Haven Soccer Blog

September 23rd Team Update

2009-09-23T09:17:00.003-04:00

Quick update on the past few weeks:

September 12th Lock Haven had a hard fought battle but came out with a loss against Gannon at home 3-1. A great cross by Carly D'Orsaneo to fellow Sophomore Amy Wittman put the Haven up 1-0; however, with 12 minutes left in the first half Gannon tied it up. The second half was a bit of bitter pill after Carly was taken down in the box on a 1 v 1 with the keeper (no call) Gannon countered and was given a free kick outside the box resulting in a goal. Later in the half they solidified their win with another goal that whipped past Kimberly Bentley's hands... September 12th was also a very important day, as they dedicated the game to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. The team raised over $1,100 dollars for the Foundation and look forward to contributing again next year.

September 16th LHU took on California (PA) on the road... another rough one for the Haven - going down 3-0 to very physical team.

September 19th the wind changed for the Haven, taking on Edinboro at home the girls came out with fire. After a couple of great practices and shaking off the tough start of the season the team was ready to play and proved it quickly. Caitlyn Slattery played an amazing ball into the attacking third behind Edinboro's back line to the feet of Arielle Gordon who put the ball in the back of the net - the remainder of the half was back and forth both teams having opportunities but at halftime the score remained 1-0. The second half Edinboro came out pushing hard and was able to finish a scoring opportunity to tie it up. However, with 30 minutes remaining in the half Bree Orth and Freshmen Madeline Faizo combined to Arielle who again scored to push the Lady Eagles up 2-1. The game was a hard fought battle and a great win.

September 22nd LHU took on Clarion on the road. The game itself was a little bit of soccer and a lot a bit of hard work... at halftime the score remained 0-0 despite some great opportunities. In the second half the Haven buckled down on defense and pushed forward for an opportunity to score - and that came in the 56th minute a free kick finished off a combination from Caitlyn Slattery to Alissa Gamelier and deflected into the net by Carly D'Orsaneo put the Lady Eagles up 1-0 with 34 minutes remaining the LHU defense had a lot of their plate but they held their own, leading the efforts was center back Jessie Cox. LHU came out on top with the 1-0 victory on the road.

The Lady Eagles will take on PSAC east opponent East Stroudsburg away this Saturday (26th).

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation Service Project

2009-09-09T08:24:00.002-04:00

Every year the LHU soccer team works on different service projects unannounced to many... however this year the Lady Eagles have made an extraordinary effort.

The ladies have decided to raise money for Childhood Cancer through Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. The foundation was created in 2000 when Alex Scott, a four year old suffering from childhood cancer made the decision that she wanted to help her doctors find a cure for all children with cancer by selling lemonade at her very own lemonade stand. She continued to spread her ideas and created a goal of raising 1 million dollars for cancer research - by 2004 when Alex was eight-years old that's exactly what happened and shortly after Alex passed away.

However those close to Alex keep living her dream, keep raising money and more importantly raising awareness - now, the LHU soccer team is determined to help.

For the past two weeks the ladies of the LHU soccer program have been posting flyers, sending e-mails and getting out into the Lock Haven Community raising money and publicizing the cause. This Saturday SEPTEMBER 12th the Lady Eagles have dedicated their home game vs. Gannon University to Alex's Lemonade Stand. The team will be sporting brand new jerseys just for the cause and doing their part. The goal of the project is to have the stands filled with fans wearing yellow - they will be selling yellow ALSF t-shirts for 10 dollars leading up to the game - you can get yours online (http://www.lhup.edu/w_soccer/lemonade%20tshirt.htm) or pick one up at the game - All money will be donated directly to Alex's Lemonade Stand.

For more information on Alex's Lemonade Stand please Visit:
http://www.alexslemonade.org/slideshow

Rocky Start to 2009 Season

2009-09-09T08:14:00.003-04:00

First off - sorry for the delayed posting...

Secondly - Update on the team.

This year we brought in a pretty good group of freshmen and one transfer into preseason...a long preseason. The girls came in very fit and seemed like they were ready for the 2009 season when we took on Ohio Valley University in the home opener and blew them away 12-0, practically all of the girls got some playing time- it gave the team a good dose of confidence and a great start to the year.

However, in our second game (home versus Slippery Rock University) we hit a small road block after going up 1-0 on a beautiful goal by Senior Captain Courtney Johnson the team fell behind going into half 2-1. SRU didn't stop in the second half solidifying their victory with a 5-1 win and taking the wind out of LHU's sails.

Our third and fourth games of the season seemed to fly by with a loss at Mercyhurst College (3-1) and at Indiana University of PA (7-0). That is not to give props to some great games for a few of our players notably Amy Wittman has the loan goal for LHU vs. Mercyhurst off a deflected shot taken by Arielle Gordon from a corner, Kimberly Bentley came up with some HUGE saves last night versus IUP in the second half (their only goal on Bentley came off a PK - a weak call by the ref in my eyes).

Lock Haven Women's Soccer is looking to get things off to a positive start with a win versus Gannon University on Saturday, we hope to have a good few days of practice and gear up for a win and a good bounce back from a little bit of a rocky start. The Lady Eagles will look to Captain Courtney Johnson and stand outs Caitlyn Slattery and Arielle Gordon to lift them up going into the game.

