Mountain Hawks seek return to tournament
2/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
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An appearance in the Patriot League Tournament capped off Lehigh’s 2005 season, but after getting a taste of postseason action, Ota, Redfern and the Mountain Hawks are poised to do even more this year. “By making it to the Patriot League Tournament, we achieved one of our goals,” explains Ota. “The goal now is to make it back there, and perform at a higher level. We have greater expectations entering this season, and want to see an overall improvement in both our league and non-league play.”
Ota continues, “We’ve had a lot of growth in our returning players; I feel as though we’ll be deeper and have more options as a whole. The offensive and defensive systems won’t be brand new, and we have consistency within the coaching positions, so we’re excited to see what we can do this year.”
Lehigh returns 13 upperclassmen, and welcomes in 11 freshmen that come from very competitive high school programs. Leading the way for the Mountain Hawks on offense this season will be junior Amy Chamberlain, a First-Team All-Patriot League selection in 2005. Chamberlain led the Brown and White with 49 goals and 65 points last year, including a career high six-goal effort versus archrival
Joining Chamberlain on the attack will be a pair of juniors in Lissy King and Vienna Pharaon. King totaled 30 points a season ago on 24 goals and six assists, while Pharaon was third on the team with 15 assists, which included a career-high five versus
Newcomers Megan Tenety, who was the second highest rated player in her high school league, and Sara MacIntyre, a two-time All-League selection, will also be looked upon to be significant contributors, as well.
Ota and Redfern desire a solid “3-5-3” system, and therefore the midfield will play a key role in determining Lehigh’s success. Leading the way in the midfield are sophomores Christy Smith and Kara Chalanick, who return to give the Mountain Hawks stability and talent. Smith ranked fourth on the team with 28 points, including 24 goals, and was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week on two occasions. A two-sport star at Lehigh, Smith’s speed allows her to constantly put pressure on the defense.
Chalanick started all 17 games as a freshman, and responded with 12 points, 39 ground balls and a team-leading 40 draw controls.
The freshman foursome of midfielders includes Kyle Roth, Tess McGrath, Sarah Fudin and Megan Tranter, who all arrive at Lehigh with impressive credentials. Roth played her high school lacrosse at
On defense, the Mountain Hawks return four very strong student-athletes, including senior captains Caitlin Carney and Eileen Miller. Carney and Miller have drawn praise from Ota and Redfern for their leadership both on and off of the field, and in 2005, the duo combined for 73 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers. Ota and Redfern expect even more from Carney and Miller on the field this year given their experience and great game-sense. Also contributing to the defensive unit will be sophomores Seana Smith and Sarah Walter, who saw valuable minutes as freshmen.
In goal for Lehigh, Ota has a pair of keepers she can look to, in senior Kyle Begina and sophomore Brittany Bessler. Begina has recorded 340 saves during her career, while Besler stopped 101 shots as a freshman in 560 minutes of action, including a career-high ten versus eventual league champion Colgate.
Lehigh has added Notre Dame and Drexel to its schedule this year, a move Ota and Redfern feel will only help in preparing for the tough Patriot League slate. “Playing challenging teams like that right before league competition starts will only help us,” Ota explains. “I’m pleased with our schedule for this year.”
Lehigh opens its season on Wednesday afternoon in
