THE SPORTS DESK
Field Hockey Notepad: Louisa finally finds bit of success on the turf
It’s been a long road for Louisa’s fledgling field hockey program, but this year the Lions are starting to see some tangible results.
Louisa beat Kettle Run, 1–0, on Tuesday. It wasn’t just the Lions’ second win this season; it was the second win in the program’s four-year history.
Louisa didn’t win a game in 2009, 2010 or during last fall’s 0–13 campaign.
“It’s very encouraging,” coach Meredith Marconi said. “It’s just a reason to come back and not think that I’m crazy for going out there every day.”
Several factors have been very helpful for this year’s team.
The first, Marconi said, was a simple formation change that better highlighted Louisa’s scorers. The players were skeptical at first, but then they saw that the new tactics resulted in better offensive flow.
“Our passing game has really stepped up,” Marconi said. “The girls were really nervous about it. I just said, ‘You guys are really goal oriented and you’re focused on scoring, so I think this lineup will work.’”
An influx of talent has helped, too.
Defender Sarah Harris missed all of last fall with a knee injury and has “exceeded expectations,” her coach said.
Serena Hutchins ran cross country last year, but has come back to field hockey and has been a valuable addition. She scored the Lions’ winning goal against Kettle Run.
For the four Louisa players who have been with the program since it started, the success this year has been a dream come true.
“It’s been really rewarding for them,” Marconi said. “They’ve toughed it out through everything—through losing seasons and the naysayers.”
Louisa closes its regular season with a home game today against Western Albemarle, and home games next week against Powhatan and Charlottesville.
—Justin Rice
