William Paterson head coach
Lindsay (Bard) Balfour enters her 18th season on the Pioneer sideline in 2021. Balfour’s enthusiasm, technical expertise and winning background have paid dividends for the WP field hockey program, as the Pioneers have reached postseason play seven times during her tenure.
Balfour received her second New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Coach of the Year award (2007, 2020-21) after leading the Pioneers to the NJAC Tournament title, their first crown in 44 years and their fourth overall (1973, 1975, 1977, 2020-21). WP was 3-2 overall and 1-2 in league play, securing the championship with a 1-0 double-overtime semifinal win at Stockton, and a 2-1 home victory against Ramapo in the final.
Balfour also directed WP to 2015 ECAC Mid-Atlantic Region and NJAC Tournament semifinal berths, a spot in the 2013 ECAC Tournament, and a 2012 late-season surge, winning six of seven games down the stretch en route to qualifying for the NJAC Tournament.
She led the 2008 Pioneers to a 15-4 overall record, a 4-2 mark in conference play, the program’s second-straight top seed in the ECAC Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament and an ECAC semifinal finish. William Paterson was nationally ranked for much of that campaign, finishing 15th in the final National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Top 20 Poll, and both Meghan Hall and Christina Auger earned NFHCA first-team all-America honors at the conclusion of the year.
William Paterson was 13-7 overall and 4-2 in NJAC play in 2007, finishing third in the league standings and earning the ECAC Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament’s top seed. The Pioneers defeated Catholic University in the first round, 1-0, at Wightman Stadium to earn the program’s first postseason victory since the 2003 campaign.
WP reached the postseason for the second time in three years as the team registered a 12-7 overall mark and 3-3 record in NJAC play in 2006, advancing to the ECAC Tournament and garnering votes in the NFHCA National Poll. During her first season at the helm, the Pioneers won 12 games in 2004 and qualified for postseason play for the second straight season.
Crisp passing and stingy defense are philosophies Balfour brought with her from Salisbury University, a perennial Division III national championship contender. A four-year starter (1999-2002) and a member of the NFHCA South Atlantic Region First Team, she helped lead the Sea Gulls to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including trips to the 2000 and 2002 Final Fours, while earning a spot on the NFHCA Division III National Academic Squad. A member of the 2002 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team, she also was named to the roster for the 2002 NFHCA Senior All-Star Game and was a first-team all-conference selection, leading Salisbury to a 65-14 record during her four years on the field. After completing her playing career, she became an assistant coach for the Sea Gulls in 2003, helping to lead Salisbury to the national championship and a 20-1 record. In all, the Sea Gulls won five conference titles and posted an 85-15 record during her five years at Salisbury.
Prior to her college days, Balfour was one of New Jersey’s top players while at Mainland Regional High School in Linwood. She earned a B.S. in mathematics from Salisbury in 2003, and a master’s degree in education, with a concentration in learning technologies, from William Paterson in 2010.