First-year goalkeeper Lennard Kovacs, who hasn’t allowed a goal in the post-season, picked up his fifth straight shutout to help the Lord Jeffs win their first NESCAC title. When asked about Kovacs’ performance this year, quad-captain G.L. Genco ’10 said, “He has matured into one of the elite keepers in New England.”
When complimented on his performance in the NESCAC tournament, Kovacs smiled briefly and was quick to deflect the praise to his teammates. “Our strong defense prevents the other team from getting a lot of shots on goal.” Coach Serpone also noted that the experienced defensive unit, led by senior captains Rory O’Connor and Grayson Holland, has helped to take a lot of the pressure off Kovacs. However, the first-year goalkeeper proved himself very capable without his stellar defending teammates in the penalty kick shootout against WNEC by making two saves in a high-pressure situation. Kovacs exceeded expectations, just as he has done all year. He is second in the NESCAC in goals against average (.49), second in shutouts (7) and third in save percentage (.873).
While all first-year athletes must adapt to a new level of intensity, Kovacs, who lives in Wolfersdorf, Germany, also had to adapt to a new country. “The organization and commands are different in the United States, and Lennard had to adjust to this challenge,” said Assistant Coach Brian Hamm. When senior goalkeeper Jeff Grover was sidelined with an injury, Kovacs had to step in and mature quickly. Coach Serpone knew Kovacs was talented, but he was initially nervous about giving him too much time in goal. “I was careful of a first-year at goalkeeper because there is a lot of pressure, and the goalkeeper has to be a leader. However, Lennard has stepped up to the competition and exceeded expectations, and I look forward to him developing even more over the next few years.”
Serpone and Kovacs met two years ago, when Serpone was an assistant at Duke University and his team took a trip to Germany to play exhibition games during the World Cup in 2006. The team was practicing at a park, and Kovacs approached Serpone, boldly letting him know he wanted to try out for Duke. Knowing that would have been an NCAA rules violation, Serpone told him to come to the Duke recruiting camp that summer, but thought it was very unlikely he would make the trip. Kovacs did show up to the Duke camp, impressing Serpone with his commitment, goalkeeping talent, and academic potential. When Serpone came to Amherst, he was able to recruit Kovacs to join the Jeffs.
Kovacs grew up with an education system vastly different than the American system. At a very early age, generally around fourth grade, children are designated for a technical or an academic route. Kovacs was identified as a student who would go the academic route, which would prepare him to attend college. When it came time to pick a school, he chose Amherst because of the quality of academics and the prospect of receiving a personal education. In Germany, explained Kovacs, “the universities have large lecture hall classes, and I like the smaller classes at Amherst where the professors can give me more attention.” Of course, soccer also influenced his decision to become a Jeff.
Kovacs has noticed several differences between his sport in Germany and the U.S. “This is the first time I’ve played for my school, and to take classes with my teammates, eat with them and hang out with them outside class helps us get close,” said Kovacs. This closeness has helped him adjust to Amherst both on the soccer field and social field. “Lennard is doing well academically, finding success in physics. Also, we are lucky that he has not gotten homesick yet,” said Serpone.
In Germany, Kovacs grew up playing for club teams, which are associated with a geographic region rather than a school. He did not feel as tight with his teammates, but he did play in some very intense matches that helped him prepare for Amherst.
The goalkeeper spoke of matches against a club team from Munich which had a few players who now play professionally, calling them “very competitive matches in a high-pressure environment.” Because of matches like these, Kovacs is well-adjusted to the type of atmosphere he experienced during the NESCAC playoffs and will continue to see much more in the rest of the NCAA tournament.