St. Joe’s is bringing a ‘Why not us?’ mentality to field hockey Final Four matchup with No. 1 North Carolina

The four days between defeating Princeton at Ellen Ryan Field and leaving for the Final Four in Ann Arbor, Mich., have been a whirlwind for St. Joseph’s field hockey team.

After a morning practice Wednesday, the Hawks left campus around 12:30 p.m. to make the trek to Michigan. Before they play Friday against North Carolina, they will attend Thursday’s Final Four banquet.

But through it all, coach Hannah Prince said her team has remained focused on the reason behind the whirlwind: playing field hockey.

“[My] staff and I have really been just making lists of things we have to do, trying to do priority lists, extend our resources, asking favors of people,” Prince said. “They can help us out with certain areas, and that way we can be looking at the hockey side of things, because that is what it’s coming down to. And that’s what’s the best part about all this, we’re going to play hockey. We have been working on our scouting report while juggling a bunch of other logistics.”

» READ MORE: St. Joe’s advances to Final Four in NCAA field hockey for the first time in program history

A key part of logistics that Prince hoped to avoid, but proved to be unavoidable, was the weather in Ann Arbor in mid-November, a chill in which the Hawks are not used to competing. But Prince said this was addressed with some overnighted equipment and a few practices to acclimate themselves.

“We got them thin gloves that they can wear while they play. We got them extra cold gear, so long pants and long shirts that they can wear underneath their jerseys, and we got them ear-warmer headbands,” Prince said. “We’re tough. I’m not that concerned about it.”

In addition to preparing for the cold, the Hawks (19-3) are also preparing to play the top program in the nation and the back-to-back reigning champion North Carolina on Friday (noon, ESPN+). St. Joe’s is 1-5 in all-time matchups against UNC (20-0) with its only win coming in 2021. The Hawks and the Tar Heels met last season in a 4-1 win for UNC.

» READ MORE: St. Joe’s field hockey reaches NCAA tournament second round with ‘gritty’ win over Lafayette

“I think that we know UNC pretty well already, just from playing them in the last few years. Their team is very similar to what they had last year,” Prince said. “Every team makes adjustments each year and is always evolving, and they definitely are always, but I do feel like we’ve watched a few of their games earlier this season, as a spectator, not in person, but watching it on ESPN+, and I am comfortable with how they play and understanding their strengths and weaknesses, key players, all of that.”

Another familiarity surrounding UNC’s team comes with the number of locals who make up its roster. Of the 26 players, seven hail from Pennsylvania, while three are from New Jersey.

There are familiar faces on the other side of the bracket as well. Atlantic 10 rival Massachusetts is preparing to take on Northwestern. It marks the first time two teams from the A-10 have made it to the NCAA semifinals and also is the first time since 1992 that an A-10 team has reached the Final Four.

“Their style of play, their level, their caliber, has definitely helped us for some of these really hard postseason games in NCAA,” Prince said. “So kudos to them, and I do wish them the best of luck, of course, as my alma mater and a fellow A-10 school.”

» READ MORE: Chadds Ford’s Erin Matson is ‘living my dream’ coaching UNC

As the Hawks prepare for the big stage, Prince said St. Joe’s is approaching with the mentality of “Why not us?”

“We leave, we leave no regrets. We leave it all out there,” Prince said. “We have a ton of belief in ourselves, and we’re just really excited.”