A HARBINGER OF THINGS TO COME FOR UALBANY
Freshman Kendra Harbinger’s scoring prowess leads the Danes
ALBANY, N.Y. » The top high school athletes dream of playing at the next level and that plan included being part of a program for the next four years and looking to make a difference.
Few first-year players will earn the moniker ‘Impact Freshman’ and then even fewer are recognized as a ‘Rookie of the Week’ by their respective league or conferences.
It took less than one game for Shenendehowa graduate and women’s lacrosse midfielder Kendra Harbinger to earn all of the above time and time again.
Harbinger came off the bench in the first contest of the spring for the University at Albany and she hasn’t looked back, currently leading the Great Danes with 24 goals through 10 games and being named the America East Rookie of the Week four times this season.
On Saturday against Binghamton University Harbinger ripped off three consecutive goals for another hat trick as UAlbany won its third straight game, 12-10, on Bob Ford Field at Tom and Mary Casey Stadium.
“I think we practiced against the zone, so it was being in the right spot, drawing and being in the shooting space, knowing to dodge underneath and over top,” Kendra Harbinger said. “It’s just thinking and knowing what to do at the right times.”
Harbinger’s decision to attend UAlbany was a perfect fit.
“I really think that this team was so young and I knew that coming in I wanted to step up and try to be a leader even though I was a freshman,” Harbinger said. “I wanted to just do my best and try hard every day in practice and it got me to where I’m at right now, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches to help me.”
Already a prolific scorer for the Plainsmen, Harbinger didn’t
rest on her natural talent to propel her to a starting role and weekly accolades during her freshman year at the Division I level.
“I focused on my fitness a lot because that tends to hold me back a lot,” Harbinger said. “That really helped me be at the top speed that I can be at and I have a Syracuse Lacrosse bounce back at my house.
“It’s weird. I know, but I use that.
“I’m focusing on my left hand, not only my right and I got better at my left hand. I still need to get better, but I think over the summer doing that work, it really helped me to make that transition to come here.”
Her freshman success and another multi-goal game was a special prize within the proverbial Easter egg for interim coach Jessica Davos and the UAlbany staff.
“We knew in high school she was really athletic, she obviously scored a lot of goals at that level,”
Jessica Davos said. “To be honest we weren’t quite sure what she was going to do at this level.
“She came off the bench in the first game we didn’t have her starting, but she is a gamer. She’s somebody who when the game’s on the line, she’s happy to have the ball when she’s got dead legs, playing midfield. We don’t have a lot of depth right now, so she’s just everything that we wanted from her coming up.”
Harbinger said she is even surprised with her breakout first year.
“I’m definitely very surprised, but my teammates helped me get open,” Harbinger said. “I just try my best to score.
“I know I hit the goalie sometimes. I’m still working on that, but I’m surprised that I can score against some of these girls.”
Davos isn’t surprised with the results because of Harbinger’s hard work.
“She has an incredible quickness that she has been able to parlay into her work on the attacking end and she has a work ethic,” Davos said. “Unlike most kids, she’s out there every day after practice in the rain, whether it’s by herself or with her teammates, so her work ethic and trying to do exactly what we’re asking of her is something that’s really nice.”
With increased goals, more accolades to her credit, Harbinger is also now on the radar of her America East opponents.
“She’s a kid that when other people open their scouting reports, that’s the kid that they’re zeroing in on and she’s not afraid of it, which is nice,” Davos said. “As she continues to get older and grow more into her role because she’s still figuring that out right now, she’s going to be a cornerstone of this program for the next four years.
“It’s really nice to have somebody that we can count on. Somebody who doesn’t take their time out on the field for granted. She really works for everything. We’re really proud of everything she’s done.”
Harbinger said she isn’t taking anything for granted, but is enjoying her breakout spring.
“I’m having so much fun,” Harbinger said. “I’m having the best time; this is the best year ever. I love it.”