HIGH SCHOOL FIELD HOCKEY
September 9, 2007
Valkyries do the right things, say the right things
Miller scores three goals, then defers to teammates in rivalry win over Assumption
By
NATHAN CHAMBERS
BeyondTheDerby.com
Sunday evening seemed like the best occasion yet for one of Sacred Heart’s players to swagger like a star.
Junior Olivia Miller scored all of the team’s goals in the annual Mug Game at Horton Field, leading the Valkyries to another 3-1 win over archrival Assumption.
But Miller only echoed what several teammates have said during previous interviews this season, according others more credit than she accorded herself.
“We all work together,” Miller said. “It wasn’t just me that scored those goals. It was a team effort.”
Sacred Heart coach Liz Lewis joked that she’d given her players media training. But she knows there is a better explanation. What their remarks reflect, instead, is a mindset, and it’s one that, in tandem with their talent, has made the Valkyries - who won the state championship in 2006 - just as formidable in 2007.
“It was a matter of discovering their identity as a team,” Lewis said. “Last year's team doesn't exist anymore. While (those seniors) were great and can never be replaced, this year holds a whole new potential. It is a sense and a feel that we are a ‘team.’ Everyone is interested in staying focused and performing their job, whatever that might be. Not many programs can say that they have the student-athletes that are willing to do that.”
For once, that’s not coach-speak. The evidence is on the field, for all to see. The Valkyries (10-0) have outscored opponents 47-6 this season while extending their winning streak to 38 games.
“They’re good,” Assumption coach Debbie Judd admitted. “To me, this is a totally different kind of Sacred Heart team. Their passing is good, their interchanges are good, they always have support with each other. And they stay low. That right there is a key, and it’s something Louisville teams don’t understand.”
The Rockets, who also lost 3-1 to Sacred Heart in the Apple Tournament semifinals on Aug. 17, allowed fewer shots and fewer penalty corners this time. But the Valkyries, in turn, were more efficient, converting on three of their nine shots and two of their eight corners.
“We certainly looked a lot better than we did the last time we met them,” Judd said. “Unfortunately, the score is the same.”
Miller struck first on a perfectly-executed penalty corner with 22:27 left in the first half. Junior Kristen Henn, positioned to the left of the goal, sent the initial hit to senior Kathryn Denbow in front of her. Denbow passed the ball to Miller at the top of the circle, and from there Miller blasted a shot past senior goalkeeper Jennifer McGill (6 saves).
Denbow also assisted Miller on the second goal, which came on a broken corner with 26:21 left in the second half. Miller fired a shot from near the top of the circle again, and the ball sliced through a pack of Assumption defenders and reached the back of the cage.
Less than six minutes later, senior Whitney Ising dribbled toward Assumption’s goal and pushed a pass ahead to Miller, who suddenly had McGill isolated one-on-one. She quickly unloaded a hard shot into the lower right corner, just beyond the reach of the goalie’s outstretched foot, for a 3-0 lead.
“Olivia was on,” Lewis said. “Not just scoring. She was winning 50-50 balls, her cuts were good, her stick work was excellent. It was a tremendous effort.”
The Rockets, who started to pressure Sacred Heart in its circle in the last 24 minutes, finally scored on a corner with 14:15 left. The Valkyries failed to clear the ball after repeated shots on their senior goalie, Meredith Golden (6 saves), and Assumption senior Lauren Raque made them pay for it. Seniors Lauren Noe and Lauren Schmeing assisted on the goal.
“I think we dominated, pretty much,” Lewis said. “But they made a run there and really fought back. If they had gotten it to 3-2, it would have been a very dangerous situation.”
Despite her team’s third loss in seven games, Judd expressed confidence that the Rockets will be ready for the postseason.
“My objective is to peak at the right time,” she said. “My girls will get it. They want it.”
And the Valkyries - who have been prepped for these moments, remember - are not counting their rivals out yet.
“It feels good to beat them,” Henn said, “but we still have to watch out for them in the future.”