Joseph Vincent Davis Arrives!

2008-12-03T12:08:00.003-05:00

Coach Heather Davis and her husband Joe Davis gave birth to their first son Joseph Vincent Davis on 12/1/2008 at approximately 11:30am. Both Joey and Heather are doing great - we look forward to seeing them real soon!

ps- The BLOG will be updated by next week with player spotlights!

Senior Spotlight: Heidi Weller

2008-11-17T16:59:00.004-05:00

Heidi Weller is in her Junior year at LHU, however this is her last season. The 5'9" outside midfielder from Mifflinburg, PA came to the LHU Women's Soccer team as a walk-on and has proved to be a positive assets to the team. Playing just three years Heidi has racked up 3 goals and 22 shots. She has played in 41 games and started 22 of them. Coach Davis has described her as being the most physically fit player from the start bring a dynamic to the team that no one else has.

About Heidi:

Heidi's favorite TV show is "Friends" and enjoys swimming, volleyball, and camping. Heidi's biggest role model is her mother. Heidi came to Lock Haven because she enjoyed the small campus and the fairly affordable enrollment. She enrolled at LHU as a Health and Physical Education major in 2005 but didn't land a spot on the Eagles roster until 2006. Her favorite soccer memory with the team was beating Edinboro in the second overtime for the second time this season.

A Reflection of LHU:

While at LHU her favorite classes were Teaching Elementary P.E. Activities, as well as, Teaching Tumbling & Gymnastics. Her favorite professors at LHU are Dr. Richard Lally and Professor Carl Poff. She plans on teaching Physical Education upon graduating in addition to coaching a high school soccer team.

Heidi is an adventurous fun loving player who will give a 100% effort in every game. She describes her team as "Gregarious" (for those of you who have to look it up I did it for you: "social, sociable"), she hopes that next years team will win more games than this year and make playoffs. Her last piece of advice for her teammates was to "enjoy yourself while on the team!"

Thank Yous:

Heidi would like to thank her family which was a huge support throughout her soccer career by coming to games and all the motivational speeches. She'd also like to thank her teammates and coaches for being there when she needed them most. Lastly, she'd like to thank all the soccer parents who came to Lock Havens games and cheered the team on this year!

Heidi has been a successful member of our team here at Lock Haven and her smile, presence, and ability will be greatly missed.

2008-11-03T17:32:00.004-05:00

Features New To The Blog - Coming Soon!

Spotlight Player of the Week
Senior Spotlights
Off-Season weekly updates
Community Service

Second Half Gives Eagles Second Wind

2008-11-03T08:35:00.004-05:00

Saturdays game proved to be successful sending seniors Lindsey Blessing and Heidi Weller out with a 7-0 win over Lake Erie College.

The first 45 minutes proved to be a bit difficult for the Eagles to find their rhythm coming out pressuring the Lake Erie defense but were not able to finish all their opportunities. Lake Erie proved to be a bit more difficult at the start than LHU had expected as Erie keeper, Chelsea Gieson, made numerous saves keeping Lake Erie in the game. LHU finally was able to capitalize on a chance after Caitlyn Slattery split the defense on a gorgeous ball to the feet of Carly D'Orsaneo who tucked the ball away sliding past the Lake Erie keeper in the 30th minute. D'Orsaneo's goal proved to be the game winner, but Haven wasn't done scoring.

In the 54th minute Kellie Wieger was able to put away a goal from a flick sent by Alissa Gamelier. Just 3 minutes later Arielle Gordon was able to put away her 7th goal for the season, less than two minutes later D'Orsaneo was able to bury a ball passed from Arielle Gordon within the 6 yard box.

Despite the lead the most important goal all night was the 5th goal scored by Senior Captain Lindsey Blessing. After LHU was granted a free kick at the top of the 18 Blessing was able to play the ball just behind the wall in the back of the net - the fact that the goal was the 5th of the night made no difference.... it was Blessing last game with LHU and Blessings first collegiate goal - an accomplishment she had been quite persistent about since preseason and something that she will never forget.

Blessing's goal was the whipped cream on top of the sundae but the last two goals scored by Brittany Cranmer and Caitlyn Slattery (respectively) were the cherry's on top of it all....

Haven soccer was put on the pedestal it deserved on Saturday afternoon - a hardworking young team that rose to every occasion and just came up short of playoff hopes. Despite not making it to the playoffs we accomplished so much this year:

We finished at 500 with a record of 9-9-1
We scored 4 more goals than we gave up
Arielle Gordon was the teams leading scorer - scoring 7 of the teams 34 goals. Followed by both Carly D'Orsaneo and Bree Orth with 5 goals a piece.
We swept Edinboro which we had not accomplished in 4 years (2004).
We also beat Mercyhurst and California - both of which were regionally ranked when we played them. Mercyhurst had previously been nationally ranked as well.
Freshmen Keeper Hayley Zinn had an 83 percent save rating scoring her amongst the conferences best keepers.
13 of our teams players scored goals throughout our season.
LHU only received 3 cautions - proving that we play hard but also fair.

What a break for The Haven

2008-10-30T10:06:00.003-04:00

After two weeks of great soccer for the Lady Eagles the ball just didn't bounce our way last night falling 2-1 to Slippery Rock.

