Tag: NCAA Division one

Lafayette Field Hockey: Intense Battle vs 14th Ranked Syracuse

India Ralph and Lena Thedrian chase down Syracuse’s Hattie Madden

It was a game of inches and chances as Lafayette gave the 14th ranked Syracuse Orange all they could handle. The difference was an early foul that produced a penalty stroke goal by Syracuse, and a goal from a corner with thirty six seconds left in the game. But it was game in which Lafayette proved they could play with the big dogs. The Leopards out shot, out cornered the ACC opponent. All American Leneke Spaans proved she was among the best, by tying up the score at 56:28 in the game with a corner strike after a Katie Gibb insert and Stella Malinowski stop.

Lea Good chases down Syracuse player

It was an uncharacteristically hot day in the 90’s in Syracuse, as both teams seemed to battle the heat. The play went back and forth. In intense play Syracuse collected 3 green cards and and a yellow while Lafayette had two greens and a yellow. The Orange were very physical as they seemed to give fouls rather than let Lafayette advance. Both teams guarded closely, and substituted liberally during the contest.

Spaans winds up to tie the score!!

Lafayette earned 16 corners to Syracuse’s 5 and they out shot their opponent 16-11. The Leopards seemed to get stronger, as the game went on and saw a 12-2 advantage in corners the second half and a 13-4 advantage in shots. In the post game interviews, the Syracuse players felt their pre game scouting allowed them to defend the Leopard corners. The Leopards however, were able to penetrate the fast Orange defense and counter the opponent’s attempted pressure during the game.

We always enjoy a win but there was nothing in this game that would provoke a sad feeling. Lafayette can hold their head high, and realize that they have not played their best hockey yet. They are a very dangerous team. Meanwhile the second season approaches with the first Patriot League game happening this Friday against Holy Cross in Worchester. They should not take the Crusaders lightly as these League games have all the intensity of opening day.

The American Eagles demonstrated their own danger, losing in overtime to the number 3 ranked Virginia Cavaliers, Holy Cross lost to a good Northeastern team, 1-2, Lehigh beat Fairfield 2-1, Bucknell beat Columbia 2-1, and Colgate lost to Michigan State 0-5.

Leopards’ Victory: Deep Bench and 29 Shots

Lea Good delivers one of 29 shots

The Leopards finally walked way with the fourth win of the season against the Bobcats of Quinnipiac, following a ton of shots and an amazingly deep bench 3-2. Think twenty nine shots ( sixteen on goal), twenty one players seeing action on the pitch, three different players scored goals while the Bobcats had 8 shots 5 on goal, 4 defensive saves, 9 saves by their goalkeeper. They used only 4 players from their bench but found the back of the net twice during the game.

Laine Delmotte delivers the ball to Stella Malinowski

Quinnipiac jumped out to a lead in the first quarter behind a 3 shot to 1 advantage at 9:28 into the game. following a lift past two Leopard defenders and a shot into the left corner. For the moment it looked like the momentum was moving in the Bobcats favor. The home crowd of 403 fans were about to see the Leopards turn it on. Lafayette managed 15 shots to 1 for the visitors in second quarter, with a 5-0 penalty corner advantage as well. Finally, India Ralph delivered a deftly tipped the ball into the back of the net tying the score at 1-1 at 22:21 Mackenzie Hall and Leneke Spaans were helpers on the goal. Spaans attracted as many as three defenders at times, enabling her and the Leopard offense to find openings. She and Stella Malinowski were involved in the second go ahead goal by freshman Laila Pasic, who delivered by tipping the ball into the net at 33:44. It was the first goal of her career and first appearance on the turf this season!!

Spaans escapes triple coverage

To the credit of Quinnipiac, they kept fighting and tied up the score 4 minutes later, and seeming to breathe life into the Bobcats who had a 3 -2 advantage in penalty corners in the third quarter, but the Leopards still had the advantage in shots 6-3.

Josephine van Wijk delivered the winning go ahead goal at 44:47 with help from Lineke Spaans again on a tip in. Van Wijk had a team leading 5 shot 3 on goal during the contest.

Mackenzie Hall closes in

At end of the contest the players and close fans were treated to a post game tailgate by the ever supportive parent delegation.

Lafayette hits the road to Syracuse to play the Orangemen on Sunday, their first ranked opponent of the season. Syracuse is 3-1 and are coming off a 2-0 win against Northeastern. Last Season’s game in Easton was cancelled because of a thunderstorm. They are ranked 14th in the NFHCA poll. Their one loss came at the hands of Ohio State 0-5.

