Tag: Lafayette College Sports

Lafayette Takes First Patriot League Game 2-1

It is trite to say it was a “team effort,” but I can think of no better description of tonight’s 60 minutes of excellent hockey. This was a game that was won by the Leopards rather than to say it was Bucknell’s loss. From the opening push off the game was played at tempo worthy of Division One. Every player was engaged…every Coach was contributing their best….every fan…every parent and even the Junior Clinic players on the sideline were behind the Leopards. The crowd of over 450 included alumni who traveled from Europe to cheer on their former teammates. Parents put together tailgates worthy of Lafayette’s long field hockey traditions.

From the first quarter on, the game had all the look and intensity of a playoff game. The first goal came from an Alex Darrah overhead deflection of a Lineke Spaans chip shot at 8:28 on the clock. The Maroon and White continued their high tempo of play responding to Buckell’s equally intense efforts. At 10:46, slightly more that 2 minutes later, India Ralph with an assist from Katie Gibb planted a rocket behind the Bucknell keeper during a corner. It was at that point the Lafayette defense rose to the occasion.

Lafayette goal keeper, Raffi Fragomeni had her best game of the year, turning away over 80 percent of the shots delivered by the Bisons. Lafayette had 7 shots to Bucknell’s 6 during the half. Leopard defenders were kept busy, especially defending Bucknell’s six corners.

Both teams came out determined in the second half and for a time it looked like Bucknell was getting the better of time in the Lafayette side of the field. The third quarter saw Bucknell get a 2-0 advantage in corners. It was then that the Leopard’s defense and bench dug deep. Counter attacks by Josephine van Wyk, defense by Makenzie Switzer, Stella Malinowski, Katie Gibb, and Lena Thedrian kept Bucknell at Bay only to yield to a corner shot by Bucknell’s Kira Leclerq on a corner at 38:44. It was an excellent high flick, top shelf.

But this night was to be for the Leopards and their fans, as we were to see Lafayette out shoot Bucknell 5-1 in fourth quarter. To no small advantage the home team also out cornered the visitors 6-1. With four minutes left on the clock the Bucknell Bison decided to pull their goalkeeper but still couldn’t manage to tie up the game.

The tension did not subside until the last several clicks of the clock leading the Leopards to a 2-1 win and 1-0 in League play. Remarkably, the crowd was reinforced by students who cheered in a continuous roar for 60 minutes. Noticed was at least 4 former players who made the trip…Sam DiMaio, Alex Talkow, Felicitas Hannes, and Lisa van der Geest.

My only regret was there was not enough space or time to recognize all individual team members. This was a total team win !

The Leopards will move on to another home game with Fairfield on Sunday. Meanwhile I will try to decompress!!!

Go Pards!!

Leopards Begin “Second Season” At Home Tomorrow

The Leopards have played 5 games against a challenging group of non-conference foes, and begin their conference games at 0-0 against the Bisons at 7:30 on Friday. Although only 6 games, the outcome of those games determines entry into the Patriot League Tournament where play between 4 qualifying teams will decide who will represent the Patriot League in the NCAA tournament.

Lafayette has an overwhelming lead in the record between the teams, but in the last ten years these two teams have become close rivals. Last year, a one goal win by Bucknell was sprinkled with controversial calls including a disputed goal ( without video review). This year the Bison will arrive with a record of 3-3 while the Leopards are 1-4 with 2 games decided by one goal. Bucknell and Lafayette have one common opponent Ohio State. Lafayette lost 1-4 and Bucknell played them tough losing 1-2.

Both teams have their offensive stars. Josephine van Wiyk leads the Leopards with 6 goals and a shot on goal percentage of 65 %, She is followed by the ubiquitous Lineke Spaans with 2 goals and 6 assists. Her shots on goal is 56 %. The Leopards are young and are growing together as a team. Katie Gibb is the recent Rookie of the Week. Stella Malinowski is in the mix with one goal on 11 shots while co-captain India Ralph has 3 assists during the current campaign.

The Bison are not without their stars, not the least of which is number 12 Lily Neilson the pre season offensive player of the year. She has responded with 4 goals in the 6 game stretch so far. But she has been supported by three players with 2 goals each number 15 Isabella Pavlides, number 5 Zoe Carlos- Pietrazek and number 22 Hannah Guarente. Pavliders has added 4 assists to her resume.

Each team’s defense will be trying to keep the other our of the circle. The Bison average 6.5 corners per game while the Leopards average 5.4 corners. Opponent corners are 6 for Bucknell and 4.4 for Lafayette. Average goals for Bucknell are 2.17 for ad 2.33 against. Lafayette averages are 2.00 for 2.20 against.