Both LHU and SRU came our running last night, and battled back and forth. With the help of the blistering wind SRU was able to curve a corner kick into the back post upper 90 about halfway through the first 45 minutes. Despite the score, at the end of the first half LHU and SRU were tied with 5 shots a piece....

Going into the second half Haven started pressuring right away, we had the wind and were hoping for momentum...but Slippery Rock wasn't backing down. Hayley Zinn came up with a few tremendous saves keeping LHU in the hunt to tie up the game, and that's exactly what happened. On a LHU counter Slippery Rock's keeper blocked a close range shot sending a rebound to the feet of Kellie Wieger 16 yards out. Wieger chipped the keeper, to make it even sweeter the ball sailed to the back of the net - upper 90. With about 9 minutes left Haven was back in it and the sweet taste gave us the momentum we were looking for.

With minutes remaining the Rock sent a ball deep into the Haven backfield. As the ball crossed the face of the goalmouth and a bit of miscommunication Haven's sweet taste turned sour with an own goal. LHU tried to find that wave of momentum for the last 2 or so minutes but couldn't breakdown the SRU defense.

LHU was led by Veterans Kellie Wieger, Caitlyn Slattery, Jessie Cox, and Arielle Gordon - all of which had outstanding performances.

Unfortunately such a great battle ended on a sour note, after battling back from a 1-0 deficit to tie it up 1-1 the Haven Ladies took a blow going down 2-1 on a tough break. As I have said in the past, our team is full of pride and has a dynamic like no other. The ladies walked off the field disappointed but positive about their fight and they way they bounced back. As a coach I'd rather get blown out of the water than lose on an unfortunate event like last nights... with just one game left Haven is 8-9-1 overall and looking to break even and finish with a win vs Lake Erie on Saturday.

The game vs Lake Erie is our senior game on which we will honor our two senior players: Lindsey Blessing and Heidi Weller. Please come out and support our seniors and the rest of the Lady Eagles in their last regular season home game. Saturday's game is a double header with the Men's team playing at 2 and Ladies at 4 both vs. Lake Erie - both teams will be celebrating their Senior Day, as well as selling merchandise - come our and support our teams!

Saturday - Semi Annual 4 v 4 Competition

2008-10-27T19:04:00.006-04:00

Team Homecoming (up above)

Team BLS (above)

Team Fairy (The GKs) - above

The 4 v 4 Team Group Shot

Twice a year to break up the monotony of the practices, games, and rigourous schedule the Lady Eagles host an intersquad 4 v 4 competition. The team is broken down into groups of 4 or 5 - as assigned by the coaches and compete in a round robin. Each team picks a theme and dresses to it... and evey season there are some interesting outcomes. THIS YEAR we have this wonderful BLOG so that EVERYONE can see the beautiful themes they have picked....even the Athletic Trainers get involved! It is a great time to blow off some steam and get an hour of good soccer in.... (more pictures to come).

**Shout out to the men's soccer team because I KNOW you're reading this :o)

Game vs Edinboro

2008-10-27T18:34:00.002-04:00

2 Well Deserved Goals Bring Haven to Victory Over The Fighting Scots!

Another match up that brought on overtime, and another win for the ladies of Lock Haven - with just 2 games remaining in our regular season not one team in the PSAC can say that LHU didn't give them a run for their money. With the win vs Edinboro on this past Saturday the Lady Eagles have reached 8-8-1 (500), a season goal. This win also brings LHU to 26 goals for and 28 against - with just two games remaining it is quite possible that with the way LHU has been playing we can finish over 500 with more goals for than against - quite a success with just a young team.

Saturdays game started out on a sour note when Edinboro capitalized on a Penalty Kick granted due to a foul against Jessie Cox. The score didn't change as the first 45 minutes came to a close. Both Lock Haven and Edinboro had a few opportunities but neither team finished their chances.

The second half was a different story - LHU came out blazing and didn't back down, towards the end of the half Sophomore Arielle Gordon challenged the Edinboro keeper with a hard struck ball, too tough to handle as the ball we deflected to the head of Senior Captain Lindsey Blessing. Blessing was able to head the ball to the feet of Gordon who put The Haven dead even with Edinboro. Gordon's goal would be the last goal of regulation.

Overtime was full of emotion for the lady eagles as Junior Heidi Weller went on a breakaway 1 on 1 with the Edinboro Keeper and tripped over the ball (in typical Heidi fashion)... although instead of laughing at herself she lay on the ground.... as LHU collected themselves - Heidi limped off the field (she's recovering now - no worries), The first 10 minutes of OT was over and the game was still deadlocked at 1 all. The last 10 minutes of the OT were different, Junior Kellie Wieger was able to put the game away with just a few minutes left on the clock.... Once again LHU came out with a win and once again proved themselves to be a team to battle with.

Game @ Clarion

2008-10-22T11:24:00.005-04:00

It was a VERY VERY cold one last night... prior to the game it was hailing....like I said it was COLD.

The game was a back to back battle.... once again the girls gave it everything - 110minutes worth in fact. After going down just 15 minutes into the first half haven bounced back with two unanswered goals by rookie Bree Orth (off a cross from fellow rookie Carly D'Orsaneo) and Jessie Cox (off an AMAZING corner by senior captain Lindsey Blessing). Going into half we were up 2-1.

