Kiki Mes commands Lehigh field hockey through consistency

On Sept. 8. the Lehigh field hockey team took the field against Rider in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. 

The Mountain Hawks found themselves playing catchup after Rider took a 1-0 lead early into the second quarter. The Broncs pushed the ball up the field, looking to extend their lead. 

A pass from Rider defender Kate Mahmud was deflected by Lehigh junior midfielder Kiki Mes at the half-field line. 

Her teammate, fifth-year midfielder Julia Gatelein, gained possession of the ball and pushed it up to Mes.

It was all up to Mes from there. 

Mes dodged right to bypass one defender and left on another. She made her way to the goalmouth, stick-handled around two Rider players, and bore down to break up the scoring opportunity. Mes fired a shot that found its way past the goalkeeper’s right pad and into the back of the net.

“Hopefully they’re not gonna let that happen again,” one of the commentators remarked. 

With just over 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Mes had the ball at midfield and dumped it to Gatelein. 

Gatelein made her way into Rider’s half with Mes filling in behind her and flaring out to her left. Gatelein saw this and made the pass back to her midfield partner just outside the circle. 

Mes winded up and ripped a shot that deflected off the Rider goalkeeper’s glove and — once again — hit the back of the net. 

Lehigh won the game, 2-1.

Though Mes drove the offense that day, she hasn’t been the Mountain Hawks’ primary scorer. She had three goals across her first two seasons in brown and white. 

Still, Mes has two Second Team All-Patriot League selections, a testament to her consistent play and the way she affects the game in ways the stat sheet doesn’t reflect. 

Mes is from Maastricht, Netherlands, where she has been playing field hockey for as long as she can remember. She got into the game because of her father, who used to take her to their local field hockey club. 

“(There are) pictures of myself holding a stick when I couldn’t even walk yet,” Mes said. “It’s a pretty big family sport there.” 

Mes played for her club team until she was 18 years old. In the Netherlands, once a player ages out of youth sports they have the opportunity to play for their club’s senior team, as universities don’t have their own sports programs.

Mes wanted to balance school and her sport and said she felt that it would be easier in the United States. 

Mes signed up with an agency that connects Dutch players with American coaches. The agency made a profile for Mes and sent it to Lehigh, which garnered a response from then-coach Caitlin Dallmeyer, a Zoom call set up, and eventually, an offer on the table. 

She said she knew from the start that she wanted to attend Lehigh. 

“When our coach at the time reached out to me, I just had a really good feeling about it,” Mes said. “The people on the team were very nice and welcoming and the school just looked good.”

For Mes, the move to the United States went better than she expected. She said it was difficult because it was her first time in the country and she had to adjust to speaking another language, but her teammates made the transition easier. 

“The team was so welcoming from the start,” Mes said. “I immediately knew if I had any questions, I could go to them.”

She said she flew to the states with other Dutch players on the team. 

A bigger transition for Mes was the one she had to make on the field. 

Coming from the Netherlands, Mes said she was accustomed to a more physical and technical style of play, so when she got to Lehigh she realized she had to make adjustments.

“I couldn’t be as aggressive on defense, because I would just get fouls called on me all the time,” Mes said. “The first game was like, ‘Oh, I really have to work on my individual defense more.’”

In time, Mes was able to make adjustments, with her defense becoming one of the reasons why she has found so much individual success. 

“Even if people get past me, like, I’ll just tackle back and they’ll have to go past me again and again,” Mes said.

Though Mes was critical of her play when she first arrived at Lehigh, Gatelein said she knew she was special from the first practice. 

Gatelein said Mes passed one of the hardest fitness tests on her first try on the first day, so she recognized that she was a good athlete.

“I was a junior at that time, when I was going against her, it was hard, she just came in and really stood out right away,” Gatelein said.

Another reason for Mes’ consistent success is her technical ability. 

From a young age, Mes was taught that technique comes before everything, and she prides herself on sparking energy through consistent play and high effort. 

Gatelein said Mes’ stick skills are some of the best on the team, and coach Kelsi Lykens said Mes contributes to transitions by getting the ball up the field. 

“She offers so much, not only with her hands, but quick, two-touch, in and out passing for us to be able to transition to attack and move the ball up the field with fluidity,” Lykens said.

Despite positive sentiments from teammates and coaches, Mes said she is still working to improve her offensive output. 

With two goals against Rider, she has gotten off to a fast start, which she credits to making one change in her offensive philosophy. 

She said she’s been focusing on creating more plays and finding the perfect time to shoot. 

“That is something that I’ve been working on, just realizing it’s not gonna be a perfect situation,” Mes said. “Sometimes you just have to shoot and it’ll work sometimes.”