Lehigh University Athletics
2001 Season Review
9/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
The Women’s Lacrosse team showed its youth and inexperience as the squad endured through a 1-10 season, including five games decided by four goals or less. With only two seniors graduating, head coach Jackie Keeley has reason to believe the future looks very bright for the Mountain Hawks in 2002.
After starting the season with losses to Johns Hopkins and LaSalle, the Mountain Hawks played their best game of the season in a 9-4 victory over Ohio University. Looking to even their record at 2-2, Lehigh dropped a tough 14-12 overtime decision to West Chester and followed that with a close 10-9 defeat at the hands of St. Joseph’s that collectively took the wind out of the sails for the Brown and White. From there Lehigh took on the likes of NCAA Tournament qualifier Penn State and eventual Patriot League Champions Lafayette. The team, that started seven to eight freshmen, hopes to rebound thoroughly next season with perseverance and the experience from this season.
Lehigh loses only two seniors in Carine Allaf (Ardmore, PA/Lower Merion) and captain Dorothy Super (Ridley Park, PA/Ridley). Allaf, the team’s scholar-athlete and inspirational leader, closed out her career scoring five goals and adding two assists. She bounced back from a leg injury in her sophomore season. She finished with six career goals and five assists. Super, mostly a defender her career, saw some time in the midfield and recorded her first points as a Mountain Hawk with four goals and an assist. For her stellar play Super was a Patriot League First Team Selection. Junior Kristin Strohm (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) was also named a First Team Selection as she was second on the team in scoring (13 goals/7 assists) and also was the squad leader in ground balls with 39. She recorded a season-high five points against Ohio, scoring twice and setting up three others and netted three goals versus West Chester.
Freshman Emily Studdiford (Wyndmoor, PA/Springside School), a Second Team All League selection, got her Lehigh career off to a flying start by leading the team in goals (15) and points (22). She had season highs in goals (4) against Columbia and points (3 goals/2 assists) against Holy Cross. Twin sister Ella chipped in with seven goals and two assists.
Freshman goalie Vanessa Abbott (Vero Beach, FL/St. Edwards School) started 10 games, making 114 saves with a 13.22 GAA and a .444 save pct, including a 15-save effort against Ohio University. Goalie Val Jackson (Factoryville, PA/Lackawanna Trail) has also seen action in goal. Appearing in five games and starting three, the junior had a 13.58 GAA with a .311 save pct.
Lehigh used a majority of its underclassmen in its starting lineup as sophomore Rosie Sherry (Vero Beach, FL/St. Edwards School) was third on the team in goals with 10. Freshman Rebecca Morely (Philadelphia, PA/Springside School) gobbled up 38 ground balls while adding five goals and two assists. Freshmen Meredith Carso (Easton, MD/Westminster School) and Ashley Manion (Cabin John, MD/Walt Whitman) scored eight goals apiece respectively. Freshman Meredith Batcha and sister, junior Hillarey Batcha (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley Central) rounded out the team scoring. Meredith had seven goals while Hillarey had four.
The defense had the most experience as juniors Mary Kurry (Chevy Chase, MD/Stone Ridge) and Vicki Fishback (Pasadena, MD/Chesapeake) anchored the back line. Fishback played in all 13 games, while Kurry appeared in seven matches after recovering from an injury. Freshman Sue Schoelle (Garden City, NY/Garden City) was also in all 13 games, scooping up 25 ground balls on the season.
Team Award Winners:
Athlete of the Year: Dorothy Super
Coaches Award: Val Jackson
Scholar-Athlete: Carine Allaf
