Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Louise Pert took a final glance at her notes, preparing for her final exam in spring 2021. She sat in a parking lot in the car with her mother, Sharon Burke.

Pert remembers peering down at her phone and seeing then-Syracuse head coach Ange Bradley calling her. Pert immediately stopped everything and overtaken by nerves, told Burke to get out of the car to let her take the call alone.

It was then when Bradley offered Pert a scholarship to SU. Pert wasted no time thinking about the offer, committing to Syracuse on the spot.

“That day was pretty special,” Pert said.

In her third year with Syracuse, Pert has established herself as its starting goaltender despite not appearing in a game since October 2022. From 2021-22, she was limited to 11 appearances before missing all of 2023 with a lower-body injury. This season, Pert has appeared in five games — one shy of her career-high.

The junior has played field hockey for as long as she can remember. Originally, she only played it because Burke had as well. Pert thought it made her mother happy, so she stuck with it. However, it wasn’t until moving between the pipes as a teenager when she started to enjoy the sport.

“I really started to fall in love with it when I became the goalie,” Pert said. “The style wasn’t like any other sport I had played.”

When she was 15 years old growing up in Ireland, Pert moved to the Pembroke Wanderers Hockey Club, allowing her to receive more exposure. Pert was nervous at first, but quickly realized the avenues field hockey could open.

Eventually, she moved to the United States after committing to SU, arriving on campus in 2021. Pert made limited appearances across her first two seasons with the Orange. As she looked to break into the rotation in fall 2023, Pert found out she’d miss the rest of the year midway through the season. During the offseason she worked to strengthen her lower body again by biking and rowing, among other exercises.

“I was really focused on getting my strength back,” Pert said. “For me, it was about getting back into game (shape) and getting that explosiveness back into my legs … being able to push off one leg with no pain was the main goal.”

SU head coach Lynn Farquhar took over in 2023 when Pert missed the entire season. Farquhar watched Pert closely during her recovery, saying she was intentional with everything she did.

For Pert, getting back in physical shape is only half the battle. This offseason, she was entrenched in a three-way competition for the starting goalie spot with Abby Neitch and Vera Hekkenberg. When Syracuse faced off against Lock Haven on Aug. 30 in its season-opener, Pert got the starting spot.

Ilana Zahavy | Design Editor

“We love how she is aggressive,” Farquhar said. “She is really trying to fine tune her decision-making on when to use the ability to come out … to close space, and that is something that’s been really evident as soon as we got her back in pads.”

When Farquhar was hired by SU, she brought in assistant coach Sally Rutherford. A former Olympian with New Zealand in 2016, Rutherford works with the goalies and, despite Pert being injured last season, her vocal presence stood out.

“You need a little bit of fire … a little bit of crazy,” Rutherford said.

Rutherford has been impressed with Pert’s understanding and approach. Over the summer, she watched field hockey at the Olympics, observing different styles of goalkeeping — specifically in shootouts.

Being detail-oriented is part of Pert’s philosophy. Rutherford explained that Pert initiates film sessions between goalies to analyze previous performances. According to Rutherford, Pert often comes up with solutions to her errors.

“I see the game very technically,” Pert said. “I enjoy learning about all the teams and how they play (compared to how) we play. I’m an aggressive goalkeeper. (I need) to read the scenario and play what I see.”

Pert has played the first half of every game to begin Syracuse’s season. In four of the team’s first five games, Pert hasn’t allowed a single goal, helping SU to two shutouts.

“It’s been a huge growth from last year when she was trying to figure out where she fit into the program,” Farquhar said. “She brings people on board. That’s what makes her special.”

Published on September 19, 2024 at 12:13 am