Tag: Lafayette College

Mental Toughness Is Built In October

As we moved to this past weekend in the schedule, we realized how it would demonstrate the mental toughness to challenge for the championship. The Leopards, as they continued to win and climb in polls were beginning to to paint a large target on their back. No longer was Lafayette looking for the upset, but others were looking to upset the Leopards. A win would set the agenda and tone for their season.

This was no more obvious than the battle between American and Lafayette friday night. It was a struggle between rivals for the regular season title and the home turf for the Patriot League tournament. No doubt each coach, Jennings and Stone peeked at earlier season games for a clue to success on Friday. Additionally there was the national rankings as an additional painted target!!!

For most of us fans, it was given that the end result would go to who could successfully navigate the details and make the least mistakes. For most of game it was this cautious respect that would dictate play. The game was played at the midfield interrupted by forays to the circle as openings showed themselves. Goal tending was crucial as Addisson Kahn turned away four shots and Teagan Harmon from American turned away two in five periods of play.

At the end of the fifth period both teams were left standing at 0-0 and would go to a shootout. American had accumulated seven shots ( mostly on corners) and Lafayette had tallied five. Each had two corners apiece. American’s second penalty corner in overtime was a crucial turning point in the game. It was after that it became clear that a shootout was likely.

Each coach, at the end the overtime period would designate their shooter for the overtime, but it was Coach Stone who was to change her Goalkeeper to Campbell Lemmick, a second year player who had yet to record minutes in any college game. Stone knew that Campbell had the quicker feet required to the task. Addison had done her part and the cage was ceded to the sophomore.

Stella Malinowski and Lena Thedrian each made their goal Gools, when American Emila Winkler was to stopped by Lemmick. Van Gool was stopped as well along with American’s Sam Kokx. Lea Good stepped to the line beating the American keeper making it three to one. Nora Tremble, American’s last hope was denied by Lemmick’s leg pad putting the win in the Lafayette column.

The first challenge ( and most important win) was to go to Lafayette who now is undefeated in League play. Sunday in another overtime battle the Leopards were to go down 3-2 to Penn State. It was clear this was again well contested but Lafayette was to come up short. It was an upset but the Leopards will still have a challenge ahead against League rival Bucknell on Friday. A loss by Bucknell could go a long way to eliminating them from the post season and putting Lafayette in the driver seat with a 4-0 record in the league, with five straight home games for the rest of October.

It will be a do or die test for Bucknell as Lafayette will need to beat them on Bison turf!! The Leopards have the heart and skill up for the task!!

Is It All In The Numbers??

10/02/2026…The date I have circled since mid-summer. The game with American is always a crucial part of the regular season. This year, it occurs mid-season with the Leopards as the nationally ranked team. Depending on which rank you subscribe to, the American Eagles will have to arrive on Leopard turf to face the number 19 ( NFHCA poll), number 7 ( NCAA and Field Hockey corner calculated RPI rank), or number 17 (ACR rank) national team rank. The Eagles’ RPI is 32.

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American got off to a slow start this season losing their first 3 games to California, Stanford and Richmond. Since then they have added W’s over App State,William and Mary, Towson, Bucknell, Lock Haven, and Maine. Last Sunday they lost to Providence. American comes to Easton with a 6-4 record, but 1-0 in the Patriot League. Lafayette of course is 8-1 with a 2-0 record in the League.

No doubt the outcome of the game will go a long way in determining the home field for the League tournament ( and a high RPI will have beneficial effect on an ultimate seeding in the national tournament).

But lest their be any doubt, American will come well prepared with both coaching staff’s having viewed hours of game tape to develop a plan. The last two games by Lafayette saw their opponents using most of their resources to jam the shooting circle and hold the score down hoping for a game winning opportunity. That was a strategy used by American’s in their 1-0 win against Bucknell, where they were to find the winning goal with 30 seconds left.

Looking at the raw stats, seems to favor a defensive battle. American’s offensive stats are boosted by beat downs against William and Mary (8-0), Towson (6-1) and Lock Haven (6-0). Eliminate those scores and their goals per game stat is reduced considerably.

Lafayette’s defense looks good per game goals against (.78) leads the league and American is 1.3. Addison Kahn’s save pct is .80 compared to Teagan Harmon’s save pct of .639. The amount of penalty corners per game is similar.

American uses their defense to start their offense so the task for Lafayette will be to contain American to their side of the field and try to maintain possession and get to the shooting circle.

