Lehigh holds annual banquet
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh women's soccer team looked back to an exciting 2016 season at its annual awards banquet on Tuesday in the Gander Room near campus. The Mountain Hawks honored their four seniors, Laura Courtney, Tori Pantaleo, Kalin Ojert and Madeline Walsh, while handing out the program's end-of-season awards.
Pantaleo was named the team's Athlete of the Year following a breakthrough senior campaign which saw her lead the Mountain Hawks, and finish fifth in the Patriot League, with 17 points. The Colts Neck, N.J. native finished with seven goals and three assists, two goals and two assists coming in the final three games of the regular season. Pantaleo helped lead Lehigh to three consecutive wins, at Lafayette, at previously undefeated Bucknell and home vs. American, to earn the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament. Pantaleo was named a second team All-League honoree while twice earning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors and garnering a spot on the TopDrawer Soccer National Team of the Week following her three-point effort at Bucknell.
For a second straight year, junior Amanda Stratton garnered the Scholar-Athlete Award for her all-around success on the field and in the classroom. Stratton was named to the Academic All-Patriot League team following the season. She currently owns an impressive 3.84 GPA in Bioengineering which includes a perfect 4.0 GPA last season. Stratton has been named to the Dean's List in each of her first four semesters at Lehigh. On the field, she played in all 18 games in the midfield, playing a key role in Lehigh's defense which pitched 12 shutouts and owned one of the nation's top shutout percentages (66.7 percent).
Presented to the student-athlete who, in the eyes of the coaching staff, made significant contributions to her team in terms of attitude, improvement or special leadership, the Coaches Award went to Walsh. Walsh got into all 18 games during her senior campaign and played a key role on Lehigh's back line, which began the season with eight straight shutouts. Walsh helped the Mountain Hawks become the last team in the nation to allow a goal this season, with the shutout streak reaching 832:31 dating back to 2015. Walsh's impact goes beyond on-field statistics, as someone who her teammates respect and underclassmen look up to.
The Mountain Hawks finished a memorable season with an 11-5-2 record, which included a school-record eight-game unbeaten streak to begin the season. Lehigh's seven-game winning streak also tied a school mark. The Mountain Hawks handed eventual league champion Bucknell its first loss of the season, a win that clinched Lehigh its first Patriot League Tournament berth since 2012. The team's No. 3 seed in the league tournament was its highest seeding since 2010.
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