University of Minnesota Athletics
Catching up with Haley Lentsch
6/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
A Big Ten All-Freshman selection, the Woodbury, Minn., native led all first-year league players in scoring with 19 points, seven more than her closest competitor. Lentsch led the team in scoring with seven goals and five assists in 18 games. In the process, she joined Jennifer Walek as the only freshmen in school history to lead the team in scoring.
Did you expect to have that type of freshman season when you arrived on campus last year?
"Not really. I knew it would be a tough transition from high school to college. I just went out there and played my game. My teammates did a good job of finding me."
Now with a new coaching staff, what changes did you see this past spring?
"As a team, we definitely noticed the changes. The coaches challenged us each day and we saw the improvement over the spring. They're very committed to getting this team to the top of the Big Ten and I think that will happen sooner rather than later."
Speaking of the spring, the team experienced a great deal of success...avenging a loss to Drake from last season and tying Big XII Champion Oklahoma State. How does that affect the outlook for 2004?
"The spring gave us all a lot of confidence. We played Oklahoma State even and that probably would not have happened last season. That's what we are looking for this year...the ability to play with teams of that caliber. It's the first step to eventually beating those teams consistently."
What are you doing this summer to get ready?
"I'm playing for my club team from St. Croix so I'm practicing five days a week. It's also a traveling team. We just got back from a tournament in Chicago.
What about your free time?
"When I'm not working at Abercrombie & Fitch (shameless plug), I'm usually hanging by the pool or heading up north."
What can fans expect from the 2004 Golden Gophers?
"We've worked really hard this offseason and I think it will pay off this year. Our goal is to certainly advance to the Big Ten Tournament. We have nearly everyone back from last season, along with a lot of talented players coming in this year."
Any personal goals this season?
"I don't really look at personal goals. I'm more focused on the team. I had a good freshman season, but if I don't score as many goals as I did last season, I'm not going to get down on myself. I certainly hope to improve my numbers, but it's more important for the team to have success this year." The University of Minnesota women's soccer team is just over a month away from beginning practice for the 2004 campaign. The Golden Gophers, under new head coach Mikki Denney Wright, open their season on August 29 vs. Northern Iowa. Gophersports.com checked in recently with sophomore forward Haley Lentsch to see how her summer was going.
A Big Ten All-Freshman selection, the Woodbury, Minn., native led all first-year league players in scoring with 19 points, seven more than her closest competitor. Lentsch led the team in scoring with seven goals and five assists in 18 games. In the process, she joined Jennifer Walek as the only freshmen in school history to lead the team in scoring.
Did you expect to have that type of freshman season when you arrived on campus last year?
"Not really. I knew it would be a tough transition from high school to college. I just went out there and played my game. My teammates did a good job of finding me."
Now with a new coaching staff, what changes did you see this past spring?
"As a team, we definitely noticed the changes. The coaches challenged us each day and we saw the improvement over the spring. They're very committed to getting this team to the top of the Big Ten and I think that will happen sooner rather than later."
Speaking of the spring, the team experienced a great deal of success...avenging a loss to Drake from last season and tying Big XII Champion Oklahoma State. How does that affect the outlook for 2004?
"The spring gave us all a lot of confidence. We played Oklahoma State even and that probably would not have happened last season. That's what we are looking for this year...the ability to play with teams of that caliber. It's the first step to eventually beating those teams consistently."
What are you doing this summer to get ready?
"I'm playing for my club team from St. Croix so I'm practicing five days a week. It's also a traveling team. We just got back from a tournament in Chicago.
What about your free time?
"When I'm not working at Abercrombie & Fitch (shameless plug), I'm usually hanging by the pool or heading up north."
What can fans expect from the 2004 Golden Gophers?
"We've worked really hard this offseason and I think it will pay off this year. Our goal is to certainly advance to the Big Ten Tournament. We have nearly everyone back from last season, along with a lot of talented players coming in this year."
Any personal goals this season?
"I don't really look at personal goals. I'm more focused on the team. I had a good freshman season, but if I don't score as many goals as I did last season, I'm not going to get down on myself. I certainly hope to improve my numbers, but it's more important for the team to have success this year."
