Lafayette Rolls Against Boston U

October 30, 2026 was the date that Lafayette captured lone possession of the Patriot League regular season title. It was also the date that the Lafayette Leopards showed they are among the best field hockey teams in the country. Yes, they are ranked 15 in the NCAA rpi rating, and 17th by the NFHCA, but they demonstrated it to the 700 fans who saw them dominate a very good offensive Terrier squad.

The Leopards were 13-3 better in shots, 6-1 better in penalty corners, undefeated at home, highest margin of victory in the League, 81 % save percentage, and a .71 goals against average all season. Only one goal was scored against them in all league games. We now start 0-0 in the League tournament and they will have to prove themselves all over again to get to the NCAA tournament. I believe they will be ready as they have drawn Holy Cross in the first round this Thursday at noon. If they prevail they will play for the auto bid on Saturday.

What I saw Friday night was a thing of beauty. Anyone who views that game could not deny, this is a special team. Everyone was playing championship field hockey. The Leopards used 18 players. The Terriers used 15. The Leopard’s 18 kept the intensity all night.

As expected, the first quarter was hard fought but Lafayette managed to set the tone early with a 5-1 advantage on shots and a 3-0 edge on penalty corners. One had to know it was only a matter of time before the ball would reach the back of the cage. We had to wait until 25:59 when Lena Thedrian would connect with Lea Good and Katie Gibb, using her drag to rocket past the Terrier GK for the first score. Lena was to have 3 shots, all totaled 2 on target.

The Leopards exited the first half with a 1-0 lead and the Lafayette faithful wishing for a little insurance. The insurance goal came off the stick of sophomore Feline Reuskin, who solved that problem using a rebound after a penalty corner 8 minutes and 40 seconds into the third period.

From the first shot from Linda Nova 2 minutes into the first period to the impressive controlled passing at the end, that denied Boston the ball and a chance to even the score, it was a demonstration of fine hockey. The coaching staff will have this team ready for the challenge as they did Friday night. The coaches have worked tirelessly planning each game through out the season. This team has the best record of any Lafayette team this fall and the coaches should take a bow!!!

Moving on to Thursday the Leopards should keep in mind the narrow 1-0 victory earlier in the year over the Crusaders. Somehow I am sure there will be no let down. It was a great privilege to witness Friday’s game. I look forward to this coming Thursday!!

Naomi George via Linda Nova Deliver Winning Goal Against Brown

It was a unexpectedly gritty contest on a perfect sunny afternoon, that wasn’t decided until seven minutes were left in the game. In only the second game between the two schools, it devolved into a struggle that was to be decided by one goal. The last meeting was similarly decided by a single goal years ago.

Lena Thedrian was to open the scoring 18 minutes into the contest by using her drag off a penalty corner assisted by Olivia Krey and Katie Gibb. As her rocket crossed the goal line, the feeling was this was to be the opening that would flood Brown’s cage much like last week’s game against William and Mary.

There were several chances early on that were missed. In fact, shots favored the Leopards 4-1 in the first period, although in the second period shots were an even 3-3. However, the Leopards by the end of the half, were up 4-0 in corners. But the longer the Brown Bears hung around the more intensely they fought back.

The third period saw a momentum change as Brown began adding penalty corners 3-2 and another 3 in the fourth. Addie Kahn made 6 saves during this stretch. Inevitably with 10 minutes to go in the game Grace Almeida from Brown delivered a tying strike during a scrum in front of the cage, it was 1-1.

It was then that the Leopards showed why they are a ranked team! Linda Nova intercepted the ball, and sprinted towards the shooting circle dodging opponents along the way. As she entered the circle she reversed her stick and shot toward the goal where Naomi George, her training kicking in, delivered a deflection into the cage.

Brown was not done as they pulled their keeper. With less than two minutes to go Lafayette gets a yellow card and all of the sudden Brown is up two player in field. The defense kicks in. Finally, with seconds left Lafayette get control and the clock runs out with a Lafayette victory and 14 wins on the books.

