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FALLedition

SEASON WRAP-UPA recap of this season’s most exciting wins and our journey through the BIG EAST (pg 9)

SAYING GOODBYEOur Seniors Amber, Erin, Tash and Haley finish with UofLFH(pg 4)

WE’VE MOVED!What does transitioning to the ACC mean for the University of Louisville and the field hockey program?(pg 9)

CARDS SOCIAL MEDIANew ways to connect with your Cardinals!(pg 10)

FACELIFT FOR THE S.B. LOCKER ROOM New photos from inside the Cardinal locker room(pg 6&8)

CARDS RANK 25th IN THE COUNTRY AT

THE END OF THIS SEASON

CARD

INAL

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AUGUST 2012

24 Sherrill

25 Brakmeier

26 Classic

Four Team Tournament: This year’s participants were Northwestern, Northeastern, Miami of Ohio and LouisvilleDay 1: Northeastern beats Louisville, 3-2 Locker room DedicationDay 2: Northwestern defeats Miami of Ohio 3-0Day 3: Championship Game, NE downs NW 2-1 Louisville defeats Miami-OH, 3-1

SEPTEMBER1 v. Davidson (W 3-2)3 v. Ball State (W 5-0)

TRAVEL BEGINS

7 @ Indiana (L 3-2 OT)8 @ Indiana v. Ohio University (W 2-1)

• Paige Monsen and Elisa Garcia score their first collegiate goals• Senior, Tash Leickly and sister, Clarissa, square off when we play

OU

14 @ MSU v. Central Michigan (W 3-2 OT)

16 @ MSU (L 2-1 OT)

21 BIG EAST Conference play begins v. Georgetown (W 4-2)

23 @ Kent State (W 6-1)

This weekend was quite the trip for Louisville field hockey; it was a quick turnaround after beating Georgetown at home, to load up the bus and make our way to Kent State. Being upgraded to the luxury bus (or as the team liked to call it, “the rockstar bus”) made the trip a little more comfortable. Before we went to the hotel, we made our way to the field for a brief practice session, a torrential downpour ensued and quickly nixed any of the coaches plans. After a wacky lead up, the Cards featured their highest scoring game. With 6 goals total, four separate Cardinals notched goals for the team: senior, Haley Jurich (her third at the time), sophomore, Becca Maddock (her 7th), freshman Elisa Garcia knocked in two, as did senior, Amber Thomas. 29 @ Syracuse #1 (L 3-0)

30 @ Albany #25 (L 3-1) their PINK game

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OCTOBERLouisville Field Hockey Team hosts KIDS CLINIC

v. #3 University of Connecticut (L 2-1)

6

7#11 University of Iowa (W 2-1)

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@ Rutgers (L 3-1) @ #22 Wake Forest (W 2-1)

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v. Villanova (W 3-1) Senior Day

v. #21 Ohio State (W 4-3 OT) FH/LAX Golf Outing @ Oxmoor Country Club (see pg 5)

27 @ Providence College (W 2-1)

31 Halloweeeeeen NOVEMBER

2Semi-Finals BIG EAST Championship TournamentSyracuse University beats Providence College

Louisville v. University of Connecticut (L 2-1 OT)

4 BIG EAST ChampionshipUCONN upsets Syracuse (4-3)

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First Round of NCAA Tournament

Second Round of NCAA Tournament

16 Final Four @ Old Dominion University

18 Princeton and UNC meet in the National Championship Game @ ODUPrinceton walks away with the title, winning 3-2

This was a must win came for the Cards; we had to beat Providence in order to gain a berth in the BIG EAST Tournament. Understanding the importance of this game,

everyone was a bit nervous, but completely believed in our ability to take home the win. Alyssa Voelmle registered the only goal of the first half, it came just seconds

before the break and gave us the upper hand. PC scored the equalizer less than ten minutes into the second half, but we answered quickly with a beautiful goal by Erin

Schneidtmiller off a connecting pass from Becca Maddock. Erin Conrad came up big in the cage for us this game, with 6 huge saves. The team worked hard to keep

possession of the ball for the remainder of the game, allowing us to hold on to the lead and win, putting us at #3 for the BE Tournament.

