St. Joe’s prepares for chilly weather in hockey final against UNC

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 to make the trip to Michigan. Before playing 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 just been making lists of things to do, trying to make priority lists, expanding our resources and asking people for favors,” Prince said. “They can help us in certain areas and that way we can look at the hockey side of things, because that’s what it’s all about. And that’s the best thing about all this, we’re going to play hockey . We’ve been working on our scouting report while juggling a lot of other logistics.”

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

A key part of the logistics that Prince hoped to avoid but proved unavoidable was mid-November weather in Ann Arbor, a cold the Hawks are not used to competing in. But Prince said this was resolved with some overnight gear and a few exercises to get used to it.

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

In addition to bracing for the cold, the Hawks (19-3) are also preparing to play the top program in the nation and 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 the only win coming in 2021. The Hawks and Tar Heels met last season in a 4-1 UNC win.

» READ MORE: St. Joe’s field hockey reaches the second round of the NCAA tournament with “gritty” victory over Lafayette

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

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

There are also familiar faces on the other side of the bracket. Atlantic 10 rival Massachusetts prepares to take on Northwestern. It is the first time two teams from the A-10 have reached the NCAA semifinals, and it is also 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 to some of these really tough postseason games in the NCAA,” Prince said. “So kudos to them, and of course I wish them the best of luck as my alma mater and another A-10 school.”

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

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

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