In the meantime in Worcester, Mass, Holy Cross has won their game against American in a shoot out! The Patriot League field is set. It will be Lafayette, Boston, American and Holy Cross. The seeding is TBD. Lafayette plays Boston on Friday which will determine who will host. Holy Cross will play Colgate on Saturday and American will play Lehigh. A win by Colgate will give Holy Cross the 4 seed, who will play the one seed. A win by Holy Cross gives them the 3 seed and they will play the two seed. The winner of the PL tournament will go to the NCAA national tournament.

Lafayette Extends Record to 13-2 Off A 6-0 Win Against William And Mary

Lafayette advanced their home undefeated record before 368 fans with 6-0 dominating display against the Tribe of William and Mary. The Leopards had 28 shots against 3 for their opponents and led 6-2 in penalty corners using one of their corners to deliver the initial blow by sophomore Rosalie van Gool assisted by Juniors Mia Freeman and Olivia Krey. Freeman added to the board 11 minutes later with a goal of her own making the score 2-0.

Despite an effort by the Tribe to get back into the game Senior Maddie Evans sent a message with less than 4 minutes left in the half by delivering an unassisted strike leaving a 3-0 lead at the half.

The crowd was treated to an introduction of the 2011 -12 PL Champions. They were accompanied by a least 7 potential recruits aged from 6 months to 5 years. Our friends and parents were relieved to see each other looking better than ever!!

Maddie Evans continued where she left off in the first half with a solo strike at 9:44. Evans continued in the fourth with an assist for classmate Stella Malinowski delivered the 5th goal with 7 1/2 minutes to go. Coach Stone substituted liberally and second keeper Campbell Lemmink finished the final three minutes of play after Mia Freeman made it 6-0 with her second goal of the day.

There remains two games in the regular season, Brown ( next Sunday) and Boston University on the 30th which will determine the home field for the playoffs. It would great to get a nice crowd for the BU game, 400 or 500 partisans might make a difference.

More to come…

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Lafayette Has Record Day Against Lehigh 11 to 0

Lafayette rolled in an afternoon league and rivalry game against Lehigh. It seemed like Lehigh could do little to stop the steamroller that was the Leopards. The Leopards broke a League and School record that stood since 2002 for the most goals in a single game. That game was against University of Albany in which Lafayette prevailed 10-2. That game was 24 years ago, and Jen Stone, the current Lafayette coach, scored 2 goals that day.

This time it was Rosalie van Gool who scored 9 points with 3 of the goals occurring in the first half. She added three assists in the second half adding to one in the first half. The goal scoring spree was joined by Stella Malinowski with 1, Katie Gibb with 2, Laila Pasic with 1, Lena Thedrian with 2, Emma Maher with 1 and freshman Katie Jackivicz 1 with her first collegiate goal.

Scoring was opened by van Gool with only 2:43 gone in the first period with assists from Gibb and Thedrian on a corner. In fact all three of her hat trick goals were on penalty corners. By the end of the first period it was obvious what the outcome would be with a 4-0 lead. Scoring actually did slow down with 2 goals in the next two quarters finishing with 3 in the fourth . The last score came from Katie Gibb’s second goal with the assist from van Gool at 57:41.

More evidence of Lafayette’s dominance was the 37-2 shot advantage and the 15-1 edge in penalty corners. Lehigh’s goalkeeper had 14 saves, while Lafayette’s Addison Kahn needed to make 2 to preserve the shutout. Lafayette is undefeated at home and in the League.

The home record will be challenged by three games against William and Mary, Brown, and Boston University. The games will be this Sunday, Sunday the 25th, and the regular season finale on Oct 30th, which could definitively determine the home field for the PL tournament. Lafayette has locked in a place in the post season, as has American. The Leopards have also locked in a share of the regular season championship. If Lafayette beats BU, the home field goes to Lafayette. A regular time loss might give the Eagles home field again……….but first things first!

We Are Closing In On The Regular Season Finale..Every Game Is Championship Related

The Leopards traveled to Bucknell and won 2-1 in a crucial League contest, one that if Bucknell lost would eliminate them from the post season tournament for the first time in 17 years. It was apparent that both teams wanted to start with an offensive foot forward. Lafayette had 6 shots to Bucknell’s 0 in the first period and followed that with a 5-2 advantage in the second period. The penalty corner advantage reflected that with Lafayette holding an 8-0 edge.

The Leopards were rewarded with a Lena Thedrian goal at 27:29, giving Lafayette a 1-0 lead at the half. Olivia Krey and Katie Gibb provided the assists.