}

The team looked sharp in their Pink Day uniforms, while taking it to Iowa, winning 2–1 against the 11th ranked team. Vic Stratton scored her first career goal off a corner to tie the game, Elisa Garcia put in the game winner just before halftime. <<

The final game of our season was the most inspiring. period. Our young women played with an intensity and passion of a team that had a complete belief that it was their time. It was arguably the closest matched game in Louisville’s BIG EAST history. The game was scoreless until the 60 minute mark when UCONN snuck a goal past keeper, Erin Conrad; the Cards answered quickly when senior, Amber Thomas put one in the cage off of a rebound. Regulation ended with a tie, in overtime UCONN was awarded a corner a n d c a p i t a l i z e d o n a s o m ew h a t controversial shot. It was a tough loss to take, but reminded us that our future is bright.

28 Big day for the CARDS, Louisville moves to the ACC!

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Happy Trails!Louisville Field Hockey Says Goodbye to 2012-2013 Seniors

The Louisville Field Hockey program is sad to see such amazing women leave us, but we are ready to see where their futures take them.

Amber, Haley, Erin, and Tash have left such an impression on all of us, their passion for the sport and our school is inspiring and will be missed. The four of them filled the roles of leaders this year and helped lead the team to success on and off the pitch. They all fully embraced the messages the coaching and support staff had preached as well as the lessons about the effectiveness of positivity taught by the team’s sports psychologists. They opened their hearts up to the coaching change that came in their junior year and welcomed each new freshmen class with, not only open arms, but with an expectation for them to adhere

to the team’s standards. The four of them are an amazing example to future Cardinal squads; when we think back to this season we will remember their passion, work ethic, forthrightness, and receptivity.

This season all of our seniors had some amazing achievements (major awards outlined on page 6). Amber Thomas was the team’s highest point earner, finishing the season with 21 points and team high 10 goals. If earning penalty corners was a statistic, Amber would be our highest for that as well. “She worked hard to get into the circle,” Assistant Coach Lucas Piccioli said, “and every time she crossed the line, Amber looked to get a result.” Amber took her role as captain of the team very seriously. On many occasions Justine referenced Amber’s massive turnaround on the pitch, in the classroom, and mentally. The way that she carried herself through the season showed that she took great pride in the role that she was given and also understood the massive amount of responsibility that came with it. The coaching staff could not be happier with the result of Amber’s four years at Louisville. She will g r a d u a t e w i t h a d e g r e e i n Communications as well as some impressive athletic honors like being selected to the All-West Region first team and to the All-BIG EAST first team.

Her fellow captain, Erin Conrad, also took home some lofty honors this year, being named to the All-BIG EAST second team and being named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week in the third week of October. Anyone who saw this year’s games against Providence, UCONN (both times), Wake Forest and Iowa, know that Erin Conrad was our rock in the back field. She came up with some huge saves against quality opponents, throwing her body at the ball and making dynamic saves. Not only was her skill set an asset for us this year, her leadership among a young defense and midfield line really took this year’s team to the next level. Strong and communicative in the back, Erin instilled confidence in those teammates in front of her.

Erin’s five year career at Louisville has given her a lot of tools for the next s tep in he r l i f e , i nc lud ing an undergraduate degree in business management and a soon-to-be g r a d u a t e d e g r e e i n s p o r t s administration. Erin has always been a stellar student and has been a great example to her teammates over the past five years. Her participation in Team ONE and her work with our sports psychologist over the past year, have helped her mature into a more vocal leader.

