BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh women's soccer team recently wrapped up a strong spring season, which saw some different approaches, but plenty of success. A theme of the spring was continued commitment and competitiveness as the program readies for the fall, 2016 season.
 
"We took a slightly different approach to our overall training methods this spring and started to use a program called Fit For 90 to help track our players' daily readiness," said Lehigh head coach Eric Lambinus. "We scheduled our spring games in a similar framework as our fall schedule to help the players learn how to best prepare themselves for Patriot League games. Our goal is to begin the process of putting our student-athletes in position to be more ready to play our most important games. The periodization of our training, tracking their readiness and putting them in similar situations as the Patriot League schedule will give them more confidence going into that portion of our season."
 
Lehigh began last season 4-2-3, but struggled down the stretch and just missed the Patriot League Tournament. The season saw plenty of highlights, though, including a 3-1 record against Philadelphia area schools and league victories over Loyola and Lafayette.

"The most positive aspects of the spring has been the greater commitment to the overall process of getting better each day and increasing the overall competitiveness of the team," said Lambinus. "Bringing a committed and competitive attitude to training every day is the key to our success in the fall."

The spring is a good opportunity to try out some different things with their eyes on the big picture.
 
"We wanted to improve our team's tactical understanding of our style of play and be more adaptable in our approach to each game," said Lambinus. "We played different formations throughout the spring yet concentrating on playing a specific style. It is important for us to have a greater understanding of our defensive and offensive philosophies and implement them in game settings."
 
The Mountain Hawks feature plenty of returning talent in 2016, including the team's 10 leading scorers from last season. Now that the spring is complete, the focus is on improving in the summer months heading into preseason practice, which is less than three months away.

"We feel the program is in a good spot going into the summer," said Lambinus. "We have a good plan for each player to continue their personal development so that our team can be better in the fall. We are also excited about integrating our incoming freshmen into the team this summer so we can continue our development from this spring with the new group in the fall."
 
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