Bucknell came out determined and turned some of the numbers around but Lafayette got a fourth quarter goal from Linda Nova at 48:54. Facing tournament elimination the Bucknell coaching staff decided to pull their goalkeeper and add an extra field player after Lafayette suffered a yellow card.

However, it wasn’t until 2 1/2 minutes left in the game that the Bison’s were able to find the back of the net. The game ended with a 2-1 win for the Maroon and White. The game was played without video review and given the number of close calls it would have been helpful to both teams. Bucknell has the replay assets, but inexplicably it was inoperable for the game.

The game ended with a 2-1 win for the Maroon and White. The game was played without video review.. I only ask one question…would the Bucknell basket or football team ever play without video review!! I am not criticizing the Bison coaches but their athletic facility management!

Sunday’s game was a defensive battle as much as it was a battle against the elements. The Leopard showed their mettle by turning way the Blue Hens and managing to out shoot Delaware in the overtime period 3-0. It ended in a shootout with Campbell Lemmick stepping between the pipes, as Lafayette shooters delivered the victory. So Where Are We??

So Where Are We??

Lafayette has qualified for the League tournament with only the home field to be decided. Boston is also undefeated with American and Lafayette as its upcoming opponents. Before Boston, Lafayette must play Lehigh. Clearly, if Lafayette wins its remaining games they will host. Boston is the last game Boston is the lasof the regular season. Just to drive you a little crazy here is the tie breaking scheme the League has to decided to use.Boston is the las

  1. Teams are compared based on a weighted point scale where a victory to worth 3 points and an overtime loss is worth 1 point and a regulation loss is worth 0 points.
  2. Out of League Common Opponents : Comparison of records against common non-conference opponents.
  3. Head to head Goal Difffrential: The goal differential between the tied teams with a max cap of 4 per game
  4. Overall League Goal Differential: The total goal differential across all Patriot League games capped at 4.
  5. NCAA RPI rating

I ran the criteria through AI using various scenarios but I’ll let YOU do that. The one point for an overtime loss is a little bizarre. Suffice to say, Lafayette prevailing in the next two League games (Lehigh and Boston) would be satisfactory!!!

Mental Toughness Is Built In October

As we moved to this past weekend in the schedule, we realized how it would demonstrate the mental toughness to challenge for the championship. The Leopards, as they continued to win and climb in polls were beginning to to paint a large target on their back. No longer was Lafayette looking for the upset, but others were looking to upset the Leopards. A win would set the agenda and tone for their season.

This was no more obvious than the battle between American and Lafayette friday night. It was a struggle between rivals for the regular season title and the home turf for the Patriot League tournament. No doubt each coach, Jennings and Stone peeked at earlier season games for a clue to success on Friday. Additionally there was the national rankings as an additional painted target!!!

For most of us fans, it was given that the end result would go to who could successfully navigate the details and make the least mistakes. For most of game it was this cautious respect that would dictate play. The game was played at the midfield interrupted by forays to the circle as openings showed themselves. Goal tending was crucial as Addisson Kahn turned away four shots and Teagan Harmon from American turned away two in five periods of play.

At the end of the fifth period both teams were left standing at 0-0 and would go to a shootout. American had accumulated seven shots ( mostly on corners) and Lafayette had tallied five. Each had two corners apiece. American’s second penalty corner in overtime was a crucial turning point in the game. It was after that it became clear that a shootout was likely.

Each coach, at the end the overtime period would designate their shooter for the overtime, but it was Coach Stone who was to change her Goalkeeper to Campbell Lemmick, a second year player who had yet to record minutes in any college game. Stone knew that Campbell had the quicker feet required to the task. Addison had done her part and the cage was ceded to the sophomore.

Stella Malinowski and Lena Thedrian each made their goal Gools, when American Emila Winkler was to stopped by Lemmick. Van Gool was stopped as well along with American’s Sam Kokx. Lea Good stepped to the line beating the American keeper making it three to one. Nora Tremble, American’s last hope was denied by Lemmick’s leg pad putting the win in the Lafayette column.