One of our greatest “leaders by example” this season and during her entire career, was Natasha Leickly. Tash was a solid defender, always the model of consistency. Consistently giving her best and consistent with her skill set which allowed us to rely on her in multiple roles. She even was able to broaden her abilities this year, inserting on penalty corners later in the season. Tash was and is a star student; being named to the dean’s list every semester that she has been a student at the University of Louisville. Like many of the members of the field hockey team, Tash sacrificed her summer to stay on campus and work out, refining her connection with Victoria Stratton, which was imperative for our backfield’s success this year.

(continued on page 8)

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First Annual FH/LAX Golf Outing a Success!

The weekend of October 20th was a busy one for Louisville Field Hockey. In between two exciting wins, one against conference opponent Villanova on Friday and another against Ohio State (who was ranked #21 at the time) the field hockey and lacrosse programs hosted the first annual Golf Outing. It was an absolutely gorgeous day at the Oxmoor Country Club in Louisville, KY.

The event started off with a light lunch and a silent auction. Participants of the Outing bid on items donated by each of the programs and local businesses; some of the packages included field hockey and lacrosse gear, hotel vouchers, and a spa packages. Mulligans were on sale as well, which we quickly sold out of!

Each foursome was given two golf carts and a scorecard. They were sent off to their respective holes for a shotgun start. The field hockey team was stationed at hole two to help with putting and the lacrosse team held down hole 10 to chip with their sticks. It’s hard to tell how much the teams improved any of the scores, but everyone certainly appreciated their enthusiasm.

Director of Operations for both teams, Patty Norton, did a fabulous job in organizing the event and ordered some amazing prizes. Engraved photo boxes for the wining foursome and engraved vases filled with University of Louisville golf balls for winners of the Longest Drive and Closest to the Hole contests.

Not only did everyone had a wonderful time, enjoying the weather and the company, but we were able to raise money for important projects within both of the programs. Money raised from events like this go to our locker room restoration projects as well as helping to pay for leadership building programs like “The Program” that field hockey will be using this coming spring. “The Program” is a leadership development system based on Marine Corps principles. The University has seen much success from it in the past and we’re excited to be utilizing it this spring.

Keep on the lookout for information on the 2nd annual Golf Outing, which will be held in the Fall of 2013! Information will be posted in the Summer newsletter, online, and sent out via email.

Not only does it allow our program to have the best facilities in the country, your donations allow the young women of the Louisville field hockey team be the absolute best their minds and bodies will allow them to be!

A big thank you goes out to our newest boosters:

Mary K. Korfhage

Missy Briery

Debbie Condreva

Janine Chancellor

Jim and Hilda Quisenberry

Mindy Saurer (Darnell)

Molly Mershon

Kelley Fisher

The Voelmle Family

The Mason Family

David and Crystal Gebhart

Julie Pogue

Susan Connelly Hammond

April White

Donna and Peter Cabral

Kathleen McVeigh

Katherine Reese

THANKS TO YOU!

Field Hockey Putting at Hole

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The Sherrill Brakmeier Locker Room gets a Facelift Since Justine arrived at Louisville, she has been hard at work, updating the team culture and was hoping that the facilities would come to reflect that change. With the help of the graphic design department, Justine’s vision is coming to fruition. Phase one of the renovation project focused on the main wall of the locker room where the whiteboard and TV hang. Now, flanking the whiteboard are two panels, one highlighting the season’s schedule, the other holds the team’s weekly awards. The weekly award panel is finished like a dry erase board that allows the coaches to write in the names of the winners every week. The wall itself is wrapped in a plastic material that is applied using heat. The material gives the illusion that the quotes and art are painted on, but protect the existing paint. The wrap also allows edges of the design to be sharper and colors more contrasted.

