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.
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.
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.
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.
After a week of hard work the 2024 Field Hockey Leopards had their first taste of intercollegiate competition. It was “first contact” for both the Leopards and the Stags of Fairfield University. Fairfield won their league title last year and Lafayette went right to the Championship game. This will be Fairfield’s coach, Jackie Kane’s last season. Her tenure goes all the way back to when Fairfield was in the Patriot League. So this may be a year of special incentives for her.
The Stags pretty much stayed in a zone defense most of the game as Lafayette tried to crack it without much success. This was Lafayette’s freshman GK’s debut and she held her own. Addison Kahn was very solid between the pipes most of the game, but did give up a goal on a DPC in the first 90 seconds of the match. Lafayette couldn’t find the back of the net until the last 90 seconds to tie it up. The seven on seven segment was well played with the Leopards executing a nice goal that in the regular season would ended the game.
Last year during the regular season the Leopards won in a close 3-2 match. Many newcomers saw some action during the match. My general impression is the team was not at its end of year best and it is how I remembered them. As the days go by these well skilled players will get used to the speed of the game and where their teammates are on the field.
The next test is at home with Columbia on Sunday at 12 pm. Lafayette lost to these same Lions last year and it could be a strong benchmark before the opener with Vermont later next week. It’ll be interesting to see the progress!!
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!!
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!!!