The weather is cooperating, expecting to be cool and clear for the game. Perfect Leopard weather!!!

GO PARDS!!

Spaans, van Wijk, and Rubel Provide Opening Day Fireworks in 5-0 win.

In a display of speed and power the Leopards delighted an opening day crowd with an offense not seen for years by the home folks. I have to admit I was a little concerned after I wrote the pregame piece on the Seahawks. They are a reconstructed team with 5th year and graduate students, and sprinkled with a group of international players. But from the opening push, my doubts were put to rest as a clinic using amazing athletic skill, and speed was evident in the Leopards tonight.

It was only 5:10 into the contest when Leneke Spaans, with the sun at her back, delivered a strike over the head of the opposing goal keeper. The last time I saw a strike like that was 50 years ago while in the navy, when an F-14 came out of the sun at supersonic speed, and delivered a payload on the beach. Leneke set the tempo for this team and it was clear it was to be followed later on, by a group effort on both sides of the ball.

Leopards fans had to wait for 18 and 1/2 minutes for Catalina Rubel’s contribution to the score, with a rebounded flick that made the score 2-0. Five minutes later Josephine van Wiik took a feed from co-captain India Ralph during a penalty corner, giving the home town folks a 3-0 lead. Alex Darrah had taken a shot, which was saved by Sam Block, the Wagner goal keeper, eventually leading to another penalty corner after a video review. Wagner had an unsuccessful video challenge themselves on the goal and the halftime score was left at 3-0.

After halftime Spaans again struck at 32:36 with a reverse chip making the score 4-0. The scoring was not to end until van Wijk made it 5-0 after a Katie Gibb feed on a penalty corner.

It was not just offensive fireworks that brought the win home, the defense and midfield kept the Seahawks at bay. Lena Thedrian, Katie Gibb, Laine Delmonte, and Stella Malinowski were busy intercepting passs and turning around the Wagner attack. Have no doubt, this was a team effort no matter who was in the game. Raffi Fragomeni recored her first shut out in the win turning back Wagner with two saves on four shots.

The Leopards took 15 shots to Wagner’s 4, and had 5 corners to Wagner’s single corner in the second period. Each team used 16 players in the contest. Sunday, the Leopards will take on Ohio State at 3:30

After coming home I watched some of the Ohio State vs Lehigh contest, which Lehigh lost 5-2. I didn’t think Lehigh was as bad or Ohio State as dominant as the score may indicate. Ohio State scored in bunches and used the press effectively. They deflected ball into the cage and often had an attacking player positioned at the post.

Around the league Boston lost to Michigan State on the back of early scores in the first period by Michigan State. Holy Cross beat Stonehill in a driving rain in double overtime, Colgate lost a heartbreaker to Central Michigan 3-2, Bucknell had a disappointing loss to Drexel 4-0 and American looked very strong in beating Ohio University.

Sunday American will welcome Penn State ( they a lost to Virginia tonight), and Bucknell will stay in Philly to take on Temple. Lehigh will host Ball State on Sunday. The Leopards will of course tangle with Ohio State at 3:30 on Sunday.

Wagner Brings 31 To Open Season At Lafayette

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!!

It’s “So Sweet The Cat”For The Leopards Versus Monmouth

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!!

Getting Ready To Compete

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.

Spring Games Are A Work In Progress

As much as any fan observing their team, I really want them to “win” every contest. But springtime is about more than winning. It is in fact a time of reconstruction! We have lost a talented senior class and we have yet to see our new additions. So while observing any of the these spring “games” we must be cautious and look at them in a different way. For many team members they are in new positions, and are still trying to know their place as well as their teammates place on the field.

Passing at the high school level, for example is delivering the ball to where their teammate is, while at this level, division one, it is delivering the ball to where your teammate will be. It all about creating and finding space!

There is no doubt this edition of Leopard Field Hockey is individually talented, the question during this spring is how they are beginning to mesh together as a team!

Today, they were to be playing in Delaware, but unfortunately Delaware and Columbia were to come up with an insufficient number to field a viable squad. Temple stepped up and invited St. Joseph’s, Yale and Lafayette to play several 1/2 game simulated scrimmages. Each squad is trying to accomplish the same things, evaluate players, try different offensive and defensive sets, and give their team a chance to test their skills against another team. In this case, three other teams.