In the next phase of the project the large wall without any lockers will be transformed into Louisville Field Hockey’s wall of fame, where major academic and athletic awards will be highlighted. Players from the past will be recognized and there will be room for all of new awards our amazing young women will be sure to win. This wall will also feature a wrap and although a final decision has yet to be made on how names of awardees will be constructed, it will surely pop! Justine carefully chose the quotes and photographs emphasized on the walls of the Sherrill Brakmeier Locker Room. The words, awards, and intensity of the design will remind the young women of the Louisville field hockey program of i t ’s goals, standards, past and future, everyday that they walk into their locker room.

(see more photos on page 8)

PHASE 1 COMPLETE!

2012 ReCARDnition

Amber Thomas, Sr. Forward• All-West Region First Team• All BIG EAST First Team

Erin Conrad, Sr. Goalkeeper• All BIG EAST Second Team• BIG EAST Defensive Player of the

Week (10.29.12)

Natasha Leickly, Sr. Back• UofL Student-Athlete of the Week

Erin Schneidtmiller, Jr. Forward• BIG EAST All-Tournament Team

Alyssa Voelmle, Soph. Midi• All BIG EAST Second Team• BIG EAST Defensive Player of the

Week (10.22.12)

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Over the past season U.S. Men’s National Team member, Will Holt, has been coming to practice nearly every day to train with the Louisville field hockey team. He has been a great asset to us over the past couple months, providing his knowledge at our summer camp, filling numerous roles on our scout teams, and adding an element of speed to our scrimmages... also, it’s just pretty cool to say you practice everyday with a player on the national team.

Will has been a part of the National program for several years, taking some time off to play professionally in Belgium, but decided last year that it was time to bite the bul let and finish his undergrad. He had been taking some classes in California, where he is o r i g i na l l y f rom, bu t decided to transfer his

credits to the University of Louisville where he is now considered a Junior.

Last month, Will took a short leave from school to play in the men’s World League, an extensive tournament whose first round matches took place all over the world. The U.S. was fortunate to host one of the sites and teams from Mexico and Guatemala. The final squad of 18 was named on November 14, 2012. “We have a core group of very experienced players, including Pat Harris, Kevin Barber, Will Holt, and Arjan Reyatt,” said head coach

Chris Clements when the team was named, “they will provide guidance and leadership for the very talented youngsters who have been rewarded for their very promising year with the Junior Squad.”

The first round was a breeze for the Men’s team, beating Mexico 16-0; veteran player, Will Holt, scored a hat trick. The second game of the tournament against Guatemala ended with the U.S. on top, 8-0. Will had a goal in that game as well.

So what’s next for the Men’s team and Holt? They will travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in February 2013 to compete in Round 2 of the World League.

We are so thankful for the time that Will has spent with the field hockey team over the fall and the support he has given us on the sideline of our home games. It’s an incredible opportunity that many other teams are not afforded, to play every day with a high-caliber player like Will. We look forward to highlighting more of his successes in future newsletters and wish him the best of luck in February.

ROUND 1: WORLD LEAGUEUofL Practice Player Will Holt Takes Off for Chula Vista

CARDS IN THE COMMUNITYOnce our busy season has ended, we have made a collaborative effort as a team to reach out to the community in many different ways. This is highly important to us because as student athletes we are HUGE role models for the city of Louisville, and the people that support us. The first event we did was at the  Kentucky Humane S o c i e t y, w h e re w e a s s i s t e d during "Picture Your Pet with Santa". It is where pet owners bring their animals to get their pictures taken with Santa for the coming holidays. This was a lot of fun... and some of our most pet-loving teammates tried walking out with a few. During the same weekend Mal lory and I volunteered at Louisville's Girls on the Run which is an organization that is taught through elementary schools to promote a fit and healthy lifestyle to young girls. The final event is a 5k

race, and this is where we helped register runners, and warm up the girls before they ran. Michelle, Paige, and I also at served at the GET FIT: Healthy Family Training Camp before the UofL vs. UK women's basketball game. This event was held by the American Heart Association and ran all different stations (parents and child friendly), to help teach about living a healthy lifestyle for ones family. We worked at the "spirit station" and "louisville athlete" station where we helped kids make signs for the game, and ran them through a few quick-feet l adde rs . Pa ige and I a l so volunteered at the WLKY child adopt-a-thon, where we answered phones from people across the state that were pledging live to Louisville children's adoption agencies. As Paige Monsen said