Going into the second half Haven wasn't done, the girls pushed forward and it paid off; Rachel Rorke found a split in the defense and sent a ball forward to oncoming Carly D'Orsaneo's feet. Carly snuck the ball by the goalkeeper near post. 3-1 in Haven's favor. Clarion wasn't backing down and certainly not done, the remaining part of the half was in their favor (as was the blistering wind). Clarion earned back to back goals both off of corners. At the end of regulation we were tied 3 all.

Going into the first OT we were going against the wind and pressured right away, once again. With the help of Caitlyn Slattery and Jessie Cox in defense and Hayley Zinn in net Lock Haven buckled down and come out of the first OT undamaged.

The second OT, with the wind in our favor, Haven went out blazing immediately putting pressure on the Clarion defense and goalkeeper. Despite our best efforts and push forward we were unable to score as the clock dwindled down. End result: 3-3 tie.

There is no doubt that the wind was a HUGE factor in last nights match, for both teams. After giving it our all we still came out with one psac point and frozen limbs...

The ladies have the day off - a well earned one considering we have not had a day off since prior to our Mercyhurst game. 2 wins and a tie in a week - not too shabby. Thursday will be another prep day of practice as we prepare to take on Edinboro at home on Friday afternoon (2pm); with just 1.5 weeks of regular season left we couldn't be more proud of the girls and are still sticking to our season goal of finishing over 500 (winning more games then losing).

Check back Friday night for a new post!

Game @ Cal U (PA)

2008-10-20T07:51:00.004-04:00

Another great game for the Haven. After a VERY long bus ride and a hectic morning LHU took the field. The match was a battle from the very first touch of the ball, both teams were playing quite hard.

Lock Haven took to the scoreboard first - which proved to be the game winning goal. With just under 7 minutes left in the first half Kellie Wieger played an amazing ball to Carly D'Orsaneo - splitting the defense. D'Orsaneo forced the keeper to come out for a one on one, but quickly pushed past the keepers hands and finished the ball with her RIGHT foot into the back of the net. (If you know Carly you also know that she is much more keen to her left foot and it can sometimes be a struggle to shoot with her right.... but she did it like an expert!)

The final 7 min of the first half were back and forth, Cal never backed down and had a few scoring opportunities but starting keeper, Hayley Zinn, was quite persistent and once again put up a game changing performance.

The second half was no different from the first, our defense played amazing working together and was nearly undeterred by everything that Cal brought to the table. Every Haven player played a vital role in buckling down and pushing forward; LHU solidified the win with just under 15 minutes to play in the match. Alissa Gamelier was able to put the ball back into the box after a clearance off of a corner. Unlike any other player Alissa was able to pop the ball over her head and Cal's defense onto freshmen, Janine McCarthy's foot for a half volley sailing behind the keepers head. (Side Note: I don't think either of the girls could re-enact that one - it was creative but could never be considered graceful or tactical).

Leading the team to the win were Hayley Zinn in net getting her 2nd shutout of the season, senior captain Lindsey Blessing - who played an amazing (quite physical) game in the midfield, and Caitlyn Slattery who anchored the back line.

The 2-0 win over Cal gives Haven a 7-8 record with just 4 games remaining, it also gives us an outside chance of making post-season play!

Together we fly by Mercyhurst!

2008-10-17T05:55:00.003-04:00

Mercyhurst College – a tough and very skilled team, ranked among the top 30 in the country: a difficult feat in itself… but AT Mercyhurst was even more of a feat. However, without our entire team effort we would not have been successful. Going into the game we were 5-8-0 but our girls spirits were high and we had finally begun to blend and BELIEVE entirely in each other – this made all the difference!

The first half started out with a BANG just 6 minutes into the game Lock Haven caused a bit of ciaos in front of the net forcing Mercyhurst to clear the ball to Alissa Gamelier’s feet who played the ball to the top of the box, the ball deflected off of Mercyhurst defender falling onto the foot of freshmen Carly D’Orsaneo. D’Orsaneo was able to take on the GK and bury the ball in the back of the net… GGGOOOOAAAAALLLL!!!

Haven buckled down and had a few MAJOR bounces go their way, 2 opportunities and some breaks in our defense gave Mercyhurst some great opportunities, both of which they put off the post and in front of our net… scary but no damage done.

Second half was another tight battle. Mercyhurst came out blazing putting immediate pressure on Lock Haven’s defensive third; which resulted in a corner that was served across the front of the net. Mercyhurst’s Sarah Powell volleyed the ball past Haven keeper Hayley Zinn’s outstretched hands…. With 30 min left the score was tied 1-1.

The final 30 minutes was back and forth, both teams leaving it all on the field, and in true Haven fashion we never backed down. At the end of regulation the game was tied 1-1, we were off to overtime (OT) – first team to score wins (golden goal).

