with a 3-2 win in OT over Lafayette. Delaware has been a regular preseason opponent for years, but this year the Blue Hens will travel to meet the Leopards at home. Delaware has the edge in wins 19-11-2 although they have been 6-8 at Lafayette. The last regular season game was in 2017. Last year they were 8-9 with wins against ODU, American, and Penn. Lafayette will be their first regular season game.
It’s Saturday morning in early August and the Lafayette Leopards are back at work on Rappolt Field preparing for the 2024 Division one field hockey season. The legs are still fresh, the weather was perfect, and as the morning progressed it became obvious their machine like integration from last year renewed itself. This team saw itself go all the way to the championship game last year, and it was apparent this fast paced practice and intensity was showing the elements were still there to demonstrate play-off hockey.
The Maroon and White are returning 5 all league selections including all American Leneke Spanns. As the coaches put the team through its paces there was no doubt that the determination and skill were there…..and maybe more. Asst. Coaches Jop Beuger and Meghan Reese make sure no one was standing still, as continuous drills emphasized ball and body movement, while executing accurate passing and deflections at the goal.
New first year players absorbed information from their new teammates as well as from the coaches. Sweat was certainly visible, despite the relatively balmy weather as the drills delivered fitness as well as skill improvement.
Coach Stone was pleased with her veterans, but being the excellent coach she has demonstrated in the last 12 years, she looks forward to the development of others who will see more playing time and the first year’s players, as they become accustomed to the speed and skill of the college division one game. Stone has challenged her team with an interesting schedule which includes Syracuse, Penn State and Delaware. However, before the season begins there will be exhibition tune ups on August 20th and 25th at Fairfield and Columbia at home respectively. Both games will begin at 1 pm. The first regular season game will be with Vermont at home at 6pm under the lights!!
It’s not like the summer and spring have been idle for the Leopards. Much of the team has been practicing and playing internationally. Three Leopards participated in the Junior Pan Am games, Stella Malinowski, Laine Delmotte, and Katie Gibb. Raffi Fragomeni looked ready to defend the cage as she saw significant action last year!!
The Patriot League will be challenging with American defending their championship arriving at Rappolt Field on Sep 27 in the eighth game of the season. The first League game will be on the 20th of Sept in Worcester with Holy Cross at 4 pm. The away games with the Crusaders as well as the away games with Bucknell and Colgate always seem to be tough affairs.
There always will be THE GAME with Lehigh as they will try to avenge their one goal loss last year. This year the RIVALRY will be on home turf on Friday evening Oct 11 at 6 pm. Boston arrives on homecoming Oct 25 to avenge their loss to the Leopards in the semi final last. year. The last regular season game will be up north at Colgate on November 2nd.
Challenges abound but it looks like an exciting season for Leopard field hockey. I would not be surprised to see our heroines in the mix a for championship when its all over. The talent is there, the bodies are willing and the fans are hungry. GO PARDS!!
There are games that can just be a win, because of luck or just superior talent. Then there are games that demonstrate character…..today’s game with Japan in India was one of those games. The skill was there, but character drove them to the finish.The nervousness rose in this house this morning as the US was scored upon for the first time in this Olympic Qualifying tournament in the second half. Could they score and a least go to overtime!!!??
Not only did they score, but they scored twice in the closing fourth quarter minutes to secure that elusive ticket to the Paris Olympics. Japan pulled their goalkeeper to try even the game in the closing minutes, but the US was able to win a corner running clock in the process.
Team captain and Lafayette Alum Amanda Golini will be the first Lafayette alum to become an Olympian in one hundred years. The emotions were overwhelming. driving the team, its fans. and coaches to tears. David Passmore the head coach, was seen a little teary eyed at the end as well.
The team had been through the difficulties of coaching changes, and moving to Charlotte. In the end, not only did they persevere but thrived.
They will move on to play in the finals, their Paris ticket in hand. They are remaining in SE Asia for several weeks for pro league games, as they polish their skills before coming home.