The weather will be perfect, and these games are always well contested. I hope there is a big crowd to tilt the field the Maroon and White way!!

Lafayette Emerges Into Top 25 In One Rating After Successful Weekend

Lafayette moved to 5-1 after beating Rider 3-0 on Friday and dominating Drexel in Philadelphia 4-1. In Friday’s Lafayette was to take 36 shots scoring 3 times while Rider only was to only get off one shot the entire game. Malinowski opened the scoring for the Leopards with a stroke 6:48 into the game. Maddie Evans was to follow with a strike two and minutes into the second quarter assisted by Katie Gibb. Lena Thedrian hit on one of her rocket drag flick on a corner assisted by Oliva Krey and Gibb. Jade Regan, the Rider goalkeeper came up with 16 saves for her 60 minutes in cage.

Sunday’s game with Drexel had a 4-1 result but the Leopard’s had a different path to get there. Lafayette scoring came in the first, second and fourth quarter from Katie Jackivicz assisted by Maddie Evans, the second came from Laila Pasic minutes later, the third came from Elsa Wood to give the Leopards a 3-0 lead at the half. The third quarter was scoreless which let to a fourth quarter where Linda Nova added fourth insurance goal!

The two goals by first year players Jackivicz and Wood were the first of their careers and a warning to future opponents this team can score from anywhere. Passing was exceptionally accurate and receptions came on the run. Most of the play was in the Leopard side of the field and Drexel never seemed to slip into their fast break offense.

The Leopards appeared in Field Hockey Corner ranking 24 in Field Hockey Corner’s ACR method. They appear on anther ranking based on RPI which is 50 pct weighted by strength of schedule at 28.

Stars On A Team Or A Team Of Stars

Lafayette has certainly gotten off to a good start to the 2026 championship season. The only blemish is a 0-1 loss to the number one team in division one, Northwestern. To date they have a 3-1 record ,and along the way individual efforts have highlighted that record. Certainly and foremost could be the performances of Addie Kahn the Leopard goal keeper whose outstanding performance against Northwestern earned her goalkeeper of the week for the Patriot League last week, but her performance continues on with an outstanding game against Cornell stopping not one, but two penalty strokes preserving a 2-1 victory. She currently ranks 18th nationally in save percentage.

Another shining star on the Leopard lineup is Lena Thedrian whose goals per game, 1.25 ( which includes a hat trick against Temple), puts her ranked 9th in nation and second in the conference. Kate Gibb is ranked 7th in the nation in assists with at least 1 per game. Lena is ranked 14th in points per game.

The team itself is ranked 6th in country for defensive saves. The most important stat of course isthe won loss record of 3-1, which was against quality opponents. It does not getting any easier with Drexel, Penn State, Delaware, and Brown as future non conference foes.

However, there is always the in conference competition. Bucknell is off to its first 4-0 start in decades, BU has demonstrated a strong offense, Colgate has dangerous energy and there is always American lurking. Each game will be a”championship” game ,and Holy Cross and Lehigh will be looking for that playoff spot as well.

The prize in the conference battle of course is home field for the conference tournament. Hosting is a big advantage, as each field has it’s own characteristics. It’s been years since Lafayette was the site….it would be sweet if this year would see activity out there in late fall.

There is a whole team wearing Maroon and White and I suspect this team of stars will be making their mark in the record books.

Leopards Finish Preseason On High Note

In five days the Leopards will be playing for real. It’ll be a non conference game with Kent State on Friday August 28 2;30 CT. Today, they finished their preseason with a home game against Wagner. There was a lot for coaches to be pleased with, especially with a dominant performance by the offense. I don’t know if it would be wise to identify goal scorers etc, but suffice to say the Patriot League coaches got it right in their preseason selections.

Stella Malinowski can make her presence known

However, one could add to the story, the progress made by the first year players, and the improvement of the returning squad members, as well. Today I saw excellent speed and good skills against a team that at the end of last year was ranked ahead of Kent State.

Corners were well executed with Lena

The hockey was as sound as it was exciting to watch. As they step on that plane Thursday, I don’t see how they can be better prepared. In a cautious observation, first games can be difficult and I remind everyone of last years game with William and Mary…a game that should been a W, The second game on Sunday may be a different story but the Leopards should not look ahead. The most important game is always the next one.