Not surprisingly, St. Joseph’s with their larger bench probably was the biggest challenge of the day. Temple, Lafayette and Yale were more or less equal at this stage of the spring.

I am still impressed with the underlying skill of our Leopards, but clearly there is more work to be done. The corner defense looked improved from last week and the midfield showed more cohesiveness as the games progressed.

Like many teams, there were several missing pieces. Two players were playing for the under 21 Canadian national squad and several minor injuries are keeping some off the pitch.

I am enjoying the determination and spark of Ellie Barton. She seems to leave it all on the field. Aimee Hoefnagel and Josephine van Wijk are showing more leadership every minute they play. Alex Farrah shows some confidence. I could hear Raffi Fragomeni directing her teammates from the cage. I could name every individual on the team who are playing more like the elite athletes they are.

Tuesday night they will meet last year’s Patriot League champion, the Brown and White of Lehigh. That, my readers, might be a good time to put it all together. GO PARDS

Stone signs Maura ( Jacobs) Schimp To Be Assistant Coach

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Maura Schimp joins Lafayette Field Hockey as an assistant Coach. Coach Schimp may be better known by Patriot League fans as Maura Jacobs, the stand out goal keeper for American University who graduated in 2018 as the PL goalkeeper of the year. After graduation she was selected as an asst coach for the St Louis University Billikens where she has been ever since!!

Aside from her regular duties at St. Louis she coached goalkeepers, tournament club teams and gave private lessons with the AIM Field Hockey Club.

She is a native of New Cumberland Pa. and earned her bachelors degree in Public Relations and Strategic Communications. She also has a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel Administration. She holds a level one certification from USA Field Hockey.

This is a key hire for Stone and welcome addition to Lafayette Field Hockey. Schimp added.” I am very grateful to join Coach Stone and the incredible team of field hockey athletes at Lafayette College.” She is excited to return to the Patriot League. Welcome back Maura!!!!

Drexel Stymies The Leopards For The Eighth One Goal Loss For The Season

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Lafayette has played eleven games decided by one goal…eight of them were losses which Drexel was the latest. It was a 2-1 loss in which the Leopards tried to rally back in the forth quarter. With the score 2-0 and less than 5 minutes left in the game, Josephine van Wijk took an assist from India Ralph and Catalina Rubel. Coach Stone had just pulled her goal keeper that reaped a penalty corner with which van Wijk delivered a goal, on a direct shot to right side of the cage.

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India Ralph finds some space

This was a typical Coach Denise Zelenak game with Drexel, using a swarming defense, setting up a fast break with open attackers sprinting and getting off one on one shots on goal. Drexel executed their tactics perfectly at 16:14 in the second quarter and 31:39 in the third quarter.

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Mackenzie Hall chases down a Drexel mid

However, Lafayette was to manage a rally in the fourth quarter getting all four of their corners of the game, and managing seven of their 8 shots in the final quarter.

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Lafayette goal keeper, Emma Garvey was to have 4 saves against Drexels 6 shots on goal. Coach Stone played 11 from her bench, getting 22 in the game.

There are number of Patriot games tomorrow including Lehigh vs Bucknell. The Leopards will be taking on number 5 Penn State in Happy Valley on Sunday.

Leopards Lose A Close One

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One team gets 20 shots, 12 on goal, 9 corners and forces the opposing goalie into 10 saves. The opposing team gets 6 shots, 5 on goal. One team had the better bench, evidence by 5 bench players making contributions, while the other team only substituted 2 players all game. One team had their leading scorer stymied the other team had 8 players taking shots. However, it was Lehigh who had the 6 shots etc. It was Lehigh who won 3-2. Abbe Brown, Lehigh’s second leading scorer had the hat trick.

The last five minutes saw the Leopard’s pull their goalkeeper in a vain attempt to tie the score but they were stymied by fouls and impatience! The Mountain Hawks used a high work rate and fast starts on fouls to keep the ball in play. The Leopards did what they needed to do only to be frustrated by shots hitting the post and other missed opportunities to score.

It was a frustrating game for this fan to watch as the game ended in another 1 goal short loss again this year and especially to the Mountain Hawks.

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Leopard freshman Josephine Van Wijk had a very good game tying the score on a corner early in the second quarter, assisted by Hannah Findley and Lineke Spanns. Abbe Brown from Lehigh put the Hawks ahead early in the first half but Sydney Woolston got the second goal of her career in the fourth quarter.The game winner was made by Abbe Brown with her hat trick about 5 minutes left in the game and seconds left on a Leopards yellow card. At that point the leopards pulled their goalkeeper.