on live air, "Everyone needs a home ; )". As SAAC members Michelle and I visited Kosairs Children's Hospital where we walked around the pediatric oncology unit delivering smiles and UofL themed gifts to the kids. These kids were all so brave and put huge smiles on our faces. After we all come back from the holidays and break we plan to v o l u n t e e r a t m a n y d i f f e re n t organizations. One that is already scheduled is with the Kaleidoscope organization, who we have worked with before. This charity is for older men and women who have many different mental disabilities. During the season they supported us and came to a lot of our home games, so we are so eager to work with them again and show our support!

Go Cards!-Michelle Amon & Rebecca Maddock

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(continued from page 4)Natasha will remain at Louisville for one more year, finishing her degree in early education with a concentration on special needs. She has juggled her tough class schedule with the demands of field hockey and her student teaching responsibilities impeccably. She will continue with more classroom time in the next year to gain her teaching certificate and get closer to her career goal of teaching students with special needs, but she said we will definitely see her next year at the BIG EAST Championship game! We asked her what her advice would be to an incoming freshman, her answer “Come to preseason physically fit and be ready to learn. Come with an open mind.” Some great advice.

Last but certainly not least, we highlight Haley Jurich; the senior with arguably the most passion for the program and the University of Louisville. Haley made incredible strides with her fitness over the past season, allowing us to incorporate aggressive presses into our game plan. Haley did some amazing work on the forward line, running the ball down, keeping pressure on the ball carrier and contributing on our attack

as well. She was an incredible leader this year, advocating the coaches’ expectations and keeping the team humble and appreciative.

Haley has been solid in the classroom as well earning many honors in her four years including Dean’s list distinction, named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad, and named to the Athletic Director’s honor roll. Haley scored three goals for us this year and while she certainly had value on the forward line, no one can argue Haley’s intrinsic value to our program. Her attitude and demeanor are bar none. She has the respect of her teammates and coaches and will definitely have a bright future because of her incredible work ethic and loyalty.

All four of our seniors have left an indelible imprint on our program and will be referenced when anything gets hard; because when the road got tough for them they kept a positive outlook and worked through it. Any successes in this program’s future will be due to the important foundation that this group of young women helped lay.

MORE LOCKER ROOM PHOTOS

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FROM THE DESK OF:

JUSTINE SOWRYHEAD COACH OF THE CARDS RECAPS THE SEASON AND DISCUSSES THE COMING SPRING

We are going to the ACC! And YES, we are ecstatic! The name “University of Louisville” has been plastered all throughout media sources and social networks over the last month. It has been quite the ride and the buzz around the campus and within the community has been peaking.

The strong performances of all of our fall sports teams, our football team earning a spot in our first ever BCS Sugar Bowl appearance, our men’s and women’s basketball programs being ranked in the top 5 and top 10, respectively, and finally being accepted into the ACC. What a perfect ending for 2012. Our administration led by the remarkable Tom Jurich and Dr. Ramsey have worked tirelessly to find us a home where all 23 of our sports can compete. After months of speculation we find ourselves in the most challenging field hockey conference in the country.

As one news article recently quoted “Louisville’s field hockey team faces….without a doubt…the biggest challenges and upgrade of any of the Cardinal sports squads. Men or women. Welcome to the big time, Cardinal Field Hockey!” Yes it’s true. In 2014 the ACC conference is made up UNC, Syracuse, Virginia, Boston College, Duke and Wake Forest; all within the top 25 of the country. There are no ‘easy’ wins and it is not an easy task by any means. However, this is exactly where we want to be and with every challenge there is an opportunity.

