The field hockey team (4-5 overall, 2-1 Patriot League) added a win to its record this weekend, putting two past Holy Cross (3-7 overall, 0-3 Patriot League) to earn a shutout.
It was a dominant performance from the Leopards on Alumni Day – the team led in both total shots (17-4) and penalty corners (9-2). Sophomore goalkeeper Raffi Fragomeni made two saves, earning her Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week, and junior defender and captain India Ralph played an integral part in keeping the second clean sheet of the season.
It was freshman midfielder Lea Good who took the early advantage for the Maroon and White and scored her first collegiate goal at 6:48. Fellow freshman and defender Katie Gibb recorded the assist.
“Scoring my first goal was definitely exciting,” Good said. “Having it come in a Patriot League game made it feel even more special.”
Junior forward Alex Darrah then added to Lafayette’s total in the third quarter, scoring a rebound off of Good’s shot. Her second Patriot League goal in three games, Darrah has been in great form.
“Scoring the second goal of the game felt great because it put a little more comfort on the scoreline of such an important game,” Darrah said. “As a team, we have been working on our threat in the attacking circle, and [Good] made an amazing play getting the initial shot off for me to grab the rebound to seal the deal.”
As for Good, she was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week. This is the Leopards’ third receipt of the award this season — previously, freshman midfielder Stella Malinowski and Gibb each earned the honor. With Good’s win, Lafayette has officially brought home half of the Rookie of the Week awards so far this season.
“Every single freshman this year has had a tremendous impact on the team, both on and off the field,” Darrah said. “Our coach does a fantastic job of recruiting players that not only have incredible talent on the field, but also players who as people make our culture stronger, which is key to building a successful team.”
Good has appeared in all nine games so far and has started in seven of them. The Chatham, New Jersey native had a successful high school career at Oak Knoll and has experience at the United States junior national team level as well. However, she said that playing at Lafayette has been a unique experience.
“Something new about playing field hockey at Lafayette compared to my past experiences is the speed of the collegiate game,” she said. “It’s much faster.”
This season’s start is a significant improvement to that of last year – the team was without a conference win through the first three games of their 2022 season. This win gives the Leopards a 2-1 conference record, placing them in a tie for third in Patriot League play.
“Last year we did not see the results that we wanted and that we knew we could achieve, so this year our team made it a priority to establish our goals early on in the season and create a plan of action,” Darrah said. “One of these goals that I believe really helped us flip a switch is our two-minute mentality. This basically means that rather than seeing the game as a sixty-minute game, we treat every two minutes as a new game. This has really pushed us to play with a level of grit and intensity that carries a lot more threat against our opponents.”
Next up, the Leopards face Colgate at home tomorrow for another Patriot League clash. The following day they face Drexel for Senior Day.
“Going into Colgate, we are really focused on limiting our turnovers and taking care of the ball in possession,” Darrah said. “It’s going to be really important this weekend for us to dominate the field with possession and create threatening attacking opportunities for us to get on the scoreboard quickly.”