Overtime was our time – with some luck, some heart, and a few chances we had multiple corners and two very important free kicks. The first corner was sent right into the mix, Kellie Wieger went up and challenged the keeper and flicked the ball into the middle of the goal – just as Alissa Gamelier went up to head the ball into the back of the net Haven was called for a foul. Later, Lindsey Blessing went up for a 50/50 ball in the air and was fouled from behind, setting up a free kick – although there was no scoring opportunity, instead another foul from behind on Mercyhurst just at the top of the 18. Courtney Johnson stepped up to the plate, and on a Game Winning attempt served the ball behind the Mercyhurst keeper’s hands (Rebecca Heintzman) to the crossbar, which (once again) bounced our way straight down behind the goal line! GOLDEN GOAL…. A 2-1 win for Lock Haven in overtime!!!

Some notable points: an amazing job of support from our bench who were on their feet the entire second half and overtime, Alissa Gamelier had a stellar performance, as well as, the entire back line! Hayley Zinn came off her goal line time and time again keeping LHU in the game with some spectacular decisions; Kellie Wieger added energy to the front line when we needed it most. Lastly, our two goal scorers Carly D’Orsaneo and Courtney Johnson who literally left it all on the field and were spent after the game.

SUCH a proud moment for both Coach Davis and myself, I am so impressed with out efforts today… now its back to the drawing board as we head to California University of Pennsylvania for a match on Sat at 3pm!

Game vs IUP

2008-10-14T14:52:00.002-04:00

What a great game! For those of you that were there - you saw an amazing game! Those that couldn't make it... you missed a great one! Despite losing 1-0 this game was a memorable one.

The first half was great soccer... the girls played together as a TEAM, we changed our approach and all focused in on our goals. We immediately put the pressure on their defense spending much of our time in our attacking 3rd. Unfortunately despite numerous attempts to score we couldn't find the back of the net, and in IUP's few scoring opportunities they did.

The second half was even better soccer and we never let down, regretably I left at half for recruiting in Maryland, however from what I am told we played amazing - despite some injuries we still buckled down and got some shots off. The final score was 0-1 but I couldn't be more proud; we needed to come together and just go for it... and in this game we did, and left it all on the field! Great job ladies!!!

Next game is away at Mercyhurst 4pm on Wednesday... should be a tough game but we're ready for the challenge.

Side note: I missed the parents food on sat and was NOT happy about it - we need another one soon :)

Game 12 vs Gannon

2008-10-07T21:43:00.004-04:00

Briefly

today's game was quite a task for us and individually I feel that we had to push through some walls... eventually we worked things out for the second half but not before the damage was done. Gannon scored with 32 min left off a cross and then again off a corner. Lock Haven's freshmen class again came up huge, Raquel Alton came off the bench with fresh legs and made a weakside run and was able to capitalize on a deflection from Angie Rineer's initial shot. However, Gannon was not done and with less than 5 minutes left Gannon scored once more with a ball served into the 18 yard box which was headed by keeper Hayley Zinn. Lock Haven fell to Gannon 3-1, through this we hope that we can learn and move forward. We had a much more productive second half and was able to pressure the Gannon keeper much more... just didn't finish. We are a good team, with a tough schedule - more so we are tough on ourselves... believing in ourselves is implemental to the remaining part of our season. Personally, I have no doubt that we will be successful!

Game 11 - Mansfield

2008-10-04T19:07:00.003-04:00

Today's game was a good gritty win for LHU. The lady eagles were able to come out of today's match up with a 1-0 win scoring late in the game.

Mansfield played a tough, hard hitting, and scrappy battle today, however, our players were able to find the holes in the defense. Carly D'Orsaneo on the left was able to expose their right side - time and time again. Just 15 minutes into the match she sent a ball off the crossbar, immediately challenging the keeper. Despite our efforts the first half ended 0-0 with a great effort from both teams.

Our defense continued to lock down and stay strong through the second half as we changed our formation, pushing up for a more offensive presence. The change of formation worked wonders as Janine McCarthy was able to break free on the right side setting up Arielle Gordon for a chip shot that sailed over the keeper with 21 minutes left. Mansfield never backed down, playing until the final minutes. Other players making a great effort for Lock Haven today were Rachel Rorke (who came up with some serious offensive plays), as well as Courtney Johnson (who also was able to add to LHU's attack)

We take the field again on Tuesday for a home match against Gannon. Great win today!

Note Worthy

2008-10-03T13:37:00.002-04:00

Quick Statistics up to date that are impressive:

We are currently ranked 2nd out of all the PSAC teams with number of saves : our GK's have recorded 66 saves in 9 games making our average 7.33%

Arielle Gordon is currently ranked 19th in all of the PSAC for goals per game. She has played 9 games, scoring 4 goals averaging .44%.

Our GK's are also doing great, despite Kim Bentleys injury that has kept her out of the last two weeks of games she is still currently ranked 10th in the PSAC for goals against. Kim has played in 6 games (404:13 min) with an average of 1.34 goals against. She is also ranked 6th with save percent with 29 saves and an average of .829%. Lastly she is also ranked 5th in the conference for saves per game with an average of 4.83 per game. Recently in the line up freshmen keeper Hayley Zinn is also ranked in number of saves; Hayley is ranked as #14 in the PSAC playing in 4 games with 29 saves and an average of 6 saves per game.

Congrats Ladies!