The first challenge ( and most important win) was to go to Lafayette who now is undefeated in League play. Sunday in another overtime battle the Leopards were to go down 3-2 to Penn State. It was clear this was again well contested but Lafayette was to come up short. It was an upset but the Leopards will still have a challenge ahead against League rival Bucknell on Friday. A loss by Bucknell could go a long way to eliminating them from the post season and putting Lafayette in the driver seat with a 4-0 record in the league, with five straight home games for the rest of October.

It will be a do or die test for Bucknell as Lafayette will need to beat them on Bison turf!! The Leopards have the heart and skill up for the task!!

Is It All In The Numbers??

10/02/2026…The date I have circled since mid-summer. The game with American is always a crucial part of the regular season. This year, it occurs mid-season with the Leopards as the nationally ranked team. Depending on which rank you subscribe to, the American Eagles will have to arrive on Leopard turf to face the number 19 ( NFHCA poll), number 7 ( NCAA and Field Hockey corner calculated RPI rank), or number 17 (ACR rank) national team rank. The Eagles’ RPI is 32.

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American got off to a slow start this season losing their first 3 games to California, Stanford and Richmond. Since then they have added W’s over App State,William and Mary, Towson, Bucknell, Lock Haven, and Maine. Last Sunday they lost to Providence. American comes to Easton with a 6-4 record, but 1-0 in the Patriot League. Lafayette of course is 8-1 with a 2-0 record in the League.

No doubt the outcome of the game will go a long way in determining the home field for the League tournament ( and a high RPI will have beneficial effect on an ultimate seeding in the national tournament).

But lest their be any doubt, American will come well prepared with both coaching staff’s having viewed hours of game tape to develop a plan. The last two games by Lafayette saw their opponents using most of their resources to jam the shooting circle and hold the score down hoping for a game winning opportunity. That was a strategy used by American’s in their 1-0 win against Bucknell, where they were to find the winning goal with 30 seconds left.

Looking at the raw stats, seems to favor a defensive battle. American’s offensive stats are boosted by beat downs against William and Mary (8-0), Towson (6-1) and Lock Haven (6-0). Eliminate those scores and their goals per game stat is reduced considerably.

Lafayette’s defense looks good per game goals against (.78) leads the league and American is 1.3. Addison Kahn’s save pct is .80 compared to Teagan Harmon’s save pct of .639. The amount of penalty corners per game is similar.

American uses their defense to start their offense so the task for Lafayette will be to contain American to their side of the field and try to maintain possession and get to the shooting circle.

The weather will be perfect, and these games are always well contested. I hope there is a big crowd to tilt the field the Maroon and White way!!

Laila Pasic Makes It Count In 1-0 Victory Over Holy Cross

If yesterday’s game over the Crusaders of Holy Cross looked like a continuation of last week’s game with Colgate you wouldn’t be wrong. Cross took everything they had to defend against Lafayette hoping for the one break and goal to give them the win. But it was Lafayette’s Laila Pasic who would find the goal and deliver the win for the 8-1 Leopards. In fact Pasic would have the only 2 SOG for the Leopards all game.

The action took place in a mere 10 seconds as the Leopards found early circle penetration in the second half. Pasic took her first shot at 31:02 and followed off the rebound to score at 31:03 to become the winning goal!

The game was a defensive struggle as Cross was to manage only one shot by Mariana MacLean taken care of by Lafayette keeper Addison Kahn. The win moved Lafayette’s RPI to 10th in the nation with 7 straight wins.

A battle of sorts was conducted between Lena Thedrian and the Leopard defense against the Crusader attempt to free up MacLean for shots on goal. The defense was up to the task.

Lafayette will take 6 days to prepare for the penultimate game with American at home next week.

Rankings, Ratings and Polls….Oh My

Now that we have reached the approximate halfway point in the regular season, polls and rankings get the attention of fans. But it is important to separate the methodologies to come to any conclusion as to their accuracy and importance. First to the team, they should mean nothing in the short run. The task at hand is always to concentrate on the upcoming game and win, and the rankings will take care of themselves. They can have an impact on recruiting, but again, for the current team, it’s a non issue.

However, for we fans and the team, by the end of the regular season, it may have impact on selection and seeding in the NCAA tournament. All conference tournament champions get an invite. It’s the next level where the impact can occur. Invites may be handed out to those who did not win their conference tournament, but depending on the RPI ( ratings percentage index) calculated by the NCAA ,it will trigger an additional invite, as well as determine seeding within the field.

