12/13/2017 10:12:00 AM | Field Hockey, Student Athlete, Features
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By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
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In order to build a strong program, and sustain the success, perhaps the most critical component is consistency.
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That's exactly what the Lehigh field hockey team displayed in 2017.
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Despite early struggles, the Mountain Hawks bounced back and showed a consistency over a two-year stretch that hasn't been displayed in a long time.
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"At the end of the season, we told our team that when we look back at Patriot League records and overall records from Lehigh field hockey, there were some great seasons, but they were followed by some really tough seasons," said Caitlin Dallmeyer, who just finished her second year as Mountain Hawks' head coach. "In looking at what we did last year (2016) and what we were able to do this year (2017), it was consistent.
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"For us, with where the program is at this point and where we plan to take it, consistency is progress."
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The Mountain Hawks have posted 11 wins over the last two seasons, most since 2006 and 2007 when they combined for 13.
Lehigh allowed 14.1 shots allowed/game, fewest since 2007
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Still early in her tenure at Lehigh, Dallmeyer has done everything with the big picture in mind, but she hasn't forgotten about the present. Every day-to-day action has a purpose, with the short-term improvement and long-term health of the program in mind.
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"It can be hard for the team to recognize and be happy with the progress made," she said. "We shouldn't be satisfied by any means, but it's something that in reality, when we look at the big picture, we have to understand that we still did something that most teams year-to-year were not able to accomplish."
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The Mountain Hawks finished 2017 with a 5-13 record, but they gave Lehigh fans plenty of reason to be optimistic. In the end, the program reached five wins for a second straight season for the first time in 10 years. The Mountain Hawks struggled offensively to begin the season, being shut-out in four of its first five games. However, Lehigh bounced back to average 1.45 over the next nine games, with goals in eight of those contests, all while continuing to play strong defense throughout.
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That defense is a foundation for the program moving forward.
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"In my personal philosophies as a coach, defense can carry a team," said Dallmeyer, a former goalkeeper at Duke. "It starts with the goalkeeping position, which is a position I'm really tough on and have high expectations for.
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"Paige (Innarella) made some big strides and she had some moments of struggle early in the season, but she was able to rebound and really get into a groove towards the end of the year. Without her making big adjustments and being more proactive, we would not have been able to finish as strongly as we did."
 Spring, Summer and Preseason
After a successful first season under Dallmeyer concluded with an impressive Senior Day victory over Brown University, the Mountain Hawks immediately began working towards the 2017 campaign.
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"We knew that we were graduating five four-year letterwinners who had each contributed significantly to the program," said Dallmeyer. "We knew there was going to be a lot of emphasis put on our returners and the roles they would step into. We were bringing in a big class, so we had to work on inclusivity and making sure that we'd be able to easily integrate a large class into our current team in a way that wasn't going to take a lot of time, so we could move into the bulk of what we needed to work on."
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Last spring, the returning players began reaching out to the incoming student-athletes, leading to strong chemistry and camaraderie before they stepped foot on campus for preseason.
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"As soon as the first-years committed and signed, our players were asking to contact them to welcome them into the program," said Dallmeyer. "Our returnees interacted with the incomers throughout the summer with their workout packets, to make sure they weren't missing anything and shortening the learning curve as best as possible."
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A shortened learning curve led to an enjoyable, and productive, preseason.
Lehigh won all 4 weekly awards for 1st time in school history
(Offensive Player, Defensive Player, Rookie and Goalie)
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"There was so much energy, so much attention to detail and drive to be the best players and the best team that we could be," said Dallmeyer. "There's a genuine love and care that each player brings in for each other and for the program as a whole, so the return after not being in each other's presence for so long is energizing for all of us.
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"We incorporated a lot of different team bonding activities," Dallmeyer continued. "We made sure we were learning about who we were individually, our personalities and how they connect to the larger group. A lot of leadership aspects went into preseason along with team bonding and overall skill development, trying to figure out how our skills and abilities could contribute to the larger team goals."
 Early Season: Marked by Offensive Struggles
The Mountain Hawks began the season with a 1-0 victory over LIU Brooklyn. However, Lehigh was shut-out the next four games which included multiple games in which the Mountain Hawks outshot their opponents and controlled possession, but just couldn't find the back of the net.
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Lehigh was struggling to adjust to life without recently-graduated Marissa Glatt and Gabby Tofig, who had both been named All-Patriot League in their careers while finishing at or near the top of the team in scoring.
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"Not only were Marissa and Gabby talented, but they also had confidence in their experiences," said Dallmeyer. "We knew they would be hard to replace. We had so many players that we were funneling through, trying to figure out the right fit and the right chemistry. It was difficult to move forward every day with a variety of different lineups to see what was clicking. Things weren't working and the coaching staff kept trying to find the right fit."
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Patience would pay off.