Game vs Mansfield: Change~

2008-10-03T13:31:00.004-04:00

Hey all -

Change of schedule the game vs Mansfield had been changed to an 11:30am kickoff on saturday (10/4) at HOME. Mansfield is having problems with their field.

Thanks - stay tuned for the update immediately after the game.
:o)

Game vs Mercyhurst

2008-10-01T16:36:00.004-04:00

What an effort... definitely a game of two halves... Coming into this game Mercyhurst was coming off of a 24th nationally ranked week - but what we learned from this is that from top to bottom there is not much difference in the PSAC. Mercyhurst scored off a free kick with 5 min left in the first half; the free kick was placed practically perfectly into the center of the 18 yard box, Mercyhurst's forward Sarah Powell was able to head the ball into the back corner of our net- an unfortunate play. Coming into half we had a few changes to make, which made ALL the difference - we came into the second half ready to press and determined not to lose our focus. We were able to change our formation and catch Mercyhurst off guard about half way through the second half... the change gave LHU multiple chances: Kellie Wieger, Melinda Dodson, Bree Orth, and Arielle Gordon all had phenomenal opportunities to finish the ball; however, despite the effort we weren't able to finish. A great showing for Janine McCarthy (who made her first collegiate appearance), Hayley Zinn, and Alissa Gamelier.

Today's loss is frustrating for everyone on the team - but that is how we played... as a TEAM; the game showed us that we can and will OUTWORK other teams, and more so that we will BATTLE... and never give up.

If we play with the fury and heart that we played with today the second half of our season is going to be one for the books!

Rest & Relaxation

2008-09-29T11:03:00.003-04:00

We had hoped to be in West Virginia playing this weekend - Salem International cancelled our game (they didn't have enough players to have a game) therefore, the girls had a few hard practices (wed, thurs, and fri) followed by 2 days off... which is what they needed. This gave the girls some time to go home, catch up on work, and time to relax. The ladies returned Sunday night for a team bonding activity put on by LHU Athletics. Now it's back to practice - we have 2 days before our Mercyhurst game - which should be a tough one, we have a good chace to give them a run for their money. Mercyhurst is currently ranked 24th in the country - BUT on any given day these things change, that's the beauty of Lock Haven ... we will put up a fight and come away with a win, all we have to do is BELIEVE!

Kutztown and Slippery Rock - Games 8 & 9

2008-09-25T10:52:00.001-04:00

Real quick note to get caught up:

Game vs Kutztown was a tale of 2 halfs - we had a few outstanding performances and moments of greatness but when all was said and done we came out with a loss, 3-2 - enough said... we need to be better together, we would have some great connections but if we can not connect the ball to the back of the net it doesn't count.

Two days later we traveled to Slippery Rock for an afternoon game, and once again we couldn't finish the ball. Our defense played VERY WELL collectively and individually. In net both Katie Smithmyer and Hayley Zinn saw some time - @ half we were down 2-0 and that's how the game ended. The second half we controlled much of the possession; Arielle had a few good opportunities - however, Slippery Rock managed to hold on to their win.

Welcome to our new site

2008-09-24T21:59:00.003-04:00

Hello all -

As you can see we have changed locations. This site will be used for the same purpose as our original blog site, however, it is more advanced and will allow me to post pictures etc on the site. I hope to update it from my blackberry when we travel to away matches, therefore the posts will be quicker for those parents, alum, and fans that can not attend the games. Happy Reading!

Game 6 - vs UPJ

2008-09-24T21:56:00.001-04:00

September 16th, 2008
Game vs. UPJ
A great win for us, although it is not a PSAC win it is a regional win…. It also is a win at home on a VERY long week for us.
SOOO I’m tired and want to summarize quickly:
We had a great game and played good soccer, Arielle had a goal in the first two minutes of the game which was placed far post and sailed over the keepers head. With just over 11 minutes left in the first half Melinda was able to finish a great play which started with Brittany Cranmer in the midfield. Brittany played the ball out to Jen Williams on the right midfield who cut inside and beat the GK with an amazing service/shot. Melinda was able to then finish the ball into the back of the net putting Haven up 2-0 at half. Once again, as in the Edinboro game, 2-0 is NOT a safe score…. We were playing great but UPJ was still in it.
In the second half UPJ definitely showed they weren’t going away, their GK had some good saves and their midfielders were putting some major pressure on our team. UPJ looked like an entirely different team and LHU was still playing some great soccer, with just 10 seconds left in regulation and after NUMEROUS 1 on 1 attempts and amazing runs Melinda Dodson came up with her second goal of the night heading the ball into the back of the net after a UPJ defender was able to save her initial shot. Although we were already up by 2 Melinda’s goal was a sigh of relief and definitely got the “monkey off her back” as coach Davis would say.
Great way to start the first of three home games… this week is going to be taxing on our players and with some injuries and bruises our practices and rehab schedule will play a vital role in how we do the next two games…. With that aside our soccer has gotten better and I can not be more excited about where Haven Soccer is going, the definition of what we stand for and the quality of the soccer that we have proven that we can play.
Check back Wednesday night or Thursday morning for a recap of the Clarion game which will be played Wednesday at 6pm.