The RPI is calculated using the following formula .25*w/l pct. + .50*strength of schedule+,25*opponents strength of schedule. Again the NCAA will calculate the RPI as the season progresses. In addition ” Field Hockey Corner,” calculates RPI exactly the same way as the NCAA and publishes it after every game.

The NFHCA has a poll of select coaches who vote on the top 20 teams. Many of the coaches will not have seen all the teams with high RPIs ( ratings percentage index) calculated by the NCAA. These poll selectors might not have seen all the teams who might merit a top 20 ranking. Also, a team with a losing record is NOT eligible for consideration (eg. UNC was dropped this week). We should note that the NFHCA poll has no bearing on tournament seedings or placement in the tournament itself.ratings percentage index) calculated by the NCAA these po

The conclusion, for Lafayette is since the NFHCA poll has no bearing on tournament seedings or placement,it is the final RPI that could be important at the end. An 11 ranking would most likely put them in the tournament if maintained. But….there is a lot of field’s hockey left to that play against teams with SOS’s that might not help in the final calculation. For the moment, an 11 rating is pretty impressive.

The task at hand is getting ready for Holy Cross

I took a look at the comparative stats, and the first impression was their SOS is not as high as Lafayette, but this is a new ambitious head coach in her second League match, coming off a 4-0 blowout against Lehigh in Bethlehem. Secondly, the weather could be an issue as a noreaster arrives in New England. It will not be pleasant. They are 5-2, with wins against Stonehill, Northeastern, Merrimack, Bryant and Lehigh, The losses are against two good teams, Fairfield and Stanford ( ranked 17) with a loss of 0-3. In that game HC was outshot 13-9 but Holy Cross out cornered Stanford 8-6. The Holy Cross keeper made 6 saves. The first quarter was scoreless. Stanford scored in each of the succeeding quarters. The last game played by Holy Cross was on Saturday and .Lafayette played a very competitive game on Sunday against VCU. Lafayette has taken 118 shots against Holy Cross’s 137. Lafayette has 46 .corners Holy Cross has 59 with one less game. Our GK has an .806 save percentage and Holy Cross’s has a .738 percentage..

This is an important game for both teams, and on the surface it looks like our defense against their offense. Lafayette will try to bottle up the Crusaders and the Crusaders will look to fast break and score. I actually think our offensive weapons may get unleashed with the weather being a wildcard. Game starts at 3pm.

Lafayette On A Mission…. 7-1…. Holy Cross Next

Leopards surround VCU player

Winning two games this weekend Lafayette made significant statements that they are patient, purposeful, and determined. They are focused on the end result but their eyes are always looking forward to the most important objective….the task at hand. That was not more evident than in the first game of the weekend, against league opponent Colgate. It was an exercise in believing in the process.

They were not looking to self promotion or trying to run up a large score by padding individual accomplishments. Colgate came with a reasonable game plan throwing their resources into a high press and a strong defense hoping to get a winning goal in a low scoring game. The Leopards persisted eventually finding the opening goal by Rosalie van Gool assisted by Lea Good and Katie Gibb at 42:26 into the game. It was then lanes opened for Katie Gibb assisted by van Gool and Lena Thedrian seven minutes later to add an insurance strike. Cool and surgical was the play as the Leopards took home their first League win of the season.

The Leopards had 21 shots to the Raider’s 5. They also managed to keep the play in their offensive end for most of the game. Addie Kahn had two saves preserving the first of two shutouts this weekend.

Sunday’s game with VCU was equally surgical with VCU determined to end their long road campaign with a win. Having played a challenging schedule ( including a loss to Northwestern), they tried as well to pin the Leopards back in their end. It was Katie Gibb who opened the scoring at 12:59 assisted by Stella Malinowski . Stella had a goal of her own at 39:31 delivering on a penalty stroke. The game got a tad physical, but the Leopards prevailed with another 2-0 win on their record.

Stella gets ready for a penalty stroke

Lafayette was rewarded with an number 11 national RPI rating from Field Hockey Corner along with a 19 ACR rating. We await tomorrow’s ranking from the NFHCA. Rankings aside, this team will focus on the next important task.. the game with Holy Cross on Friday!!.