Joanne Lombard eagerly awaited her sophomore season on Syracuse’s field hockey team. As a freshman she played a key defensive role in SU’s Big East championship run.

But those hopes crashed late one summer day, only a week before Lombard was to head back to school for preseason camp.

Lombard, who lives in Ambler, Pa., caught her foot while attempting to hurdle a chest-high fence with a group of friends. She flipped onto her back and suffered a severe injury to her kidney that will cause her to miss the entire season. She won’t even return to school until next semester. The injury leaves Lombard at home and leaves the field hockey team without one of its most promising young players.

‘I was so disappointed, and I was in very good shape,” Lombard said. “It was like all my hard work went down the tubes.’

As a freshman, Lombard started 17 of the Orangewomen’s 19 games and tied for sixth on the team in scoring with eight points on four goals.

She led SU to a key victory over Massachusetts with two goals off penalty corners and became a key member of the team’s defense. She played sweeper back, serving as the last line of defense before the goalie.

‘(Sweeper back) carries a lot of responsibility with it,” head coach Kathleen Parker said. “To have a freshman back there, it gives you a lot to look forward to knowing that you have experience coming back for three years in a deep back position.’

And this year, Lombard would have come back stronger. She spent the summer as a lifeguard in Avalon, N.J., and had participated in several life-guarding competitions. Parker said Lombard was probably in the best shape of her life.

Without Lombard as an option this season, Parker has made several changes.

The coach changed defensive systems, a move that may have been made even with Lombard in the lineup. The team features two sweeper backs rather than one. Senior Missy Grosman moved from outside back to sweeper back, a position she also occupied two years ago.

‘I told coach at the beginning of the season I was ready for any changes because of (Lombard’s) absence,’ said Grosman.

The other sweeper back position will be filled mostly by freshman Michelle Sola, who started in Syracuse’s first two games last weekend.

Sola’s early success excites Parker, who knows that Sola and Lombard could be a backfield combination next season.

But first, Lombard has to get healthy. She should return to SU in January and expects to practice with the team then. She can’t do much yet, but should begin rehabilitation in mid-October.

Lombard will use this year as a medical redshirt, so she still has three years of athletic eligibility remaining. In the meantime, she plans to attend as many SU games as possible. She’s already looking forward to Syracuse’s visit to the Philadelphia area for games against Villanova and Pennsylvania in mid-October.

‘It will be difficult sitting on the sidelines and watching my teammates,” Lombard said. “But at the same time, I want them to do awesome things and wish them the best.”

Published on September 9, 2002 at 12:00 pm