HIGH SCHOOL FIELD HOCKEY
September 18, 2007
NOTES: Sacred Heart, Assumption rise to the top
Valkyries beat Rockets in final at Illinois tournament; KCD, Manual also compete
By
NATHAN CHAMBERS
BeyondTheDerby.com
Manual’s involvement in the Huskie Invitational in Oak Park, Ill., had ended by late Saturday afternoon, but coach Terri Kendall insisted that her players stay to watch the tournament final anyway. And she’s glad that she did.
Admirably representing Kentucky in a prestigious event that featured 16 teams from six states, archrivals Sacred Heart and Assumption ran into each other again - this time more than 300 miles from home - and the Valkyries successfully defended their 2006 title with a 2-0 win. It was their third victory over the Rockets in as many meetings this season.
“It was an amazing game,” Kendall said. “We saw two groups of girls who were there to win. I was proud, having two Kentucky teams make it to the top.”
Kentucky Country Day placed second and Manual placed third in their respective pools.
The defending state champion Valkyries (15-0), who also beat Assumption in the Huskie Invitational semifinals last year, extended their winning streak to 43 games while tearing through the tournament’s competition. They routed Loyola (Ill.) 14-1 and blanked Pioneer (Mich.) 4-0 and Antioch (Ill.) 6-0 in their three Pool C games, then beat Pool B winner Mary Institute Country Day (Mo.) 5-1 in the semifinals.
“We’re clearly coming together much quicker than I anticipated early on,” Sacred Heart coach Liz Lewis said. “I have to give our kids credit. They’ve worked extremely hard.”
Junior Jessica Lindner scored six goals in those four games, seniors Whitney Ising and Devanny Kuhn each scored five, and senior Taylor Collins scored four. Then senior Hannah English and sophomore Courtney Kuiper scored in the win over the Rockets (7-4-2).
“When one or two or even three players are a little off, other players step up,” Lewis said.
The Valkyries also were typically stingy in their circle.
“(Goalie) Meredith Golden, Jennifer Bohnert, and Kristen Lococo don’t get the headlines like the other girls, but they’re solid, solid defenders,” Lewis said.
Assumption coach Debbie Judd said the Rockets didn’t turn it on until the semifinals, when they ripped New Trier (Ill.) 4-0. They tied two teams - Villa Duchesne (Mo.) 1-1 and Deerfield (Ill.) 0-0 - and beat host Oak Park River Forest 2-0 in their pool. Judd said the Rockets saved their best for last against Sacred Heart.
“They played their best game so far,” she said, “and they can play even better. I can’t wait for the state tournament.”
KCD went 2-0-1 in Pool D, beating North Allegheny (Pa.) 1-0 and Arrowhead (Wis.) 2-0 on Friday and tying New Trier 1-1 on Saturday. New Trier won the pool in a tiebreaker. The Bearcats played Pool A runner-up Deerfield in the crossover game and lost 2-1.
“Overall, the girls had an excellent tournament,” KCD coach Amy Charasika said. “Much improvement was made by all players and the team as a whole.”
Manual went 1-2 in Pool B, losing 1-0 to Lake Forest (Ill.) and 2-0 to Mary Institute Country Day on Friday and beating University School Milwaukee (Wis.) 2-0 on Saturday. The Crimsons then tied Antioch 1-1 in the crossover game.
“I felt good about it,” Kendall said. “We played really good teams, and we did well against them.”
Sacred Heart back in top 10
Sacred Heart entered TopOfTheCircle.com’s national top 10 at No. 9 last week, following its run through the Gateway Classic and its win over Assumption in the Mug Game.
The Valkyries obviously made another strong impression at the Huskie Invitational and have moved to No. 7 in the new rankings released on Tuesday.
“The kids have worked really hard, and they deserve it,” Lewis said. “But it’s the middle of the season, and I’ll be much more comfortable to be there next month.”
The Valkyries, who were ranked sixth at the end of last season, were not ranked - or even mentioned - in the preseason top 10 that was released on August 14.
Mercy makes successful trip north
Mercy also left the state to play over the weekend, traveling to coach Kelly Setser’s old stomping grounds in the Dayton, Ohio, area for three games. The Jaguars (13-2) won two and lost one.
Setser coached at Fairmont High School in Kettering, Ohio, from 1991 to 1995 - between her stints at KCD. The Jaguars played two of their games there; they beat Hudson (Ohio) 2-1 on Friday night and lost 1-0 to Fairmont on Saturday afternoon. In between, they played Oakwood on its field in Dayton on Saturday morning and won 3-0.
“We played well,” Setser said. “I was pleased.”
(Editor’s note: Coaches and authorized team representatives are strongly encouraged to submit scores, stats, news items and other story ideas to Nathan Chambers.)
