2008 Woodie Awards
RSSTeam confident it can improve record, get spot in playoffs
By Logan Strenchock
Issue date: 10/19/07 Section: Sports
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The Mountain Hawks are coming off losses to the University of Maryland and Holy Cross College.
With only four league games remaining, the Hawks sit in sixth place with a 1-2 conference record. Bucknell, American, and Colgate universities are locked in a three way tie for first, with Holy Cross and Lafayette College holding the fourth and fifth spots respectively. Although the Hawks currently sit in the lower tier of the league, a spot in the Patriot League playoffs is still open.
Despite this tough position, Head Coach Dean Koski said his team should not feel as if their backs are against a wall. Although he said every Patriot League game needs to be played with urgency, the team has ample time to earn enough points to qualify for the post season. Playoff spots in the league are usually not decided until the final match of the season, he said.
The team has not given up and the players understand what is at stake, senior defender and co-captain Michael Hessemer said.
"We may be in the bottom half of the league, but the race for the playoffs is wide open," Hessemer said. "There are four more league games left, and we will need to win probably three of them. That's not a surprise, nor is it too much to ask."
Despite their record, the Hawks have played tough in every game and can find many positives in their play so far, Hessemer said.
"We've been attacking well, defending well, and even out possessing most teams," Hessemer said. "We just need to put all those components together for a full game. It may not always be pretty, but it's always a battle."
Senior forward Joe Clemente said the team is optimistic.
"The mentality in the locker room is that we aren't out of anything yet," Clemente said. "There are still a lot of games left to be played, and we feel confident that we can make up ground."
In practice this week, the Hawks have been concentrating on playing together as a team for the duration of every contest, senior defender Pat Starsinic said.
"The coaching staff has gotten us to focus on team and personal commitment, so that we can put together a complete game," Starsinic said.
Koski said he has been pleased with his team's competitiveness and its outstanding ability to stifle opposing offenses. He said he would like to see his team play with consistency and finish off games, and not give up goals in critical moments.
"This week of practice has been as good as ever," Hessemer said. "People are really clicking and everyone understands what changes we are making, and what we need to accomplish."
The Eagles are 5-7-2, after dropping their most recent match against Georgetown University. They remain undefeated and on top of the Patriot League standings with a 2-0-1 record.
The Eagles will be led offensively by freshman forward Daniel Shannon who has eight points on the season, including three goals and two assists.
Senior Chris Sedlak, who has a 1.53 goals-against average, will be in goal for the Eagles.
Last year against American, Lehigh executed one of its most successful offensive outbursts of the season, cruising to a 4-0 victory. The Hawks hope to achieve this level of success again this week, and believe their offense is capable of putting a lot of pressure on American's aggressive defense, Hessemer said.
"Our attack is hard to defend," Hessemer said. "Players like [junior forward] Jimmy Taranto, [sophomore forward] Kyle Evans, and [sophomore midfielder] Adam Welch draw a lot of attention from defenders and draw fouls."
The team cannot allow fouls to hamper them, and they will need to capitalize on all free kicks, Hessemer said.
Saturday's game will kick off at 1 p.m. at the Reeves Athletic Complex in Washington D.C.
