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By Naveen Boppana
Holy Cross field hockey fans have a hard time
pronouncing Lifon Huynh's name, but that is minor compared
to the problems that Holy Cross opponents face in games.
They have to try and figure out a way to stop her from having
her usual impact.
Huynh smiles when asked about her name. "I know lot of people have a hard time
pronouncing my name," she says. "It doesn't bother me when they butcher it during
the starting line ups. Most of the parents and my teammates call me by my nickname,
Leafy."
Huynh remembers her decision to attend Holy Cross. "Kim Ferguson, from the class
of 2001 recommended that I look at Holy Cross," she says. "The College has great
academics, and it is close to home and has a good art
education program."
The fourth-year midfielder appeared in every game of her career and moved into
starting role last season. Huynh, a two-time Second Team All-Patriot League performer,
earned Second Team Northeast Regional All-America honors a year ago. She is the
only returning midfielder on the team, starting all 21 games and recording 121
interceptions last season. Huynh has accumulated 375 interceptions, seven goals
and 12 assists in her career.
Last year, the team capped off an impressive season with its first Patriot League
regular season title-earning a perfect 6-0 record-and its third Patriot League
Tournament Championship in four years. The loss of five starters to graduation
in May made it look as if 2001 would be a rebuilding year for the Crusaders,
but they have proven otherwise in the early part
of the season.
"In the pre-season we thought it's going to be a rebuilding year," says
Huynh. "At least MB (Marybeth Clark, co-captain) and I talked about making the
freshmen feel comfortable during the season if we don't do well, so they can
succeed down the road."
However, the returning players, with the help of the newcomers, dominated the
first four games of the year and posted a 4-0 record for the first time since
1997 when they won their first five games. Holy Cross is now 9-2 overall and
4-0 in the Patriot League.
During the week of Sept. 30, The Crusaders went on the road to defeat Lafayette-claiming
sole possession of first place in the league-and Villanova back-to-back, and
also knocked off Ivy League foe, Yale, to win its third straight game during
that week. For its performance, Holy Cross was ranked 20th in the STX/NFHCA Division
I National Coaches poll, as voted by NFHCA member coaches.
"It was a great feeling beating Villanova," says Huynh. "They did not show us
any respect and thought that it was a sure win for them, but we proved
them wrong."
For her efforts, Huynh was selected as the Patriot League's Field Hockey Defensive
Player of the Week. She tallied 23 interceptions, added 23 tackles, and scored
her third goal of the season during the week.
During the first three seasons at Holy Cross, Huynh would have been concerned
mostly with getting herself prepared for the game, but this year as a co-captain,
it is her duty to do the same for her teammates.
"It is a great honor to be named co-captain," says Huynh. "I am going to tell
my teammates to have fun and have a good work ethic. I am going to remind them
that field hockey is a sport, and we are playing it because
we love it."
Relationships with her coaches and teammates have helped Huynh mature into a
leader for the team. "Meg (Galligan, head coach) is a great person," says Huynh. "We
can talk to her about anything. Tina (McDavitt) is a great assistant coach. She
is our third assistant coach since my first year, and I have had a great relationship
with all of them."
Huynh's leadership qualities have come with the support of her family, which
attends most of the Holy Cross contests. "My family has always been very supportive
of me," she says. "They come to most of my games with our
dog, Garry. It's nice to see my mom, dad and brother, but my teammates get really
excited when they see Garry."
As her final season in a Crusaders' uniform wears on, Huynh would like to help
her team win back-to-back Patriot League titles and make the NCAA
tournament.
First,
we want to host the Patriot League Tournament," she says. "Then,
we want to win the title and get that automatic bid to
the NCAA's."
Hopefully for Huynh, she will accomplish her goals, and, by then, the Crusader
faithful and the opposition will know exactly how to pronounce her name.
Naveen Boppana is the assistant director of athletic
media relations at Holy Cross.
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