‘The vibe is different’ for St. Joe’s field hockey as it enters the postseason. Here’s why.
Nearly half of the Hawks are from outside the United States. Six of their families will be in town for this weekend's Atlantic 10 tournament.
St. Joseph’s is hosting the Atlantic 10 field hockey tournament, but playing at Ellen Ryan Field is only part of the home-field advantage for many of its international players.
For senior goalie Marith Bijkerk and fifth-year midfielder Celeste Smits, this will be the first time their families have made the trip from the Netherlands to see them play in the conference tournament.
Nearly half of the 24 Hawks come from three countries: Argentina, Germany, and the Netherlands. This year, six of the families are here.
While the international families try to make a trip to St. Joe’s once a year, their visits usually don’t coincide with the tournament. This year, Smits advised her parents to try to schedule their trip around the postseason.
“It’s just something different. The vibe is different. All the families are usually there. It’s a great time,” Smits said. “So I told them, ‘If you are planning on coming this year, let’s do it for during A-10s,’ and I know most other parents from the internationals are here for A-10s this year because we all told them.”
Coach Hannah Prince said the other players and their families do a great job of making the international players feel supported and at home, but there now is an added layer to the support the Hawks, who are ranked a program-record fourth in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll, will feel.
“The international families do a great job at supporting from afar, but just finally having them here for the weekend is really special,” Prince said. “And, obviously, us hosting just adds to the excitement and just the positive energy we have going into the week.”
Now, as Bijkerk, Smits, and the Hawks go after their fourth consecutive A-10 title, the main difference will be in the celebration that will follow on Saturday if St. Joe’s can pull out one more win.
The second-seeded Hawks (16-3, 6-1) will face top-seeded Massachusetts (15-4, 7-0) in the A-10 championship game at noon Saturday. St. Joe’s beat third-seeded Richmond, 6-1, in the semifinals Thursday. Manu Ghigliotti scored twice, while Smits, Julia Duffhuis, Yfke Walter, and Alison Buffington added goals.
“We’re really proud of, obviously, the team, but also the program as a whole, and the parents are included in that,” Prince said, “and even though they’re not all with us this week, we still feel their support and value them as members of our program.”
Along with Bijkerk and Smits, Milou Kluyt, Duffhuis, Walter, and Maaike Gorissen hail from the Netherlands. Nike Deicke and Luise Kirschner are from Germany, while Ghigliotti and Sol Borensztein are from Argentina.
Smits said she usually would celebrate with her roommate’s parents following an A-10 championship. This year, she’s hoping for the same outcome but a different celebration.
“This year, it’s just different,” Smits said. “Getting to run up after the game and hug my parents and tell them, ‘Yeah, we did it,’ instead of doing that over the phone, it just gives a different feeling to it.”
For Bijkerk, whose family arrived in time for her senior day and decided to stay longer after leaving just days before the A-10 final last season, it would “be amazing” to celebrate with the people who have supported her from the start.
“Back home, I didn’t play in my city. I played two hours away, so my dad always had to drive me,” Bijkerk said. “Our whole life back home, for my parents and my brother, was about my field hockey. It means a lot in our family and to them, and it was kind of weird to come here because they’re never around, and I cannot go and talk to them after the game, but now they’re finally here.”
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Smits said her parents watch every game from home, and she calls them after every game. But to experience her final A-10 tournament not just with her family, but with the families of most of the international players, makes the experience extra special.
“I’m just so happy that most of the international parents are here, and not just like one or two,” Smits said. “We can all experience it together, and especially because it’s my last one with some of the international girls.”