Q&A with Lehigh’s soccer team seniors

The men’s and women’s soccer team seniors Perry Kingson, Tommy Zipprich, Ryan Gross, Zoe Schutter, Corinne Lyght, Hope Flanegin and Faith Dobosiewicz spoke with The Brown and White to share their experiences at Lehigh, their goals for their final season and the legacy they hope to leave behind.

Q: What has your experience been like at Lehigh?

Perry Kingson: It’s been awesome. I’ve loved every single minute of it. Coming from Ghana, getting this experience to go to a school like Lehigh all four years, it’s been pretty tremendous, and I’m very fortunate to have had this experience.

Tommy Zipprich: As a student athlete, you get the best of both worlds — playing with great guys every day, enjoying the family and brotherhood that you’re kind of automatically put into by being a part of the team, and obviously, academic-wise, Lehigh sets you up for great success. 

Ryan Gross: I came here because I saw how the team interacted on and off the field, and that’s something that I wanted to be a part of. I would say that throughout my four years we’ve definitely had a very close community within the team. Even with other sports teams and other students on campus, it’s a very tight knit community, and I really like that about Lehigh.

Zoe Schutter: It’s gone by really fast, and I’m very thankful for the experience. I think Lehigh has taught me a lot, and I’ve learned a lot of life lessons, and I’m very thankful to have been part of the women’s soccer team and met some really great friends and people.

Corinne Lyght: It’s kind of been a whirlwind. It’s kind of crazy that we’re already in our last year, but it’s been a great experience. I wouldn’t trade anything for the world.

Hope Flanegin: I think it’s kind of crazy that [it’s] almost over. We’ve had two different coaches, but that hasn’t affected us in any way. I’m lucky enough to have really good teammates in general, but especially the girls in the class to help you get through all the tougher times.

Faith Dobosiewicz: I transferred here last year, so I’ve had a short experience at Lehigh so far, but overall, it’s been pretty great — academic wise and athletically. I’m really thankful to have come here. 

Q: What were some of your goals for your final season?

PK: Coming [in]to this year, it’s about leading the team and just trying to have as much fun as possible. I think so far, we struggled a little bit to achieve that, but I think we’ll try to change over the next couple of weeks.

TZ: Just trying to enjoy this final season with the team and the guys and the family that we have, and also just to push for a playoff run. It’s been a tough start so far, but we got a lot of league left to play, and I think that we’re super pumped up to move forward.

RG: Definitely trying to make a push for playoffs this year, and I think we have the talent to do it. 

ZS: I think a team goal of ours is to win a Patriot League Championship, and I think we’re definitely building towards that. We’ve had a rough first start of the season, but we’re learning from our mistakes and hopefully heading towards our championship.

CL: Starting Patriot Leagues, I think our goal is obviously to win every game. We have the mentality to just take it game by game.

HF: I think our entire team’s goal is to win a Patriot League. Obviously we haven’t done that, but I think we have the talent and the steps that we need to take to get there.

FD: We’re taking it game by game. And, you know, I think the next step would be making the playoffs first and having a good regular season. 

Q: What legacy to you want to leave behind when you graduate? 

PK: For me, it’s about changing the culture. I think over the past four years, the team (has been) going through a massive rebuild. I think leaving here, you want to set a culture that will be here for the next couple of years.

TZ: Just helping shape what the team looks like and traditions on and off the fields. There’s only three of us seniors now, so we’re just hoping that the younger guys have been appreciative of the impact we’ve been able to make on them. 

RG: I think just trying to leave a lasting standard for what the team should feel like as a brotherhood. Just being close to one another is really important. especially moving forward. If you’re not a close team on and off the field, you’re not really going to do well. 

ZS: I feel like our senior class is extremely hard working, and we’re a bunch of grinders and really put our head down to get the work done. I think we’re also just trying to create an environment where everyone feels welcomed and valued and can enjoy playing the game. 

CL: Creating an environment and just leaving it better off than how we came. We want to get to the mentality where we believe that we can win every single year, and I hope that in years to come people have that mentality that that should just be the standard.

HF: I think our class is super hard working in the sense that we want to change the culture to where you’re winning both on and off the field here. So you’re happy to be a part of the program at all times, not just when we’re winning. 

FD: For this class specifically, we just want to make sure we leave behind good memories for everyone to follow. Leaving behind an environment that emphasizes not only a winning mentality, but also just having fun and making friends and enjoying the moment when you can.