Game 5 @ Edinboro

2008-09-24T21:55:00.006-04:00

September 16th, 2008
Game vs. Edinboro
What a great trip Edinboro turned out to be… after our “wonderful” bus ride up to Edinboro we woke up well rested… well some of us at least.
It was raining from the first whistle to the last… we went into the game with high intensity and it proved to be rewarding.
The first half of the game was dominated by Lock Haven. However, Edinboro had their fair share of chances forcing freshmen goalkeeper Kim Bentley (who was given her first start) to come up with some HUGE 1 on 1 saves. The first goal of the match came with 20 minutes left in the first half… Sophomore Arielle Gordon made an amazing weak side run and finished a slotted ball near post, placing it just past the Edinboro GK. Neather team let down, but with just over 2 minutes left Caitlyn Slattery (Sophomore transfer) took a free kick from our own 40 yard line. The ball was served into Bree Orth who found a hole in the defense and laid the ball off to Arielle Gordon; beating past a defender and going 1 on 1 with the GK, striking net again! LHU went into half up 2-0…. For those of you who don’t know soccer this is NOT a secure score…not at all..
Coming into the second half rain still pouring down, the girls were still fired up. Within 10 minutes LHU’s captain, Lindsey Blessing, took a corner kick sending the ball into the 6 yard box where freshmen forward Bree Orth was able to head the ball into the back of the net! If you weren’t there you should have been because it was GEORGEOUS! Perfect corner to a perfect header sent to the back of the net, the GK had no chance. Edinboro never let down, they continued to pressure and with the help of Rachel Dahlstrand, a sophomore transfer from WVU, Edinboro was able to beat LHU’s defense and score with just over 14 minutes left. Many accolades should be given to Edinboro, the final minutes consisted of a constant pressure, much of the time being spent in LHU’s half of the field. Our defense proved to be too much, and Lock Haven came out on top, 3-1. The game gave a great sense of relief, the team played great individual soccer but even better TEAM soccer for 90 straight minutes never missing a beat. This was not only a big PSAC win for us but it was also the first time in 4 years that we have won AT Edinboro!

Travel to Edinboro!!

2008-09-24T21:55:00.004-04:00

September 12th, 2008
Travel Day!!!
Just arrived in Meadville, PA on our way to Edinboro for what looks to be a battle tomorrow at 1pm.
The trip seemed like forever and I was introduced to the wonderful world of Hoss’s. We had practice from 2-4 and jumped on the bus at 4:30pm. Next we got stuck in some wonderful I-80 traffic where we moved 5 miles in an hour… yeah not happy about that…. Eventually we stopped @ Hoss’s for dinner and then finally arrived at our hotel (Days Inn) at 10:15pmish…
We are looking forward to getting back on the field tomorrow and getting a win on the road. Today’s practice looked good and felt good after a full day off and a light practice on Wednesday.
I’m exhausted…. So it’s time for bed. … check in late tomorrow for results and a quick recap…
GOOD NIGHT!!!

Games 3 and 4

2008-09-24T21:54:00.002-04:00

September 12th, 2008
Okay sooo I’m not so great at this keeping upage of the BLOG… but I PROMISE I will get better because some of the girls seem to enjoy picking on me for it.
So lets get up to speed. Since Game 2 we have had it a little rough losing both to IUP and Cal. First IUP….
It seems to be known that we don’t do quite well at IUP… we were hoping to change that, but we were unable to overcome the many factors that contributed to the game. The trip down there went smoothly and we felt good…. The first half was a tough one - going down 3-0 by half. Shortly after their goal our center back Caitlyn Slattery was injured and unable to return to the game, adding to the confusion on defense was their impressive offensive attack. The second goal came off a cross and beat Hayley Zinn (who started her third collegiate game) far post. The third goal of the half came off a through ball that snuck behind the defense and placed in the back of the net… far post. Coming off the field at half our backs were against the wall - how do we change it around? We didn’t feel like we were out of it…. The second half was an entirely different story, our team was driven and focused. Kim Bentley lead the team by coming up with some critical saves. Being a “retired” GK I know the pressures of stepping into a game with a quick warm-up and some shoes to fill. Lindsey Blessing and Angie Rineer played HUGE roles in the second half - shutting down their midfield and adding to our attack. Unfortunately those offensive chances weren’t finished… but that half of soccer was GREAT!!! Coming off the field the girls were frustrated but it was a good thing - they realized that they can play that way but it needs to be 90 min of great soccer rather than just 45... The game ended 3-0 in IUP’s favor… but the bar was set.
Ride home was smooth thanks to Coach Davis’s wonderful sense of direction, believe me without her we may have been in WV.
Now the Cal game…
We started off the way we finished the IUP game, coming out hard and ready to fight. Going down by 1 goal with 32min left in the first half but Freshmen Bree Orth scored an AMAZING goal off a long range shot tying up the game 1-1 at half. Bree’s goal was CRAZY GOOD!!! (I was extremely impressed). The first half was great soccer but the second half was a different story. Cal came into the half pressing and finishing opportunities and we weren’t able to convert our scoring chances… we went down 2 then 3 and lastly 4.… we ended the game 4-1, but it certainly didn’t feel like a 4-1 loss. Kim Bentley (who had her first collegiate start) had a great game making some key 1 on 1 saves that kept us in the game from the beginning of the game to the end. Caitlyn Slattery stepped back into the swing of things and left it all on the field… as did numerous members of the team.
We left both games with a number of positives but also some things that we are excited to improve on in our game vs. Edinboro tomorrow…. 9/13/2008.
As always feel free to send comments: Kfish@lhup.edu