We are not going to be ‘just a member’ of the ACC as we have high expectations to make an i m p a c t a n d t o w i n Championships in the not too distant future. Our resources, support staff and facilities are without a doubt one of the best, if n o t t h e b e s t i n t h e country. The overall level of support that is given to our program and to our student-athletes is second to none and we can be very successful given the right ingredients. With a new staff in place and which completed its first season together, we are well on the way. We have a great 2013 class committed and now we want to top it off with our first ACC 2014 recruiting class. Without a doubt, recruiting is the linchpin of our success in the ACC.

Season recapIt is hard to believe that our season came to a crashing halt over a month ago. Our season is so compact, the shortest in all sports and we go a hundred miles an hour for three months. Although our season concluded with a semi-final over-time loss against Connecticut, there were an incredible amount of positives that we can take away from the season.

The consistency that we displayed over the course of the season was impressive. A minor slip up against one opponent (Rutgers) but a quick and resounding comeback (WFU) was a telltale sign on what a resilient team we had. We had no ‘stars’. On any given day, some other group of players stepped up and led the team with resounding performances. We had great leadership, low drama and one of the hardest working and most committed teams that I have ever coached. If anyone witnessed our final game against UConn or viewed it online, you would have noticed a team that had tremendous growth over the course of the season and would have considered it ‘unlucky’ to lose a game of that magnitude. They literally played their hearts out, they could not be faulted and they should be VERY proud of their performance. It was a heartbreaker.

As we move forward we must continue to learn lessons and grow from the experience. Our 2013 fall schedule is almost complete and it is a precursor to our inaugural year in the ACC. It is going to be tough!

We have a fabulous staff in place so the spring will no doubt be one of our most productive in terms of our technical skill development. We have a young team so we still have a great core group of players in place to develop and improve the tactical component and we will continue to develop and enhance the mental training and toughness, which has proved to be most beneficial. Heather Engel our Sport Performance coach has the

team in a place that I have never seen. We are Division I athletes!

We have a long and difficult journey ahead and we are ready and willing for the challenge. Louisville is a GREAT place to be.

Finally I want to give thanks to my coaching staff Lucas and Kirstin for their support, effort and importantly their ability to make me laugh. Thank you to our amazing Performance staff made up of Carole, Heather, Tim and Patty and finally those people behind the scenes who complete our

team Nicole (Academics), Lori (Sport Info), Bailey (Marketing) and Brent (facilities). You all make this ship run smoothly.

Happy Holidays to all and wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year. GO CARDS!

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For Sale...Louisville FH Gear!Need the perfect gift for that Louisville Field Hockey fan or maybe, you just want some of it for yourself? Contact the field hockey offices via email (kirstin@gocards.com) for a list of merchandise, sizes and pricing. We will ship your orders or have them available for pick

up the next time your visiting Trager Stadium!Hurry! It’s going fast!

ODDS AND ENDS

UPCOMING EVENTS IN 2013! FH BANQUET 7V7 TOURNEY UOFL INVITE ALUMNI DAY

February 1611:00-1:00University Club

March 23-24Louisville hosts a High School 7v7 tournament at Trager Stadium

April 13-14Louisville hosts other Div I colleges at spring tournament

April 20Same day as Thunder over Louisville, details to follow!

CONNECT WITH THE CARDSFollow us on Twitter

@ulfieldhockey@CoachSowry

Like our page on FacebookLouisville Field Hockey

Check out the NEW athletics websitegocards.com

Legendary Louisville, basketball coach, Rick Pitino, gave the team a inspirational pep talk before BIG EAST Semi-final game versus UCONN. Pitino touched on important lessons like self-esteem and believing in your abilities as an athlete; he also gave us some insight into his mantra of “amazing defense” which our young women embodied in that night’s game. A big thank you goes out to Coach Pitino for calming our nerves and telling us some great stories!

#oneteam

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FH

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