‘We’re trying to get ready for ACC play and that starts for us this weekend,’ Louisville head field hockey coach Justine Sowry

Louisville’s head coach Justine Sowry is looking for her athletes to maintain consistency and capitalize on lessons learned in their recent upsets over top-20 ranked teams.

The Louisville women's field hockey team is on the rise.

But, for how long remains to be seen.

The Cards cracked the top 20 nationally ranked list on Oct. 1, 2024. Since then, coaches haven’t entertained them as a threat. Earlier this week, the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll had them back on the list at No. 16.

The reasoning makes sense.

Louisville came out swinging offensively and defensively to claim back-to-back wins against two top-20 ranked teams last weekend beating both Ohio State and St. Joe’s, last year’s national runner-up in the 2024 NCAA Division I Championship.

The Cards begin their Atlantic Coast Conference campaign today in California. While all other ACC teams have started conference play, Louisville will face Stanford with a clean slate.

Stanford are 0-2.

"We can play the best hockey in the country, Northwestern, Indiana," Louisville head field hockey coach Justine Sowry told FAN in a phone interview. "We were fortunate against St. Joe’s. Our defense stood strong."

Sowry said she wasn’t offended that Louisville didn’t garner enough support to rank early in the season. Recruiting has been tough, and the team as it currently stands, is nearly an identical roster from last season, she said.

Currently, the Cards hold a 5-3 overall record with wins against Michigan State, Ohio University, Indiana, Ohio State, and St. Joe's. One of their losses was in overtime, a 2-1 defeat to Northwestern, last year's national champions.

Her seniors are empowering the underclassmen to play to their strengths, which is both an on-the-field, and off-the-field expectation, she said.

"What I’ve done is place more of an emphasis the last six to eight years, really honing in on being good human beings,” she said. “Good character. Blue-collar. Willing to do the hard work. Our seniors, who are strong women, they are self-sanctioning, self-governing. We don’t have to do that much anymore. They’re good people. They have great awareness."

Sowry has spent sweat equity in trying to grow the game in Kentucky. She’s been at the helm for 14 seasons. Her efforts are showing.

"The community gives a lot to Louisville,” she said. “Our team’s mission is to give back to the community. Last weekend, we had signs and placards, and little kids really excited, looking at these players as role models."

That connectivity, support, and overall sense of community inspires her squad to break down barriers.

"From Game 1 to this past weekend, we’re trying to get ready for ACC play and that starts for us this weekend,” Sowry said. “It is one game at a time. We didn’t play our best at St. Joe’s. We held on. It helped with our confidence, with our (defensive) backs.”

She continued: “The team was very excited to be mentioned in the polls. They didn’t like being down in the ACC poll. We are humble and hungry. At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter. We want to be playing on our field in November. We missed the ACC tournament last year and we’re hosting it this year. Last year, we won one game. We know we have to win at least two to play on our field in November. All eyes are focused on Stanford this Friday."

The Cards’ roster features American field hockey players and a handful of international athletes, Sowry noted.

"All our opponents are going so heavy international,” she said. “We have four or five. We are proud of what we have with our domestic athletes. We’re trying to close the gap with international athletes. We’re proud to do with what we have.”

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