Converse Field Hockey Earns Back-to-Back SAC Tournament Championships

As fall athletics came to a close, Converse celebrated yet another exciting athletics milestone when the field hockey team earned back-to-back South Athletic Conference (SAC) Tournament Championships on November 20, 2022.

Lotte Kanters ’25 found Catalina Pistaccio ’25 for the championship-winning goal in the first overtime period, as the Valkyries defeated Mount Olive 2-1 in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament Championship game at home in Weisiger Stadium.

“All I can say is wow,” Converse University head field hockey coach Valerie Clarke said. “This is a dream team, with a dream season, with a dream ending. Everyone was brought in from day one with the goal of making sure the Division II world knew that Converse Field Hockey was here to prove we belong. I fully believe that we just accomplished that.”

“This is a dream team, with a dream season, with a dream ending.”

Valerie Clarke

The November 20 win secured the Valkyries’ second SAC Tournament Championship in program history. With the win, the team also reset the school record for wins in a single-season with 17, ending Mount Olive’s nation-leading 14-game winning streak in the process. The Valkyries are now 4-0 in postseason games played at Weisiger Stadium.

The Valkyries dominated and controlled the pace of the game from start to finish on Sunday afternoon, including its stretch into overtime. With just three minutes gone in the overtime period, Kanters found Pistaccio for the game-winner as the Valkyries bench stormed the field in celebration.

Pistaccio earned SAC Tournament MVP honors and a spot on the All-Tournament team after she scored four goals; Kanters, Julia Matthijssen ’24 and Josephine Jense ’26 were also named to the All-Tournament team for their performances.