Embracing the entire process

October 30, 2016

By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications

Collegiate athletics isn't easy. Enjoying success in college athletics demands more than just talent.

Tori Pantaleo of Lehigh women's soccer is in the midst of a breakout season that's possible not simply due to talent, but also intangibles that are needed for all-around student-athlete success. She's an example that complete student-athlete development isn't possible without embracing the entire process. That development can take time and doesn't happen overnight, which has been the case for Pantaleo.

"The decisions you make when nobody's looking can have a big impact on how you play on the field," she said.

Pantaleo has come a long way over her four years at Lehigh. Her success ebbed and flowed over her first three seasons. There have been numerous bursts of success, but entering the 2016 season, she was determined to put forth a steady senior campaign, despite an obstacle that was in her way this past summer.

"I worked for Hightower LLC, an advisory company," said Pantaleo, a finance major. "I worked in New York City on the corporate side of things. Coming into preseason this year, I was extremely stressed that I had to commute two hours to the city each way and still train for soccer and barely get sleep.

"I knew I had to pass the fitness test, and I ended up passing everything," she continued. "That started me off on a strong note. I gave myself confidence knowing I had a really tough summer, but was still able to buckle down."

Commuting four hours round trip per day, time was limited, but Pantaleo found a way to make it happen.

"My aunt and uncle live in Northern New Jersey and actually took me in for a couple days per week," she said. "My uncle is big into athletics, as are my two little cousins. Getting back from work at 7 p.m. to have my cousins waiting at the door asking to go on a run, that was my motivation."

Added confidence helped Pantaleo start the season off on a strong note, and it's carried forward. She enters the Patriot League Tournament with a team-high seven goals and 17 points. She is currently one of the top scorers in the entire league, but it didn't come easy. To reach this point, it featured a lot of hard work, perseverance and a focus on the details.

"It's been amazing being able to watch Tori evolve," said junior Alyssa Riporti, who also played on the club team Match Fit with Pantaleo. "I saw Tori come back in the best shape of her life. Once we got the work in, she focused on the details, like making sure every pass was clean and following every single run, even if you don't have the ball."

Beginning soccer around the age of eight, Pantaleo eventually joined Match Fit entering her sophomore year of high school, which is when she started thinking about playing soccer in college. Pantaleo was drawn to Lehigh.
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"The coaching staff was extremely welcoming," she said. "Coach does a great job of not just recruiting a player, but also recruiting the family. He took time to get to know my parents, which I really appreciated.

"Right away, I liked that the athletic complex is away from the academic campus," she continued. "You don't really feel like you're staring at the library when you're at the soccer field, or you're thinking about that test. You can release your stress, your energy, and just have a good time playing."

Pantaleo played in nine games as a freshman, with two starts, but suffered an injury that cut short her season. She went on to play 15 games (four starts) as a sophomore then all 18 games (five starts) as a junior, which was highlighted by a five-point effort in the season opener vs. Mount St. Mary's.

The numbers didn't necessarily show it, but Pantaleo was growing, on and off the field. The pieces were coming into place for what would become a memorable senior campaign. This season, everything has come together for Pantaleo, and the team.

"I stopped caring what people said," she said. "Awards don't matter. A lot of times when you start playing college soccer, people focus on the numbers. Then you start to realize, all that matters is the team's success."

Pantaleo's maturation as a person has allowed her to see, and focus, on what's really important. Although she's been less focused on individual statistics, she's putting herself in a better position to succeed and those stats have come. Pantaleo is a two-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week.

"I've been focusing on the end game, and not the little distractions that come throughout the season," she said. "I threw out all the excuses. Being tired or being sore is not an excuse. I have really worked on my fitness level and I'm able to be a more effective player. I'm able to play longer minutes, and I'm faster now. I don't get pushed off the ball."

"Tori has really done a good job of taking care of everything off the field, so she can concentrate on playing better soccer in training and games," said head coach Eric Lambinus. "There isn't anything distracting her or holding her back. We've been able to spend more time working on making the right soccer decisions on the field, so she can put herself in positions to be successful. It's really true for our entire team this year, but very evident with Tori."

Pantaleo is helping lead the offensive charge for a Lehigh team that enters its first Patriot League Tournament since 2012 as the No. 3 seed. Like Pantaleo, the Mountain Hawks have done a lot of little things this season, which has helped them succeed.

"Accepting our roles is a big reason for our success," said Pantaleo. "It's also important to concentrate on the moment and not let negative mental emotions get in the way."

The "moment" for Pantaleo and the Mountain Hawks is the postseason. No matter when the season ends, Pantaleo has already proved that persistence pays off.

"Staying motivated through your four years is very important," she said. "A lesson to anybody who may not be having a great freshman year, I promise you, it can get better every year. If you keep putting in your energy, time and focus, success will come. You will be extremely happy and proud of yourself when you continue to stay true to your beliefs."

Pantaleo has seen similar development off the field. The finance major came to Lehigh enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences, but found her way into the business school, an area that's familiar to her family.

"My family is pretty much all business finance," said Pantaleo. "Dinner table talk was crazy because I had no idea about stocks and bonds."

Even beyond the rigors of being a student and athlete, Pantaleo has taken part in so much more. She went overseas the summer leading into her junior season, traveling to Italy with teammates Grace Correll and Riporti. She also had the internship in New York City this past summer.

"Lehigh gives you the perfect opportunity to do different things," said Pantaleo. "Most people don't get the experience of an internship, studying abroad and playing soccer. Coach encourages you to be a well-rounded individual. I really thank him for the opportunity."

Through persistence in all areas of her life, Pantaleo has garnered real-world experience, which is what college athletics is all about - teaching life skills to student-athletes, so they're set up for success after graduation.
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"Being a student-athlete, it forces you to keep pushing through when times are tough," she said.

"Time management is also huge, balancing tasks and working in teams," Pantaleo continued. "With Student-Athlete Council, we do a lot of community service, so Adopt-A-Family has been a great experience of working with the South Bethlehem community. It's a real eye-opening experience, to see that a lot of others aren't as fortunate as us at Lehigh. It's nice to give back."

A member of Student-Athlete Council, Pantaleo is appreciative of her entire Lehigh career, not just her career in athletics.

"Being a part of SAC really develops taking initiative and making the student-athlete life experience better," she said. "I'm able to impact others through the initiatives we do. Also, going through the leadership academy, we really hone in on not just being a leader on your team, but also being a leader in your life."

Those lifelong lessons will have a lasting effect.

"I learned a lot about myself, my beliefs and my types of values," she said. "It's great to have conflicting ideas, and you should. That's how you get things accomplished. But in the end, knowing that as a team, we all stand by each other, whether we disagree or agree, was a valuable lesson."

The 2016 Lehigh women's soccer team is unified as one, playing each game for each other. Individually, Pantaleo has embraced the intangibles that lead to success, and so has the team. It has led to success up until this point, and will put the Mountain Hawks in the best position to succeed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament.

"Two things we have really stressed with our team this year is to concentrate on the process and build relationships throughout the team, so we play for each other," said Lambinus. "Get better every day and play for the person next to you. Really good things can happen if teams do those two things consistently all year. Our success moving forward will continue to hinge on how well we do those things."

Pantaleo has been one of the leaders of the movement. She's someone who has really embraced improvement and development in all aspects of life, allowing herself, and the team, to perform its best come gameday.

"Being a better soccer team doesn't happen without student-athletes like Tori making the commitment to take care of everything off the field, so when they're playing soccer, it's all about getting better as a team," said Lambinus.