Aug. 18, 2004
2004 Season Outlook
The Lafayette field hockey team met for the first time on Tuesday afternoon and began practice on Wednesday with a double session as preparations for the 2004 season are underway. The Leopards will open the year when they host Virginia Commonwealth at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28.
This year's squad will turn a new page with many fresh faces as it enters the upcoming season under the direction of head coach Ann Gold. The Leopards, who are a year removed from winning the Patriot League Championship in 2002, have graduated a core of athletes who played integral roles in the team's recent success.
Gold, a five-time recipient of the Patriot League Coach of the Year honor, will be looking for a new group of leaders to step forward, and feels that an exciting new challenge lies ahead for the program.
"We graduated eight seniors from last year, including seven starters, which means that there are opportunities for hard workers," Gold said. "Our last few teams were so established, so it was difficult for new players to break through."
"We have strong players in the program, and the key with this group will be playing well together as a unit," Gold continued. "This team doesn't have any `go to' players, but we have a lot of good solid players who are ready to contribute."
Co-captains Wynne Campbell, Emily James and Missy Farrand helped the team forge a new identity in spring practice. Gold is hopeful that the team's confidence will continue to grow through the season, and build towards Lafayette's sixth straight appearance in the Patriot League Tournament, which the team has won three times, to go with four pre-tournament regular season titles.
The Leopards must replace four Regional All-Americans, including midfielder Jennifer Stone, who earned a spot on the STX/NFHCA Division I All-American Second Team after finishing her career second on both Lafayette's and the Patriot League's offensive charts in points (135), goals (51), and assists (33). Stone was also honored as the Patriot League's Offensive Player of the Year.
"This year's team must have a good passing game on offense and rely upon each other," Gold explained after losing much of last year's attack in Stone and Regional All-Americans Meredith Hahn and Melissa Hoh.
Farrand, the team's second leading goal scorer last season with 11, returns to pace the offense. The senior earned Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors after netting both goals in Lafayette's 2-1 overtime victory against then No. 4 ranked Penn State.
The Defense
Co-captains Campbell and James will team up to anchor the defense. While they haven't been regular starters, both bring plenty of leadership and experience as members of a league championship squad.
Sophomore Emily Goldman broke in as a starter in the second half of her freshman year, and will man the middle back position. Goldman scored three goals a year ago. Fellow second-year player Chrissy Fallivene, who was on the traveling roster last season, had a strong spring and may step in as a potential starter.
The Midfield
In the midfield, three juniors will play key roles.
Amanda Eggleston has established herself as a solid two-way player and will be in the starting lineup for a third year. Eggleston played defense her first two seasons, and steps into the center midfield spot this year.
Jenna Bratz is quick and has good speed, and parlayed that into a two goal, one assist performance in 2003. Kasey Gallagher is a strong all-around player who has good stickwork and is tough and aggressive. Gallagher showcased her playmaking skills with a goal and four assists last season.
The Forwards
A number of young players will accompany Farrand at the forward spot. Junior
Diane Shane will receive her first extended playing time after stepping up in spring practice.
Sophomores Maggie DeFilippo,
Lisa Melick and
Lauren Cash are also expected to contribute. DeFilippo has shown promise, recording a goal and an assist in her freshman campaign. Melick is physical with good size and speed, and Cash was the most improved freshman last year. Both will be seeing their first playing time on the collegiate level. Rounding out the sophomore class are Alex Schmidt and
Julia Smith.
In the Cage
Replacing the work of departed goalkeeper Casey Devlin might be the most difficult prospect that Lafayette faces this season. "The position is open, but in the preseason a starter will emerge," Gold said. The Leopards have several options in the cage.
Two returners, senior
Virginia Foulkrod and sophomore
Jill Lambert, both performed well in the spring. Foulkrod has limited varsity experience. A pair of freshmen, Caitlin Burke (Charlton, Mass.) and Courtney Dixon (Riverside, Conn.) will also be given a chance to compete.
The Newcomers
"I'm excited to welcome this year's freshman class," Gold said. The veteran head coach will certainly have a lot of names to remember, as 18 newcomers will fill out the roster.
"Some players will emerge to contribute immediately, while many of them will gain experience on the junior varsity squad," Gold mentioned. "The biggest challenge for them will be to adjust to the next level and get settled. Fortunately, we have a good nucleus of upperclassmen on the team."
At forward, Laura Fabian (Whitehall, Pa.) was a two-time First Team Lehigh County selection, Rebecca Nickerson (Farmington, Conn.) was her school's Best Offensive Player for two seasons and Virginia Satterthwaite (Langhorne, Pa.) was a two-time All-Friends School League honoree.
In the midfield, Megan Werner (Garden City, N.Y.) earned All-American status. She will be joined by Michelle Donofrio (Sea Girt, N.J.), Jennifer Farrell (Setauket, N.Y.), Josephine Kurtz (Wilmington, Del.), Jennifer Pollard (Malvern, Pa.), and Courtney Ramsdell (Berwyn, Pa.), all-conference performers who will compete for playing time.
The defense will be bolstered by Ashley Jermusyk (Miller Place, N.Y.), Alison Boyd (Lafayette, N.J.), Sarah Glasser (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), Ellis Kelleher (Somerville, N.J.), Meaghan Loftus (Ridgefield, Conn.), Alexandra Meis (Erdenheim, Pa.) and Pam Glennon (Holland, Mass.).
The Schedule
Lafayette opens its season on Aug. 28 when the team hosts Virginia Commonwealth. After matching up with La Salle on Sept. 2, the Leopards will hit the road with a trip to Cornell on Sept. 5. Lafayette will play Davidson at home on Sept. 11, and then host Penn on Sept. 14, a match that will be broadcast by the Lafayette Sports Network.
The challenging non-conference schedule includes a Sept. 17 trip to State College, Pa. for a battle with perennial powerhouse Penn State. The Leopards fell to Penn State 5-0 in 2002, but beat the then No. 4-ranked Nittany Lions at Rappolt Field, 2-1 in overtime last season. The squad will travel to Philadelphia on Sept. 22 to play St. Joseph's, while the Sept. 28 match against Rider will be the final tune-up for Patriot League play.
The league slate kicks off with a trip to Washington, D.C. to play defending champion American on Oct. 2. Lafayette will see non-conference action at Georgetown the following day. The Oct. 9 weekend brings a pair of New York State teams to Easton, as the team will play league foe Colgate on Saturday and Big East competitor Syracuse on Sunday, a squad that Lafayette defeated 4-3 a year ago. The homestand closes with a match against Bucknell the following Saturday.
A mid-week trip to Newark, Del. will start a four-game road swing as the Leopards will play the Delaware Blue Hens on Oct. 19. Lafayette beat No. 15 Delaware last season with a 4-2 victory. A pair of league matches then loom with visits to Holy Cross on Oct. 23 and Lehigh on Oct. 27. The trip concludes with a Friday evening match at Rutgers on Oct. 29.
The regular season finishes on Nov. 2 as Lafayette hosts Lock Haven.
The top four Patriot League finishers will meet at the site of the highest seed for the Patriot League Championships on Nov. 6 and 7. Lafayette has won nine of the 14 regular season titles since the inception of the league, and has earned a spot in six of the 10 championship matches since the start of the tournament format in 1994. Lafayette has claimed that title in 1995, 1999 and 2002.