Congratulations To Amanda And The Team As They Prepare For The Olympics!! Go USA
Amanda Golini ’17 shows how defense is played by the underscored upon US Team
The US Women’s National Team launched themselves into the qualifying semifinals on the back of a 1-0 win over New Zealand today. The US is now undefeated and unscored upon after wins over India, Italy and New Zealand. They will now meet Japan on Thursday ( CBS Sports) in the semis. A win will place them in the finals and a sure trip to the Paris Olympic Games. A loss will move them to a play-in game in which a win will also buy them a ticket to Paris.
As to their latest tournament win, victory came on the back of a strong defense. A goal by Beth Yeager in the second quarter off a penalty corner, was to stand up after a strong defensive performance for the win. The US had 4 shots to 2 for New Zealand and the US had 11 penalty corners to 7. There was a streak in the 3rd corner when New Zealand had several corners in a row.
Lafayette parent/fan, Silvia Magadan beams with pride for her daughter’s accomplishments
The US had to work through 2 yellow cards in the second half which included a 3rd period in which New Zealand pulled their goalkeeper in an effort to put a score on the board.
This is a team that is coming together to the astonishment of the world hockey community. They entered the tournament ranked 15th. They will certainly leave the tournament much better than that. In the meantime they will need to tidy up their corners and finish more of their offensive opportunities.
Amanda Golini ( Amanda Magadan ’17) is displaying her leadership skills as captain. She is active on the field and had several key plays from her midfield position and on defensive penalty corners.
Lafayette led the Patriot League with four all region selections. Lafayette is in the Mid East region along with schools like Penn State, Yale, Bucknell, Syracuse and Connecticut. The other Patriot League school that had multiple selections was American who had three in the Mid Atlantic Region.
Leading the Leopards was no surprise as Junior Lineke Spaans was selected for the first team. Joining her on the second team were Sophomores Josephine van Wijk and Makenzie Switzer along with the Patriot League rookie of the year Stella Malinowski.
Remarkably, all four will be returning to compete for the Patriot League title!!! In addition freshman Katie Gibbs and Junior Laine Delmotte have been selected for the Junior Canadian World Cup team playing in Santiago, Chile this week and next!!
The Leopards will be returning to their team, a group that saw the majority of minutes during their run as runner up in the League. They missed going to NCAA tournament because of a one goal loss in the Patriot League Championship.
By adding a decent freshman class next year and the return of several injured players the Leopards should be favored to take it all next year or I might eat a hockey ball if they are not !!! I can’t wait for spring, as skills improve and we can insert a healthy team to the pitch.
The top four teams in the League standings are still playing this Thursday in the semi-final round of the Patriot League tournament, and anyone is capable of the claiming the championship on Saturday. For example, Bucknell is seeded fourth but all three of their league losses came with one goal margins or overtime shootouts.
Lafayette claimed the number 2 slot, and was tied with Bucknell with a scoring margin of 1.51 positive and with number of shots (86) considering only league play. Lafayette has the stingiest defense of the group by allowing only 5 goals over the 6 games.
In corners earned, American leads the pack with 59, BU has 38, Bucknell has 37 and Lafayette has 30. Bucknell leads with 16 goals, then Lafayette with 14, American with 13 and Boston recorded 12 goals during the PL season.
But the task at hand is the semi-final game tomorrow. Lafayette plays at 2 pm after the American /Bucknell game. Boston has always been known for their defense and how it creates offensive opportunities but the Lafayette defense has been stellar this season.
The Leopards will enter the playoffs after capturing five all patriot honors. Stella Malinowski was rookie of the year, Lineke Spaans ad Mackensie Switzer made first team and Laine Delmotte, Josephine vanWijk, and Stella Malinowski were named to the second team. It should be noted that is three juniors, a sophomore, and a freshman, all returning next year.
During the play by play last Saturday between American and Boston the announcer said how that game could be the preview of the championship game. Lafayette will have something to say about that by captains Spaans and Ralph, and the team. An eleven year veteran coach, Jennifer Stone will have the team ready. This is an intense competitive group that will be on the turf in the coming days!! Couldn’t be more excited for the tournament.
Lafayette College Field Hockey 