Spring Break
The Daily OrangeFH | For Vokjevic, ride to SU ends at Final Four
By Conor Orr
Posted: 11/20/08, 1:54 AM EST Section: Sports
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Forced to work a 40-hour week to support her education, Vojkovic didn't have time to focus full-time on field hockey. When she finally did discover a path to America to play the game she loved, a bitter relationship with her estranged father almost derailed her dream.
But after finally reaching Syracuse and toiling for months in practice, the sophomore forward has earned her way into head coach Ange Bradley's rotation. She's a key contributor off the bench for No. 3 Syracuse (22-1), which will make its first-ever Final Four appearance Friday at 7:30 p.m. against second-seeded Wake Forest (21-3).
"When I got (to America) I thought, 'Oh my gosh how am I going to handle this?'" Vojkovic said. "There's nothing at home where you'd practice every single day. Even (at) our top leagues at home you don't practice every day and it's not nearly as intense."
After taking a few months to adjust, the 23-year-old has worked her way into the SU lineup. Vojkovic even saw extensive minutes in the Big East tournament, and a starting nod in overtime during the Orange's 3-2 victory against Princeton in the NCAA quarterfinals.
"It's nice to see her coming around and getting minutes and playing time," Bradley said. "But it's all completely earned - because I don't give handouts."
Vojkovic came a long way from just a year ago. Back in Australia, Vojkovic worked full-time at Pitney Bowes - an office supply manufacturing company. Due to financial constraints at home, she had to leave school and place her dream of becoming a teacher on hold.
She still played field hockey on the weekends, but her main focus was working to get back to school.
Meanwhile, Vojkovic began to notice a trend of foreign players moving to the U.S. to play American college field hockey. It wasn't until she ran into a former university teammate that things clicked - the sport that had once just been a release, a hobby, could be her ticket out of Australia and to an education.
So Vojkovic began searching American universities along the East Coast - where her friend had searched - in attempt to find the right program. As it turned out, Bradley was one of the first to respond to Vojkovic's e-mail and the two began to forge a relationship.
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