Video Presentation
Since the NCAA instituted a Division III Championship, the College has been a perennial powerhouse winning 13 national championships. That dominance began in the first season the tournament was held when the Lions captured the initial crown in 1985 with a 7-4 victory over Ursinus College. Not only was this the program’s first national title, it also marked the first season of play in Lions’ Stadium.
The season got off to a fast start as the Lions won their first five games, including victories over three teams with higher NCAA classifications in Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg, and Hofstra.
After a tough stretch that saw the team drop three games by a total of five goals, they responded in impressive fashion kicking off their second five-game winning streak of the season that included a clean sweep of their three post-season games to finish the season with an 11-4 record under the direction of head coach Melissa (Magee) Speidel.
The Lions entered the tournament as the third seed and advanced into the quarterfinals with an 8-7 win over Wheaton (MA) thanks to a game-winning goal by Peggy Engelbert. That moved the team into the semifinals where they took on second-seeded Drew University. The College once again found itself in a tight game and again prevailed coming away with an 8-5 win earning a chance to claim the national title.
In the final, the Lions faced top-seeded Ursinus and Englebert once again came up big with a pair of second-half goals, propelling the team to an 8-5 triumph.
The team was led by a trio of All-Americans in attacker Tina Goldhirsh, defender Charlotte Clarke, and goalkeeper Lori Jordan. Goldhirsh led the team in each offensive category with 39 goals and 15 assists for 54 points. Clarke was an anchor on the defensive unit that allowed the opposition to seven or fewer goals in 10 of their 14 games. Jordan was tremendous as the team’s final line of defense finishing the season with a 5.79 goals-against-average and recorded 160 saves and a stellar .661 save percentage.
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Offensive balance was another key to the team’s success as Tricia Randall was second on the team with 35 goals and Chris Heddy right behind her with 34. Engelbert chipped in with 11 and Linda Doran netted 10.
The contributions continued through the line-up as Bridget Roun and Joan Timmons started all 14 games in the championship season, while Mary Brower and Sue Stevens each had 11 starts. Other players to earn a spot in the starting line-up through the course of the season were Penny Kempf, Cheryl Simonsen, Margie Flynn, and Sandy Evans.
Like any championship team, the players coming off of the bench played valuable roles and this group was no exception. Laura Groppo appeared in all 14 games and chipped in with four goals and three assists. Other key reserves were Karen Sossel, Adria Martus, Sandy Stockl, Laura Cooper, Lynn Acton, Lisa Rosener, Darlene Franchi, Robin Meyn, Chris Nagomi, and Carol Held.
