Lehigh University Athletics
Lewandowski enjoys first season in WPS as playoffs approach
8/12/2011 4:01:00 PM | Women's Soccer
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Former Lehigh women's soccer standout Gina Lewandowski '07 is nearing the end of her first season in Women's Professional Soccer as she has helped lead her Western New York Flash to the best record in the league heading into Sunday's regular season finale. Western New York hosts the Atlanta Beat on Sunday at 6 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel; with a win or tie, the Flash will clinch the regular season title and earn a berth in the WPS Championship Game on August 27.
This marks Lewandowski's first season playing professionally in the United States. She also plays for FFC Frankfurt in Germany.
“This season has been a great experience,” said Lewandowski. “Living in Germany the past four years, I really wasn't exposed to the American league. I got picked up at the last minute, right before the season started. I was brought in more as a reserve for the national team players who would be gone during the World Cup.”
Despite not playing in every game, Lewandowski has certainly made her presence felt, getting into seven matches (six starts) for the 12-2-3 Flash.
“I think I've come in and made a positive impact from my first start,” she said. “I've competed for a starting spot, but with injuries I had at the beginning of the season, it was difficult. I wasn't really here during the preseason, but it's been awesome to play and practice against the best players in the world.”
Western New York currently owns 39 points, three ahead of Philadelphia, who also plays on Sunday. If the Flash defeat or tie Atlanta, they will assure themselves the top seed and a bye all the way to the finals.
Four teams qualify for the WPS playoffs. A unique format sees the No. 3 seed host the No. 4 in a Semifinal match. The winner then plays at the No. 2 seed in the Super Semifinals before that winner travels to the top seed for the Championship presented by Citi on Saturday, August 27 at 4 p.m. For Lewandowski and the Flash, Sunday's game against Atlanta is essentially a postseason contest and being at home only helps.
“It's in essence a playoff game,” said Lewandowski. “We want to get first in the league. That would be an accomplishment for us to end the season on top. Not only that, but finishing first would also get us home field advantage in the finals. That's huge incentive coming out this Sunday against Atlanta.”
The Flash have enjoyed success for a variety of reasons - most importantly, team chemistry.
“We have some of the best players in the world,” said Lewandowski. “We have great team chemistry on the field; the personalities mesh. We go into each training 100 percent competing for a spot. There are no egos on the field; everyone is out here to play because we love the sport.”
Lewandowski continually follows the progress of the current Lehigh team and has a lot of pride representing the Mountain Hawks in the professional game.
“My time at Lehigh was some of the best years of my life, on and off the field,” she said. “It's a testament to my collegiate teammates and coaches; they set me up on the path to where I am today. It's a blessing to be part of the institution. When I talk to people, I proudly say I'm from Lehigh.
“As an alum, you're always interested in how the team's doing,” Lewandowski continued. “It's a part of you, especially this past season when they won the Patriot League Championship. I was so proud to see the Lehigh soccer program enjoy that success.”
Lewandowski enjoyed a standout career in the Brown & White, leaving as the second-leading goal scorer in program history (36) while her 15 scores in 2004 are tied for the most goals in single-season history. She was named Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2003 and garnered Offensive Player of the Year twice.
While the 2011 Mountain Hawks start preseason camp early next week, Lewandowski will be on her own quest for a WPS Championship. The first step is to take care of business on Sunday, which would set them up in a winner-take-all title match on Saturday, August 27. That game will undoubtedly get significant attention, no matter who's playing, especially after the success of the World Cup last month.
“I think the average attendance has gone up at least a couple thousand since the World Cup,” said Lewandowski. “We're hoping it will stay on a consistent basis. Last weekend, in Atlanta and Florida, we saw a lot more people of all ages - kids, adults, families, people who flew and people who drove hours to see us play. It's awesome to see that support for women's soccer.”
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