Dragon Making Name for Self in College Field Hockey

In life, there are some safe, absolute assumptions we can all make.

We all know every four years there is a presidential election and that shoes come in pairs.

And it was safe to assume that 2010 graduate Carlee Dragon will make an instant impact on CW University’s field hockey team upon her arrival on the Long Island campus.

Dragon, a forward, had a sensational freshman season, winning the Eastern College Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year Honors and making the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Second team. She started all 19 games [CW Post went 9-10 overall and 1-7 in PSAC], and was second on the team in points with 10 goals and two assists.

And thus far through her sophomore year, Dragon has taken her game to new heights.

The four-year starter for Coach Kathy DeBonis’ Panthers teams during her high school tenure was named this past week's PSAC East Athlete of the Week.

The reason was simple: she had dominating performances in two of the Pioneers’ victories over the past week, including a potential season changer with a 2-1 overtime victory over conference rival East Stroudsburg on Sept. 13.

In CW Post’s victory over the No. 10 ranked team in the country [Division II], Dragon scored both goals in the game. It was the program’s first victory over East Stroudsburg in 12 attempts since the 2002 season.

“[The win] was a big confidence booster for us,” Dragon said. “We haven’t beaten them in a long time. We’re now going into the games with a lot more confidence. That makes a big difference.”

Dragon concluded her week with a resounding showing against Mansfield University Saturday. In the 6-1 victory, Dragon collected a season-high three goals and notched two assists for eight points.

Dragon also scored the team’s lone goal in a 6-1 loss to Shippensburg University on Sept. 16.

Dragon leads the team with 17 points [seven goals, three assists] and, most importantly for the Pioneers, the team is off to a 4-1 start on the season and 1-0 in the PSAC East Division.

“We have really good chemistry early on in the season,” Dragon said. “We’re all getting to know each other and I think that makes a big impact on the field.”

The PSAC is one of the toughest conferences in D-II field hockey, and it was imperative for the Pioneers to get off to a good start. CW Post was picked to finish sixth in its division and it includes powers Bloomsburg, Kutztown and the aforementioned East Stroudsburg.

“Last year, we only had one conference win,” Dragon said. “Starting off the conference season with a win this year shows us that we’ve improved from last year."

“We are in one of the hardest conferences but to be the best, you have to play the best,” she added.

In the victory over East Stroudsburg, Dragon scored her first goal from 12 yards out when her shot landed in the lower left corner of the net. Her game-winning goal one minute into overtime came off a rebound pass.

“We had a corner on the game-winning goal play,” Dragon said. “It was a direct shot and I got the pass from the post and was able to tap it in.”

Dragon said the win displayed the team’s tremendous resolve.  

“We were all tired but were able to finish and get the win,” she said. “It showed us that we can beat good teams and East Stroudsburg is very good.”

“We had problems in the past with finishing and the only thing we’re missing was scoring goals [consistently]," she added. "And now we’re getting goals in the net on corners at the end of the game, showing us we can compete with the best.”

Dragon comes from an athletic family. Her older sister, Alyssa, plays lacrosse at Old Dominion University. Roy III, her older brother, wrestled at ODU. Dragon’s father, Roy Jr., played football at Montclair State University. Dragon was teammates with her older sister in her first two years at BRHS.

"We were always competitive with each other, but made it fun,” Dragon said. “I always looked up to [Alyssa] and she was always there to teach me."

“She got a head start on the sport and I picked up a lot of tips from her,” she added.

Dragon had a star-studded high school career in both field hockey and lacrosse under DeBonis.

In field hockey, Dragon was four-time all-conference, three time all-area and all-county, three time all-state and all-North Jersey. In her senior season, she scored 49 goals and had 24 assists, leading the Panthers to the North Jersey State Championship and a State Finalist appearance.

Dragon was also an all-state lacrosse player, finishing her career as the New Jersey All-Time career scoring leader with 258 goals and 274 assists, helping the Panthers to three Skyland Conference Championships and three Somerset County Championships.

This past summer, Dragon helped out DeBonis at her field hockey camp. The sophomore, who made the NFHCA National Academic Squad her freshman year, is majoring in health and physical education.

“It helped me as a player because I learn from coaching,” she said of participating in DeBonis’ camp. “I also think it was a good experience in case I want to coach one day.”

With a sensational start in tow, Dragon has, and will continue to have, a big hand in the team’s success as the players look to compete in the rugged PSAC East Division.

“Everybody’s fit right in,” she said of her team. “I think that’s the reason we’ve started off so well because on and off the field, we’re all so close."

“A lot of college teams aren’t as close but my college team reminds me of my high school team and that’s really hard to find on a college field hockey team," she added. "We have amazing chemistry.”