Lafayette Extends It’s Streak To 3-0 In Dominant Win over Dartmouth

Leopards celebrate Stella Malinowski third period goal

The Leopards travelled to Hanover, N.H. and Dartmouth College for the first ever meeting by the two schools in Field Hockey. Lafayette made the most of the opportunity by recording a 3-0 result, using a crushing defense and an opportunistic offense. Lafayette had 18 shots while dominating play on their side of the pitch for most of the game. Dartmouth was able to muster 7 shots, 4 of which were made in the third quarter. The Dartmouth GK, Isabel Andrews, stopped 8 shots. Raffi Fragomeni earned her second shutout of the season while only having to turn away 1 shot, but was very active directing the Leopard defense.

The Lafayette scoring was spread around to three different players. Lena Thedrian opened the scoring in the second quarter at 16:14 using a rebound after a corner attempt. Early scoring continued as Stella Malinowski again used a rebound to find the back of the cage two minutes into the second half. She also had the only assist for the Leopards later on as Alex Darrah found the low far side of the goal at 59:40.

Aside from the goals, offense pressure came from 9 different shot takers, Josephine van Wijk recorded 5 shots, Mackenzie Hall and Lineke Spaans both had three, Alex Darrah had 2 shots, while India Ralph, Stella Malinowski, Lena Thedrian, Olvia Key, Maddie Evans all recorded one shot!

There were no cards during the game. The Leopards will now travel a short distance for a Sunday game with the University of New Hampshire. Who are at the moment 1-2, having lost to St. Joes and UConn, but picking up a big win against Qinnipiac 4-0 in Hamden earlier today. It will be New Hampshire’s home opener. In last meeting, Lafayette came away with a 1-0 win. The first matchup was in 2008 where the Leopards prevailed 2-3.

Leopards Sprint To 2-1 Win Over Vermont

Mackensie Hall looks to intercept the ball

Getting the first win of the season is always well earned, and before a home crowd of 357 fans, the Leopards did not disappoint. It was more than a contest that demonstrated skill and athletic ability, but had elements of field hockey strategy as well.

The game opened with both side trying to establish physical dominance as the first 4 or five minutes moved from one side to the other. The Leopards deep bench was to come into play and at the 5 minute mark, fresh legs in the form of Alex Farrah, Mia Freeman, Maddie Evans, Kiley Gallagher entered the pitch. Vermont answered with substitutions of their own and produced the first shot of game that went wide of the pipes. It wasn’t until 11:31 into the game that Mackenzie Hall was to have Lafayette was break the ice with a shot that was wide of the goal.

Makenzie Switzer sprints upfield

The Leopards were to gain momentum when 30 seconds later Josephine van Wijk took her chance at the goal and ws turned away by the Vermont goal keeper Ila Gunner. As the quarter progressed Lafayette was to attack the goal more often with shots and an eventual corner at 12:12. Pressure on the GK continued with van Wijk finding opportunities to pressure the cage.

Kiley Gallagher dodges around the Vermont defender

At the beginning of the second quarter, Lafayette was to find the back of cage at 18:53 as Lea Good, with an assist by Laine Dellmotte were to open scoring for 2024. Leopards fans needed only to wait about six months as all American Lineke Spaans drove the right baseline beating the Vermont defense for an unassisted goal at 25:07. The Leopards were to retire from the first half with 2-0 lead with Vermont on their back heals.

Vermont was to answer by trying to negate the Leopards speed with a zone defense which resulted in a Vermont goal from Marie Dijkstra assisted by Meg Weyer at 49 seconds into the second half. The shot came on a reverse move that had a Lafayette defender shielding Raffi Fragomeni from seeing the ball.

Vermont had signaled they were not going down easy. One had to remember last year’s game with these same opponents, which ended up in a tie at the end of regulation and Vermont eventually winning it in overtime…..not this time.

Lineke Spaans shows her defensive skills

Lafayette redoubled efforts getting four penalty corners to one in the second half. Fragmeni was to was to turn away two shots during the same half. Vermont itself turned away three Leopard shots but couldn’t get by the Leopard defense. As the clock ticked off the last 2-3 minutes of the game Lafayette played an effective game of keep away with Spaans going to the Vermont corner repeatedly, denying Vermont and offensive chance to tie the game. With thirty seconds left, Vermont gave away a deliberate corner stopping the clock hoping for one last chance. Instead of taking the shot Spaans again went to corner ending the game with the 2-1 win.

Sunday will see the Blue Hens of Delaware in Easton. Although the Leopards have a hold on wins at home, Delaware has the edge overall in the series. The Patriot League had a mixed bag Friday night with American losing in overtime to VCU, Boston picked up a 3-0 win against Providence and Holy Cross winning dominantly against Stonehill. Bucknell lost a close one to Miami of Ohio. Colgate succumbed to Rider 5-1. Lehigh plays on Saturday at Monmouth followed by Wagner on Sunday.

Lafayette Field Hockey Prepares for Challenging Opening Week

Spanns powers past her opponent

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.

We are ready…. GO PARDS

THEY’RE BACK

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!!

