By Charlie Leffler
On Sunday afternoon the Cardinal field hockey team scored one of the biggest wins in its history by defeating No. 9 Duke 2-1 in the championship game of Louisville Invitational Tournament in Trager Stadium. The win was the culmination of an exciting week for the team.
Things were not looking bright for the Cards when the Blue Devils scored less than five minutes into the game. Yet, the goal appeared to awaken the Louisville players who dominated the rest of the contest. “It was fantastic,” said head coach Pam Bustin. “It’s something that we’ve really been working for and preparing for, for four years. We dominated. I’m very happy.”
“We did a lot better than we thought we would,” said junior midfielder Pip Sanders.
Bustin described the win as huge. “I don’t mean big in a national sense but to us because you’ve heard so much about a program as great as Duke for so long, and they play in such a strong conference (ACC). And for a team from Louisville without the history and the tradition of a nationally successful hockey program it means everything to us because this is what we want to become. We’re becoming what we’ve been preparing to become.”
The win moved the Cards to a 5-1 record on the season. What makes the win even more impressive is that Louisville’s five wins are only one shy of the compiled total of team wins from 1995 through 1998. Over those four years, the team only won six games. Yet, Bustin says that she is not surprised by the Cardinal’s quick rise to prominence. “I’m a pathetic optimist,” Bustin said. “Two years ago this is what I wanted the program to become. But looking back on it and seeing that it actually has become real, it’s hard to believe.”Going into the break, the Cards were down 1-0 but turned up the intensity in the second half.
“We started off kind of slow,” said Sanders, “but she (Bustin) called a time-out and psyched us back up. When we went back out in the second half we did a lot better.” Every move that Duke made toward the goal was quickly diverted. Barely over two minutes into the half, junior defender Danielle Barr scored the tying goal. The score only seemed to increase the intensity of the Cards’ play.
Then at the 5:29 mark, Sanders made an acrobatic goal that ricocheted off the goalie and put the Cards ahead for good. “I don’t even know how I did it,” said Sanders. “It was just so far in front. I’ve been doing them the last couple of games. I guess I’m just kind of lucky today. . . I didn’t actually see it. They told me it sort of went through her legs and deflected off into the goal.” Even with the huge win, the Cards know that they have a long road ahead. Next they ravel to Bustin’s alma mater and play nationally ranked UMass on Friday follwed by a matchup at traditional powerhouse Maryland on Sunday. “We’re not there yet,” said Bustin. “It’s not done. But these are the steps that we need to take.”
