HIGH SCHOOL FIELD HOCKEY
AUGUST 13, 2007
Valkyries, Rockets cruise into semifinal showdown
By
NATHAN CHAMBERS
BeyondTheDerby.com
Although Sacred Heart and Assumption won easily in the Apple Tournament quarterfinals on Monday, neither team’s head coach was satisfied.
That’s the nature of the event, which has been initiating Louisville high school field hockey seasons for 35 years.
But that’s also the nature of the teams’ rivalry. The host Valkyries and the Rockets will collide in the semifinals on Thursday - their first meeting before the final since 2002 - and they want to be ready for each other.
“We have two days,” Assumption coach Debbie Judd said.
Sacred Heart, the defending state champion, beat Assumption in each of the last three tournament finals. They will play at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday, and the winner will advance to the final at 6:45 p.m. on Friday.
Sacred Heart 7, Manual 0
Sacred Heart coach Liz Lewis saw improvement since an 8-0 win over Male in the first round on Saturday. The Valkyries passed the ball better and limited the Crimsons, who have some offensive weapons, to just two shots on goal.
“We were not pleased at all after the Male game, and we let (the players) know that,” Lewis said. “They responded in a positive way.”
But the Valkyries also had 15 unforced errors.
“That’s completely unacceptable,” Lewis said.
Nonetheless, Sacred Heart had a 4-0 halftime lead after senior Whitney Ising scored twice. Junior Jessica Lindner scored one of her two goals in the first half, junior Hannah Lobdell also scored one, and junior Olivia Miller had two assists. Seniors Margaret Means and Evalyn Wiley each scored one in the second half.
“They’ve still got it going on,” Manual junior Hannah Boyer said. “They have a lot of talent, and they know how to throw it all together.”
Assumption 10, South Oldham 0
The Rockets scored eight goals in the first half, ending South Oldham’s chances early. They finally invoked the new mercy rule with two goals in the last two minutes of the game.
The Dragons, on the other hand, failed to earn a corner or put a shot on goal.
But Assumption coach Debbie Judd was not overly impressed.
“I’m a fundamentalist,” she said. “There are a lot of things we need to work on before I’m happy.”
Senior Maggie Swindall scored three goals, and senior Lauren Schmeing and junior Jenna Quill each had two goals and an assist. Junior Rachael Walz had a goal and an assist, and senior Leah Oberst and junior Samantha Saunders each scored once.
South Oldham’s junior goalie, Rachel Moosbrugger, stopped 15 shots.
Both teams had received a first-round bye.
“It’s tough to play in a tournament like this and play a team like that right off the bat,” South Oldham coach Laura Abrams said. “But it gives the kids insight into the teams we’re going to face.”