I think Lafayette fans are in for a treat this fall and the team deserve every bit of support. This is a serious minded battle tested group and it will be fun to watch this all come together. Wagner opened with a press and Lafayette handled it in way that should give concern to opponents, League and Non League. It time to set the tempo early.

I have my tickets in hand for Chicago and I hope the return trip will be with a smile on my face. The first game will NOT be televised and Sunday’s match will be on the Big Ten network.

Go Pards!!!

Leopards Continue Preseason Prep

The 2026 Leopards continue to work under hot late summer conditions preparing for the coming season which is only one week away. They traveled to Monmouth and got taste of intense high level hockey. Monmouth showed their skill and experience by jumping out to a first quarter two goal lead, surprising Lafayette fresh off the bus ride from Easton. However, this is a gritty team and they battled back and soon would get help from first year Elsa Wood nailing her first goal in a maroon and white uniform.

Following Elsa’s lead, senior Katie Gibb would even the score in the second quarter. Monmouth would eventually add one more goal, but this was a good afternoon as the upper classmen showed the skill that brought them success last season while the first years gained confidence.

As each day goes by the team is starting see where they are on the field and where their teammates are. Lena Thedrian deserves special mention as she had 3 defensive saves during the afternoon. Her work last year merited recognition as the preseason defensive player of the year. She was selected along with Stella Malinowski and Rosalie van Gool to the Patriot League preseason all league team. Lafayette was recognized by being picked second in the Patriot League poll…American was picked first by the coaches.

In 25 years of watching Leopard hockey, I have never seen us picked first. The first League game is September 18 th at Colgate.

Patriot League Turns Over 57 Percent Of Head Field Hockey Coaches

Leopards go to Championship game

Apparently, in an attempt to upgrade the weaker programs in the League, or to replace a retiring Head Coach, the Patriot League will see a huge turnover at the top of four programs. Lehigh, Holy Cross, Boston University and Colgate will be changing leadership. In recent years, Lafayette, American, Bucknell and Boston have had regular appearances in the League Tournament. Perhaps these changes, if accompanied by cultural and material support can raise the profile of the League and give the League two bids to the national tournament.

In an era of NIL, portal activities, and eligibility extended to five years, these changes may be an action in response. I have for years recognized that the regional nature of the League corresponds to Field Hockey’s regional nature. It is not unusual to see a majority of the domestic players on the power school’s roster coming from the areas domiciled by Patriot League schools.

The list of changes follow:

Lehigh- Corey Mayer joined in May from an asst coaching position at Villanova

Holy Cross- Kim Coszenza joins from WPI and has already filled her staff of three assistants plus a technical director,

Colgate- Gareth Tenet comes from a five year tour as an assistant at Cornell and filled his staff. He has strong international background and I would bet we will see more internationals in Red Raider uniforms. Interestingly he has a very strong recruit from Easton in Olivia Milian

Boston University- Sarah Shutte is a 2008 alum in the well planned succession to Sally Starr. Boston beat Lafayette in the Patriot League final last year. Sarah was the head coach at MIT and has her staff in place.

Meanwhile, the three remaining teams are not letting grass grow under their cleats. American has recruited two transfers from Michigan State and Boston College to add to its five member class. Lafayette has its five member class ( and perhaps two international players) to announce along with a new assistant coach. Bucknell has shown improvement on many fronts.

Lafayette opens with Kent State and national champion Northwestern on the 28th and 30th of August respectively, It is about 30 days before the team reports for preseason and the full roster and staff additions should be announced by then! Lafayette has a number of nexus players coming in and two players are playing for the Canadian National team.

It will be a challenging year of hockey and fun for our fans.


Spring Games End On Positive Note

On a cold, rainy spring day, reminding fans and players of late fall, Lafayette trained for their autumn challenges ahead. In the four previous contests this spring, they proved they could compete with good opponents, displaying a defense up to the task. But like most sports the offense take s a little more time to emerge.

This game with Drexel prove to follow that pattern. The return of Stella Malinowski from the Junior World Cup would prove to be a spark as she scored a second period goal giving an Lafayette early 1-0 lead. Throughout the game the Leopards were to manage several penalty corners setting up numerous scoring opportunities. They managed to beat the Drexel press and fast break offense that is the signature of their play.

Lafayette decided to flip the script using a high press and several fast breaks of their own in the second half. However, the Dragons managed to slip past the Leopards and score a tying goal before time ran out in the third period. The weather was miserable , providing a test for Leopard concentration and perhaps a reminder for the challenges ahead.

