2008 Woodie Awards
RSSTeam looks to improve in upcoming Navy Game
By Kristen Dalton
Issue date: 10/5/07 Section: Sports
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The Mountain Hawks are coming off a 1-0 loss to the Lafayette College Leopards. Lehigh did not lose a single Patriot League game last year.
"We need to get back in the flow of things," sophomore midfielder Adam Welch said. "We suffered a tough loss at Lafayette and we need to come together as a team."
To make the Patriot League playoffs, a team must win at least four games against league opponents. With little room for mistakes, the Hawks are looking to improve their play, win against the Midshipmen and gain some momentum for future games.
"It's not that Lafayette was a reconcilable loss," Head Coach Dean Koski said, "but we're not necessarily as concerned about 'bouncing back' than we are about improving with each practice and game."
Practices this week have centered on fixing the problems the team faced in the Lafayette loss.
Sophomore forward Kyle Evans said a lot of goals scored against the team this season have come from headers off of corner kicks. In the game against Lafayette, it came from a long throw in.
"We need to buckle down on defense and not make stupid plays to allow corner kicks," Evans said. "Communication between the lines has also been a big problem for us this year."
Koski said the Hawks did a poor job of matching Lafayette's intensity, wanting second balls and staying with marks inside the box.
Senior defender and co-captain Michael Hessemer said the defense has been working on possessions with the ball and patience, so they avoid just kicking it long like they did against the Leopards.
"We need to pick up the intensity on loose balls and second balls," Hessemer said. "Last Saturday we were a step slow."
With seven new players this season, the team dynamic is different from last year, especially with a midfield made up of two freshman.
"This year's team is distinctly different from last year's," Koski said. "We have a different line-up, a different look and [we lost] two All-Americans. We need to continue to get better at defending and improve our relationships between the lines. At the end of the day, it's all about relationships on the field and communicating."
The players are still taking time to get to know each other's style of play, Hessemer said, but they are progressing with each practice and game.
"We could use more work on communication, leadership, and keeping everyone motivated and tuned in to what's going on for 90 minutes," Welch said. "We need to be on top of one another and really come together as a team."
The Midshipmen also stand at 0-1 in Patriot League play, and hold a record of 5-3-2 on the season. The Hawks will only face Navy once this year, so the game will be high in tension and enthusiasm, Koski said.
"No one player for them is their standout," Koski said. "But they have a core group of guys that are committed to working hard that makes them really dangerous. Navy has a fairly direct style of play that involves moving the ball around and being aggressive on dead ball situations."
Hessemer said the Midshipmen have always presented a challenge. Last year, the Hawks beat them 2-1, winning in double overtime in Annapolis, Md.
"They're a very athletic team," Hessemer said. "They work hard all year with the type of training they do, so we know they're going to bring it every time they play."
Koski said Navy Head Coach Mich Miranda is well organized and does well neutralizing Lehigh's strengths.
"They bring a lot of bite to their game and can disrupt any team in the Patriot League," Koski said.
Despite the challenging league schedule the Hawks face this year, the team remains optimistic.
"All Patriot League games are high pressure situations," Evans said. "That's just how it is. It's our first home opener so we're excited, but it's going to be tough because there's not really going to be a crowd because of Pacing Break."