The Leopards Finish Spring Training Solidly

Spring training is a time for coaches to experiment and observe. They use it evaluate players, try new schemes, refine skills, and encourage fitness. In the end, the team will finish their semester and depart for a summer of rest and decompression before beginning pre-season workouts. For some, it will be a time of healing, and strengthening as they prepare their bodies for the stress of a strong division one schedule.

Although not announced or finalized, the fall schedule will not be an easy one. Aside from the normal rotation of Patriot League foes, the team will face, from what I can glean, a slightly higher level of out of conference foes, as well as some new opponents, who have been improving lately. There will be no powder puffs this fall.

The new class is not yet announced, and indications are there will be a few last minute additions. Key additions will no doubt include a second goalkeeper. Lafayette was forced to either play without a goalkeeper this spring, or use Coach Maura Schimp as the fill-in keeper. ( By the way it looks like she has lost none of her all league skills, in her impressive time in goals). It also provided an interesting perspective to coach our defensive players on the field during games this spring.

A high priority was to sort out the Leopard’s defensive schemes, and in that regard, the effort was a success. Play against nationally ranked teams, like Syracuse and St. Joe’s was successful. Penn’s skill and progress was evident, but the Leopards were up to the task, as it was against Monmouth in the second game of the spring. The Lehigh game showed that the Rivalry is still alive!!!

The spring finale against Temple was evenly contested, and Leopard’s intensity was there in front of the cage especially in the second half. Peyton Guinter, who sat out most of the season last fall due to injury showed she will be a player to be contended with. Her goal was a gritty shot as she attacked the ball in front of the cage. It was the first goal of her college career. One concern in the game was the lack of offensive corners by Lafayette.

Stella Malinowski looked like she is returning to her “rookie of the year” form as did all Patriot Leaguer Josephine van Wijk. Co-Captain India Ralph was in mid season form as was Lena Thedrian who was all over the field contributing.

Summer will find the responsibility for training on the individual players, and perhaps the level of preparation will determine whether this team will vie for a championship. The talent is there.

Lafayette Plays In Four Team Spring Event

Josephine van Wijk breaks free against Syracuse

In a tough environment of cold windy weather, against good competition Lafayette held their own. Fans should also be lauded for coming to the event battling weather, traffic and construction. Parking was sparse and directions were useless, but came they did!!

First up for Lafayette was Syracuse who pushed the Leopards by accelerating their game tempo. Defensive improvement has been a theme this spring and the defense held up well allowing a single goal off a scrum in front of the cage started with a rebound. The Leopard’s had several offensive opportunities but couldn’t finish given decent shots. In this game scores can occur off of set pieces or capitalizing on mistakes from you opponent. The aggressive style of the Orange lent itself to several counterattacking opportunities that fell short.

The second game was with Monmouth whom the Leopards were meeting for the second time in a week. Monmouth was not as effective on the attacking side but manage a goal in the last second of the 30 minute game during a corner.

The third game was with Penn and it was then the Leopards were to find a goal off of a steal at midfield. Lafayette seemed more comfortable despite blowing winds. It was at this point we decided to take off for center city to take my grandson to his mother who was giving a speech in Philadelphia.

DPC Engages!!

Next week will have the Leopards tangling with the Owls of Temple at their field for the last contest of the spring, Weather during the week looks to be temperate, so I see a strong opportunity for the Leopards to do well. They lost to these same Owls in the last game of the regular season last year 1-0. Push off is at 5:30 at Temple on Friday!!!

Lafayette And Lehigh Combine For Continuation Of Spring Preparation

Lafayette and Lehigh met this evening in a practice game, as the spring preparations continue. The game was played under game conditions with the exception that Lafayette borrowed a Lehigh goalkeeper to substitute for Raffi Fragomeni who is still nursing a minor injury. There was very little for her to do, as the Lafayette offense had significant minutes on the Lehigh side of the field.

There was no official accounting, but Lafayette clearly had more shots and corners. If one were to count goals, Lafayette scored two, and one goal was called back. The first goal was a stroke in the third quarter, breaking a scoreless tie.

Both teams battled the elements as a brisk cold wind kept both fans and players alert. Neither team was in mid season form, but I thought Lafayette clearly benefited from last week’s game with St. Joe’s. Lehigh has been improving lately and they had their moments of skill and speed, but clearly the Leopards seemed more comfortable with one another.

For a spring game, there was a decent crowd from both sides. The field’s original scoreboard is still inoperable, but I understand a new scoreboard has recently been approved.

Other news from around the league has Bucknell raising money for video referral, leaving only two Patriot League teams without it…American and Holy Cross. American will be at Lafayette this fall, and the Leopards will travel to Holy Cross, which means the Leopards will play only one Patriot League game without video referral this fall!!!

Leopards Nab Four All Region Slots

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.

Go Pards!!