Field Hockey captures first NJAC regular season title
Senior Raykena Brown weaves through the defense. Credit: Larry Levanti
By Greg Patuto | Published Nov. 28, 2017
The Kean University field hockey team has had a season to remember. The Cougars finished 18-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play while spending much time ranked in the top 10 nationally.
All of these accomplishments helped Kean capture its first New Jersey Athletic Conference regular season title in program history.
The Cougars won an overtime matchup against powerhouse TCNJ, who is ranked fourth in the country. Their lone loss in the regular season came against Montclair State, who is also ranked in the top 10.
“It is really one of the pinnacles of success for our program,” Kean head coach Leslie LaFronz said. “And this accomplishment is something that our players will always remember.”
A season like this is a credit to all of the hard work and dedication put in by the players and coaches. LaFronz gives all credit to her players for never taking a day off.
“I am extremely proud of how hard my players have worked to achieve this national level of success,” LaFronz said. “It is always fun winning but every day we are looking forward to the next game and the next goal and we try to keep pushing forward.”
The Cougars’ magical season continued as they reached their first ever NJAC title game. Kean paid back Montclair State for their regular season loss by defeating them in the semifinals by a final score of 3-2.
Kean was taken down in the NJAC championship game by TCNJ with a final score of 2-1. That does not wipe out all of the previous successes and accomplishments for this team though. They entered the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 19-2.
The Cougars picked up a pair of 2-1 victories over Juniata College and Christopher Newport University to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament. They faced Franklin and Marshall College with a trip to the Final Four on the line but were defeated by a final score of 2-0.
“Hard work has made this team succeed,” LaFronz said. “It has been several years in the making and players from the past have set the groundwork for this team.”
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