St. Joseph’s has many lessons to build on from its historic run to the NCAA field hockey final
While the Hawks will lose a solid veteran core as nine graduate students and two seniors depart, their legacy will remain in what they have done to grow the program.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A season of many firsts for the St. Joseph’s field hockey team has coach Hannah Prince ready to continue down the path the Hawks’ historic run to the NCAA championship game paved for the program’s future.
“Everyone keeps saying we made history this year, and that’s incredible, and I love having the mentality of like: Let’s continue on that path,” Prince said. “Let’s keep trying to make history and doing everything in our power as coaches, as support staff, as players, as even recruits who are committed to the program, just being extremely bought into what we’re trying to achieve, and just have some fun with it and stay as humble and hungry as possible.”
For many, it was a shock that the Hawks (20-4) fought their way to the NCAA title game following a 2-1 win over North Carolina in the Final Four. They became the first program in school history to reach a national championship game and set a program record for most wins in a season.
Playing in the NCAA championship was always the goal for Prince, and she knew this team could achieve it. But Northwestern put it just out of reach in the final 60 minutes of the Hawks’ season with a 5-0 victory to capture its second national championship.
“Our only losses outside of this one were in overtime,” Prince said. “We really took on everyone headfirst and always knew within ourselves that we could compete with anyone.”
One of the Hawks’ overtime losses this season, and their only loss in the Atlantic 10 Conference, came from a familiar rival: Massachusetts.
During the regular season, the Hawks fell to the Minutewomen, 2-1, in OT. A little over a month later, St. Joe’s came out on top in the A-10 championship, winning its fourth consecutive conference title, the third over UMass in as many years.
Prince credits the battles between the two conference rivals with helping her team get as far as it did, explaining that the style of play and caliber of a team like UMass helped the Hawks in some of their harder postseason matchups.
“I knew the first time we played UMass that they meant business,” Prince said. “I knew they were incredibly talented, and it was going to be an absolute battle in the regular season and in the postseason. We knew all season long it was going to be us and UMass in the final.”
After losing to St. Joe’s in the A-10 championship, the Minutewomen secured an at-large bid, also making it to the Final Four on the other side of the bracket. It marked the first time in conference history that the A-10 had two teams go that far in a postseason run. But Northwestern ended UMass’ season with a 1-0 win in the semifinals.
» READ MORE: St. Joe’s falls to Northwestern in NCAA field hockey championship
Another advantage the Hawks had in the first two rounds of the postseason was hosting the tournament for the first time in program history, something Prince said “was so much bigger” than just the players and staff.
St. Joe’s posted a 1-0 victory over Lafayette in the first round and beat Princeton, 1-0, in the second round, playing in front of a packed house at Ellen Ryan Field to secure a date with top-seeded UNC in the semifinals.
“Last weekend was an absolute dream, as well. When we heard our name called in the selection show, I thought my heart was going to literally pound out of my chest,” Prince said. “They put in the work this season to make that happen, for us to be able to host, playing in front of that crowd in our community, with the fans that we have just surrounding the field.”
While the Hawks will lose a strong veteran core in their nine graduate students and two seniors, their legacy will remain in what they have done for the program.
“They had an amazing, amazing career, and really, the program has continued to grow over the last few years, and they have to hold their heads high,” Prince said. “They have to know they did everything in their power to put this program and themselves and each other in the best position possible. And you know, our goal at the beginning of the season was to have a legendary one, and I can walk off the field saying we did just that.”
The 2024 Hawks wrote themselves into the history books, even if it wasn’t the ending they wanted for their story. But Prince is ready to see what the next chapter holds.
“It’s hard to put into words what it means for our university, our community, for Philadelphia, for the families, the fans, the support, anyone that supports this program,” Prince said. “It’s hard to put into words, but I love my job, I love my program, I love representing this school, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for us.”
» READ MORE: Follow the Inquirer's full coverage of St. Joseph's athletics right here!