High School Field Hockey
STATE TOURNAMENT
Oct. 26, 2006
Sacred Heart takes back the title in rematch
By NATHAN CHAMBERS
BeyondTheDerby.com
Two Kentucky high school field hockey teams each believed that the stars, hidden behind the overcast skies above the University of Louisville’s Trager Stadium on Thursday night, nonetheless were aligned on its behalf.
Kentucky Country Day wanted history to repeat and return the Bearcats to the sport’s firmament, two years after dashing Sacred Heart Academy’s dreams of an unbeaten championship season.
And Sacred Heart, undefeated again, wanted that same history buried under the steamroller that it had been driving through the state tournament.
However those stars were positioned, most of us will never know for sure. But this much is clear: The Valkyries are smiling.
Doing with the utmost efficiency what it couldn’t do at all in a 2-0 loss in the 2004 championship game, Sacred Heart scored on all but one of its shots on goal to beat KCD 3-1 in front of a paid attendace of 710 and finish a perfect season with its first state title since 2001.
The Valkyries (28-0) outscored opposing teams 35-1 in five postseason games.
“I’m really happy for these kids,” said Liz Lewis, whose first year as Sacred Heart’s head coach was 2004. “They were starting to feel the pressure, being undefeated again. There was a target on their back. But they handled it well. They maintained their composure, went out and executed the game plan.”
Sacred Heart
The three-time reigning Apple Tournament champion Valkyries, who also were undefeated against in-state teams last season before losing to Assumption in the semifinals, couldn’t have asked for a better sendoff for their 14 seniors.
“I can’t believe it’s actually over, but this is the way to end it,” senior Anna Middleton said. “I gave it my all, and I’m glad I can leave the hockey program with a win.”
Sacred Heart’s previous two senior classes had hoped to do the same.
“There were two great groups of seniors who came before us,” said senior Brittany Miller, who has been Sacred Heart’s goalkeeper each of the last three seasons. “In the back of my mind, I know this is for them, too.”
The Valkyries wasted little time erasing the memory of that shutout loss two years ago, scoring the first goal off a penalty corner in the second minute of the game. On the entry pass, Middleton faked toward one teammate and hit it to junior Hannah English, whose shot from just inside the circle found the back of the cage for a 1-0 lead.
The rest of the first half was nearly dead even, as Sacred Heart and KCD finished the opening 30 minutes with an equal number of corners and total shots. But the Valkyries took a 2-0 lead into the break after junior Taylor Collins blasted a shot past sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Anderson with 10:56 left in the half.
“Sacred Heart has such a great ability to execute,” KCD coach Amy Charasika said. “They finish when they need to finish, and that’s one of their greatest strengths. They had two opportunities (on goal), and they were two-for-two.”
The Bearcats actually had more opportunities in the second half, earning five corners to Sacred Heart’s two, and they made it a one-goal game with 20:37 left.But senior Lauren Edelen all but sealed the win for the Valkyries on a remarkable individual effort off a penalty corner with 9:15 to go.
Middleton sent the initial pass to senior Caroline Klein, who pushed it to Edelen at the top of the circle. Edelen’s first shot deflected off the stick of a KCD defender in front of her and jumped into the air. But she hustled back to the ball, settled it with one touch, and fired a rising bullet right through the defense and into the cage.
“After that goal, we had the momentum again,” Edelen said. “There were only a few minutes left, so we slowed down our play to try to run out the clock.”
Miller, who faced more direct shots than she did in any other postseason game, made four saves. But the Bearcats didn’t challenge her at all after Edelen’s insurance goal, failing to produce a shot on three penalty corners.
“Our defense really stepped up,” Lewis said. “This was the biggest defensive challenge we had throughout the tournament, and we did what we needed to do.”
Kentucky Country Day
Senior Christian Provost scored KCD’s only goal with 20:37 left in the game. Junior Christena Burell ripped a shot from the right toward Miller, who stopped it, but a scrum ensued in front of the cage. Provost eventually managed to push it over the goal line.
The Bearcats (14-4), who beat defending champion Assumption 2-1 in the semifinals on Monday, outplayed Sacred Heart for most of the remaining time but couldn’t generate another shot. Even worse, the Valkyries were able to score again.
“I’m very proud of our girls,” Charasika said. “They did extremely well. But we had some lapses, and you can’t have lapses against a great team like Sacred Heart. To win a state title, you need great performances from each individual. I don’t know that we did.”
KCD has eight seniors but will return next season with a lot of talent, including Burell, Anderson and junior Gray Robinson.
“This program has always been strong,” said Charasiksa, who took over the Bearcats last season. “I just enjoy the fact that these kids now recognize their talent and know that they can be in this game every year if they put their minds to it.”
All-Tournament Team
Sacred Heart: Lauren Edelen, Jill Lewis, Jessica Lindner, Brittany Miller.
Kentucky Country Day: Christena Burell, Christina Provost, Gray Robinson.
Manual: Maddie Gamez, Emily Jenks.
Assumption: Christine Brightwell, Karah Nall.
Collegiate: Allison Grant.
Mercy: Amy Wimsatt.
Ballard: Amanda Seeley.
Eastern: Theresa Link.
Complete Tournament Results
(All games at University of Louisville's Trager Stadium)
Saturday
Quarterfinals
Kentucky Country Day 1, Mercy 0 (penalty strokes)
Assumption 5 (Lauren Schmeing 1, Karah Nall 1, Rachael Walz 1, Sam Hayden 1, Christine Brightwell 1), Eastern 0
Sacred Heart 8 (Lauren Edelen 3, Jessica Lindner 1, Caroline Klein 1, Taylor Collins 1, Whitney Ising 1, Caroline Clarkson 1), Collegiate 0
Manual 1 (Hannah Boyer 1), Ballard 0
Monday
Semifinal
Kentucky Country Day 2 (Christina Provost 1, Christena Burell 1), Assumption 1 (Lauren Noe 1)
Tuesday
Semifinal
Sacred Heart 5 (Jessica Lindner 2, Kristen Henn 1, Hannah English 1, Anna Middleton 1), Manual 0
Thursday
Final
Sacred Heart 3 (Hannah English 1, Taylor Collins 1, Lauren Edelen 1), Kentucky Country Day 1 (Christina Provost)