From now until early August there will be individual challenges to be ready for the fall. Training will depend on preparation guided by written instructions from the strength and conditioning staff and hopefully some group play away arranged by captains. There will be a new group of first year players added to the mix hopefully bringing added depth to an already experience squad.

As a summary, this senior class of Emma Maher, Stella Malinowski, Maddie Evans, Ines Araujo, Katie Good, Naomi George, and Lena Thedrian will provide the experienced anchor for another run at the playoffs. But it is true also that team depth ,will prove crucial, and our underclassman will provide spark.

This is a good team, if healthy by end of the season, could provide some real thrills for their followers!!

Spring Will Drive Fall Success

As our seniors prepare for graduation and moving onto careers or graduate school, underclass teammates begin the process to reload for the fall. In many ways it can be a more intense process as players a shifted to unfamiliar positions and new connections on the field.

The Leopards are mid way through spring competitions. Two players are missing playing for their national under 21 teams in South America and there are the usual injuries that seem to crop up from time to time but that does not mean there are some interesting processes in the works.

Perhaps the most interesting change will be at goalkeeper as two underclassmen are vying for playing time. From what I have seen so far, that issue looks in good hands as both seem up to the job against very good teams having given up only 3 goals in 3 games.

The other issue that will interest fans is that 40 percent of the Patriot League coaches will turn over this fall, Colgate, Holy Cross, and Boston College. To date, Colgate has inexplicably not announced their new leader. The other two are in place as I write.

As to my impressions so far, I see no reason why Lafayette can not be in the hunt again for the title. It’s always interesting to see the schedule of out of conference games as an indication of the coach’s belief in the fall prospects. There is no stronger indication this year as early on they will be meeting national champion Northwestern in Chicago. In addition, American and Boston will be at home this year. As to support, it was great to see familiar faces of parents in the stands.

As to other transitions, I have termed out as the chair of USA Field Hockey Foundation which leaves me more time to travel and pay attention to the Leopards. It was an intense two years with establishing an MOU with the Association, writing new By Laws and Articles of Incorporation and placing 6 new BOT members. The chair is in good hands with Sara Kocmond at the helm guiding them to and through the 2028 LA Olympics,

Not The Outcome We Wanted

Stella Malinowski and Josephine van Wijk surround a Boston player

It was a game well anticipated….a chance for our Leopards to add another ring to the finger, but Boston had other ideas. It needed a record setting effort by Boston and they got it. Boston always brings a stout defense, and they delivered, but they also got a record hat trick from Caroline O’Brian, that the Leopards failed to halt when needed.

For a while it looked like the Leopards would pull it out…a goal by. Maddie Evans in the third tied things up, but answered by O’Brian 6 minutes later…then 9 minutes later a goal by Malinowski only to be trumped by O’Brian with only 2 1/2 minutes to go in the game. This was the first time a 4 seed won the tournament and the first time there was a hat trick that did it.

I delayed writing this blog because I wanted to reflect on this and the upcoming tournament. First of all the Leopards left it all on the field and all praise to a marvalous senior class who led us here. Mackenzie Switzer, Carolina Rubel, Ellie Barton, Josephine Van Wijk, Peyton Guinter, and Raffi Fragomeni, who thrilled us with their courage, skill and determination for four years. They earned their rings from last year, something a majority of teams in Patriot League cannot say.

To the team, you prevailed through training, injuries and other adversities, for that you have our admiration and thanks. We are proud to be your fans!!

Josephine Van Wijk unloads a shot against Bucknell

To our amazing freshman, sophomores and juniors, you will challenge again I am sure, using this game as motivation. The League is getting better and the challenges will certainly be there, but I know you are up to it. To our coaches, who will hit the recruiting trail to replace and strengthen an extraordinary squad, our good wishes.

For the moment to Boston, congratulations on overcoming a difficult season. Best of luck and carry the League Flag with pride!! Boston will move onto Fairfield for the play in game, and I suspect after that. Princeton.

The success of the Ivy League this year has come as a shock to the power schools. Harvard, Princeton, and Yale will continue playing, pushing out teams like Maryland and Michigan.

A black mark to the Patriot League for asking the Lafayette team to leave the pitch after the game. The optics made it seem like they were bad sports. Several American players in the stands corrected the impression by noting the League had demanded the loser leave the field….terrible optics!!!

The success of the Ivies shows that excellence is possible, even at the Patriot League level with all its demands!!