 Mid-Season: Turning Point
The Mountain Hawks broke their shutout stretch with a single goal vs. Ball State, but Lehigh struggled early at Holy Cross and it led to a change, and a turning point.
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"The coaching staff made a big decision to take a player (Jenna Krause), who was primarily a defender, and put her on the attack line," said Dallmeyer. "We knew that Jenna was talented and athletic, and we knew that she was a hard worker, so we wanted to find a way to repurpose her skills and strengths."
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"We quickly saw her impact," Dallmeyer continued. "From then on, she became a consistent contributor on the forward line, which helped change the attacking mindset of the whole team because of her aggressive nature and her willingness to put pressure on the ball."
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The chemistry between Krause, junior Teresa Carotenuto and freshman Drew Pecora was apparent and that trio started at forward the remaining 10 games of the season. Lehigh scored 12 goals in its final 11 games after just three goals in its first seven. The Mountain Hawks scored at least once in eight of their final 12 games of the season.
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"Jenna never stopped working and had an overall pretty high hockey IQ, so it was a nice plug for us to fit in there. Teresa and Drew worked really well off of her work rate," said Dallmeyer. "Seeing that chemistry unfold was a crucial moment for our season in getting our attack moving in the right direction."
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In the second half of the season, Lehigh picked up three victories, including a 3-2 Senior Day win over Georgetown along with a 1-0 win at a much-improved Colgate squad, but undoubtedly, the win of the season came on the night of Oct. 6 vs. archrival Lafayette.
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That night, patience and persisting through an up-and-down season paid off with a 1-0 overtime victory. Innarella made 12 saves while a pair of seniors set up Carotenuto for the overtime game-winner.
Lehigh: 3+ shutouts in consecutive seasons
First time since 1999 and 2000
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More than any statistics, the win was validation that Dallmeyer's big-picture plan was working.
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"I was very proud that the team was able to stay disciplined, stay positive and keep working with a drive to succeed," she said. "We were able to use our competitive nature to keep the game close and then in the last minutes of the game, the discipline that we had worked on all season really paid off mentally. With the fatigue of overtime setting in, we had certain players who played the most consistent they had all season because of the adrenaline and desire to achieve something that hadn't been done here in 12 years."
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What the Mountain Hawks achieved was a win over their arch rivals, snapping a 13-game losing streak and defeating Lafayette for the first time since 2005. With help from that win, Lehigh also finished the year ahead of the Leopards in the Patriot League standings for the first time since '07.
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The Mountain Hawks could have easily quit when things weren't going well early in the year. Instead, they remained patient and kept working at a time when they could have easily been discouraged.
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"It was really difficult at times for the team to stay disciplined without seeing the results. As a coaching staff, we kept trying to make sure they knew the team was working for something bigger than what was in front of them right now," said Dallmeyer.
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"What is this program going to look like in the coming years? What are we working for when we're not seeing immediate results that the instant gratification mindset wants to see?"
 Moving Forward
Looking ahead, Lehigh features a strong foundation on defense, along with an offense that should only continue to improve.
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"We had some of our strongest, most consistent players on that back line with Lenke Havas, Kendra Sandhu and Trish Reilly," said Dallmeyer. "We were pretty happy with what they were able to achieve this year, being able to adjust, develop more skills and outlet the ball a lot differently than we did in 2016. This year, we didn't have any games where we really struggled to move the ball forward."
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Heading into 2018, the Mountain Hawks lose an impactful senior class full of leaders (Jackie Renda, Laura Yuh, Julia Washburn and Alexis Arancio) who will be tough to replace.
Senior Class of 2017
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"We lose a very mature and seasoned class, which will impact us greatly with leadership. That's something our team recognizes we need to be working on in the offseason," said Dallmeyer. "We need to find where our biggest, loudest and strongest voices are and who's going to take the reigns of leading the program in the direction that we want it to go. Leadership can't just come from a few; we need to see it in all. We can't afford to carry those who are just along for the ride anymore; we need team members who are willing to pick up a paddle and row."
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Dallmeyer looks to continue building successful habits that will lead to success come gameday. Having that big-picture approach, she is instilling a successful mindset within her program that will pay dividends in the long run.
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"Moving into the offseason, we want to make sure that we change the way we approach training and understand the importance of being in the weight room and being physically stronger," said Dallmeyer. "We need to understand what it's going to do for our explosion on the field and then in return, what it's going to do for our speed and ability to carry the ball with speed."
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Little habits lead to consistency over time, and that's exactly what the Mountain Hawks are seeing.
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"Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out," said Dallmeyer. "We have made a lot of adjustments in who we are and how we operate over the last two years. As competitive coaches and players, we are always looking at how we can be better. This offseason, we're continuing to analyze the details, but in reflection, we must understand that we are seeing progress in consistency and at this time, that is a point of success for the program. Now, with that solid base, we can continue driving forward to achieving our bigger goals."
