Mountain Hawks starting to get where they want to be
11/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Lehigh started the season off slowly dropping its first three games to The Brown and White came out the very next day after the Robert Morris game and played one of its most complete contests of the season, shutting out Davidson 3-0 on a warm and sunny afternoon. Junior Mary Beth Kuenne scored twice for the Brown and White, while senior captain Jeanine Hoff stopped three shots to pick up the shutout victory. Lehigh then closed out its first half of the season with a loss at Monmouth and then a resounding overtime victory against Following two more out of conference games, the Mountain Hawks had come to the start of conference play versus Holy Cross. Despite its best effort however, Lehigh fell 2-0 to the Crusaders at home. Lehigh took its frustration out on UMBC during the next week with a 6-1 pounding of the Terriers to push its record back to .500. The next league opponent was powerful American, who came into the Ulrich Sports Complex ranked seventh in the country. Again, a hard fought affair ensued, but once again the Mountain Hawks came up on the losing side of a 3-1 contest. The Mountain Hawks then took to the road for the first time in Patriot League play and headed to As they had done all year though, the Mountain Hawks bounced back. The first chance to show this came in late October on a trip to Lewisburg to take on in-state foe Bucknell. Behind four goals from Kuenne, Lehigh laid six scores on the Bison to pull away for a 6-4 victory, the Mountain Hawks first within Patriot League play since After falling behind 1-0 to the Leopards, Lehigh regained its composure and tied the contest at one. The Mountain Hawks then scored again to take the lead but Junior Maureen Harrington scored off of a penalty corner at the 48:00 minute mark to give Lehigh all the offense it would need in the second half. Freshman Christine Smith scored two goals on the evening for Lehigh as the Mountain Hawks won the contest 4-2 and qualified for the Patriot League Tournament. In the tournament Lehigh would once again face top-ten opponent American. The Mountain Hawks played very hard and together, but just could not match the firepower of the Eagle offense, and ultimately fell 4-0. Despite the loss, Lehigh had put together a fantastic season and there were many highpoints along the way. Seniors Sheila Clabby and Krista Jamieson were both First-Team All-Patriot League selections, while Kuenne was a Second-Team choice. Freshmen Smith and Katie Noon were both named Patriot League Rookie of the Week on separate occasions and the Lehigh offense ranked second in all of the Patriot League with 49 goals and 136 points, good for an average of 7.56 points and 2.72 goals per contest.
The senior class of Clabby, Jamieson, Hoff, Kristi Miller and Dana Griffin all leave Lehigh after making it through four tough years. Mazer says that each of them should be remembered for all of the hard work they put in.
“Those five girls made a big impact on this program and we’re all very proud of them. They struggled early in their careers but they pulled through and made it to the end. They committed so much time and effort and I believe that they learned a great deal from their time here.”
Mazer continues, “I am happy for all of them after leading us into the tournament to be able to leave here on a positive note.”
Hoff was happy to see all of the team’s hard work pay off after three consecutive tough seasons. “We’ve come a long way from the time the other seniors and I first stepped on the turf. In the past four years we have come together and gone through change. The adversity and determination in each of my teammates has been both inspiring and motivating.”
Hoff continues, “It was nice to see things come together and I think this season was definitely a building block as we were able to defeat some teams in our league and show the younger members of the team what success brings. Under Coach Mazer’s direction I think the team will go far because she has instilled in each one of us what is needed to become a champion.”
In just two years at the helm of Lehigh field hockey, Mazer has turned the attitude and outlook of the entire program around. She says that there is still room for improvement however. “One of our main goals this past season was to qualify for the tournament and we did that. We grew tremendously in terms of confidence and just played smarter out there this year. A lot of people contributed for us, which gave us even more scoring opportunities, translating into more victories.”
Mazer continues, “Qualifying for the tournament was a good step for us in the direction that we want the program to move in. The league as a whole is just improving so much that we need to make sure we improve as well. Our overall skill level jumped up a few notches this year due to all of the hard work we put in during the last spring and this fall. The strength training that we implemented did wonders for the girls because it allowed us to play a more physical, faster style.”
Junior Marissa Iannarone who finished tied for second on the team with 18 points, via five goals and eight assists will be looked upon tremendously next season for leadership on and off the field. In addition, she will be one of a number of very talented returning Mountain Hawk players. She enjoyed the past season, but is ready to get to work for next year.
“It was such an honor for the entire team to make it to the Patriot League Tournament, especially because many of us had never even won a league game. It feels amazing to be part of a team that can help change a program around and hopefully these will just be the stepping stones to greater success in the future.” She continues, “I feel that the future of Lehigh field hockey can only progress because of Coach Mazer’s great coaching ability and her dedication to making us a better team.”
“We have great depth in our program because we have so many players with incredible talent and heart. One of our goals this season was to be better today than we were the day before and if we go by that mantra, we can accomplish great things and achieve success.”
As the Mountain Hawks train through the winter and spring and into the summer, Mazer says there are areas that they must improve, but that all of the team is focused on getting better.
“We were able to bounce back all season long, after a tough defeat we would play our game and find a way to win. If we want to take that next step everyone on this team knows that they have to work harder in order to be as good as we’re capable of becoming.”
Mazer concludes, “The freshmen class has pushed the upperclassmen to work harder and raise their level of play and we expect much of the same next year. The freshmen were very happy for the seniors to make the tournament and they really enjoyed this experience. We’re all ready to begin our off season work and get ready for 2005.”