Game 2

2008-09-24T21:52:00.001-04:00

September 3rd, 2008
What a long trip! After a bright and early wake up both the men’s and women’s teams loaded up the bus and headed to Erie, PA (a four hour bus ride), headed for Gannon University.
The game was a very hard fought battle. The first half was back and forth but after a few bumps and bruises Gannon scored on an offensive attack with just over 5 min remaining. However, Kellie Wieger came back to bite. Less than 2 min later she scored, catching the GK off her line and placed the ball in the back of the net! It was awesome soccer… smart soccer… and she was able to capitalize. Gannon wasn’t going into halftime like that, they scored two consecutive goals in the last 2 minutes moving up on Lock Haven 3-1. It was a disappointing last few minutes, but overall we played well. Gannon found some holes and were able to capitalize.
The second half was again back and forth, we changed our attack and used our subs to the full advantage. It was HOT out there! With about 31 minutes left Lock Haven gave up another goal, this time off a free kick. We were down 4-2. The thing about Haven Soccer is that we take PRIDE in the way we play, this means the ENTIRE 90 MINUTES!!! The girls didn’t give up, Heidi Weller was given a diagonal ball which she used to streak down the outside and bury the ball into the back of the net. The remaining time of the second half was us trying to find the holes in the Gannon defensive and capitalize on any opportunities…. We had momentum, but time ran up. 4-2 loss….
Despite the disappointing overall score we were quite happy with the individual performances we had. Alissa Gamelier had an AMAZING game, in my time here at LHU I haven’t seen her play with the bite and intensity she brought to the game. Our goals came off of Heidi and Kellie, who both played great and stepped into their roles by finding holes in the defense and capitalized on them. Hayley Zinn had a good game stepping into her second start for LHU and was challenged from the start of the game to the end of it, making 13 saves!
When I was introduced to the PSAC and the schedule I instantly said that it was CRAZY to play every team twice… now I can’t wait to get Gannon here at LHU, revenge will be even sweeter. Both teams were evenly matched and we really competed, but Gannon came out on top this time… next time it will hopefully be a different story.
Thursday we have a day off so it will allow our players the opportunity to get ice, rehab, and get ready for a game on Saturday, 2pm @ IUP.
SIDE NOTE: Sorry this was posted later than originally intended, I’m new at this J
Also, if you have any feedback please feel free to shoot me an email: Kfish@lhup.edu
See you back here on Saturday!!!

Preseason through Game 1

2008-09-24T21:50:00.001-04:00

Preseason through Game 1

September 2, 2008
Hey All!
Welcome to the Lock Haven Women’s Soccer Blog, this is the first time that I (assistant coach Kim Fish) will be operating this site– I will try to update it after each game, as well as, provide weekly updates. We (the coaching staff) feel that it will be a great tool for the parents, fans, alum, etc. to keep an eye on the team especially for away games that you all may not be able to attend. Please check back for new entries daily and come out and support Haven Soccer!!!
Quick Recap of the season thus far:
We are extremely excited for this season not only do we have 14 returning players but we also have brought in 12 amazing freshmen that have added a huge dynamic to the team. Preseason started on August 14th, 2008, which consisted of fitness testing, and a LOT of practice/playing. The new faces proved to be a good addition and have given so much energy to the team. Luckily we did not run into any huge injuries just the typical bumps and bruises that 16 days of two-a-days (sometimes three-a-day) practices can bring.On the last day of preseason we scrimmaged Bloomsburg, after the first half the score remained 0-0. However, the second half proved to be too much as we fell 2-1 to the Huskies. Despite the loss the game was a great match up for both teams. It gave our young players an opportunity to get out the butterflies of playing in their first college game and allowed the veterans a chance to knock the rust off from the summer.
SIDE NOTE:Being part of Haven soccer brings: hard work, dedication, trials, tribulations, and triumph. However, what I have learned in my first fall season with the team is that along with all of the above are also, TEAM TAILGATES!! The parents’ cooking is amazing and I am sooooo grateful that I get some home cooking! ?
After the scrimmage, the girls were given some time to adjust to the school setting and getting settled into their new routine before we were back to the daily grind. With our home opener the prep for the first game was vital and proved to be successful.
Our first game came on September 1st, 2008 vs. Sheperd. The first half was a little tough on us with many of our scoring opportunities going unfinished. The second half proved to be a bit more rewarding with a goal coming off a corner by Lindsey Blessing. The corner, which was originally played short, was sent back to Blessing who sent the ball into the far post where Caitlyn Slattery capitalized on the opportunity by placing a header into the back of the net. For those of you who weren’t able to make the game you missed an AMAZING goal!
We had a light practice today in preparation for our game on the road at a new PSAC west opponent, Gannon University.
Our trip looks like this:
8am departure from LHU4 hour trip to Gannon (Erie area)2 pm game time4pm men’s gameBack on the road11pm(ish) return to school
Wish us luck and check back shortly after the game and hopefully I will be able to update the site for some notes on the outcome of our game!