Four was the magic number for fourth-ranked St. Joe’s field hockey, which beat Massachusetts 2-1 to secure its fourth consecutive Atlantic 10 championship Nov. 9.
No strangers to each other, the Hawks and the Minutewomen have faced off six times since 2022. In her three seasons as St. Joe’s head coach, UMass alumna Hannah Prince and her squads have only faced the Minutewomen in A-10 championship games, with the Hawks winning each one. Even during Prince’s two years as an assistant coach, St. Joe’s beat UMass in the 2017 A-10 tournament to give St. Joe’s its first NCAA Tournament berth.
“It’s a rivalry that runs very deep,” Prince said. “In the last handful of years, it’s been extremely competitive between the two teams. We’ve really been battling each and every game that we play, and I know it’s been a goal of ours that most likely we would face them in the final. Being able to come out on top is an unreal feeling, and I know that the girls worked so tirelessly for this win.”
It also marked the last conference game between the two as UMass prepares to leave the A-10 conference for the Mid-American Conference in July. Between the rivalry and the 2-1 overtime loss back in September — the Hawks’ only conference loss — fifth-year back Julia Duffhuis said the victory was even sweeter.
“We had a lot of anger and frustration that’s been building up throughout the season,” Duffhuis said. “We really just wanted to get back at them, especially since they came here last time and beat us on our field. We really wanted to return that favor and turn things around in our favor this time around.”
Senior midfielder Sol Borensztein earned her fourth A-10 All-Championship Team honors. She said the competition has been stiffer with each A-10 championship.
“[In] past years, the competition wasn’t as high as now. You can see UMass is getting better every year,” Borensztein said. “This was definitely the hardest year.”
With two seniors and nine fifth-year players, many of the Hawks have been with the program throughout each of its four A-10 titles, and Prince has seen the benefits of that experience throughout the season.
“People stepped up where they needed to, and we had a lot of voices coming from the players on the field, as well as the bench, and it was really just special to see them connect today,” Prince said. “Those leaders really just shined, and [were] really gritty and lived by our core values and do-or-die mentality today.”
While Duffhuis put the Hawks on the board in the first quarter, the Minutewomen answered in the third quarter. Three minutes into the fourth quarter, Borensztein converted on a penalty corner, and the Hawks retook the lead. The Minutewomen had an opportunity to tie it in the last minute with a corner that was thwarted by St. Joe’s.
“It was a fight, definitely. We always kept that mentality to keep going,” Borensztein said. “I’m having no regrets, last game on Ellen Ryan [Field], so I’m really excited. I’m really proud of this team.”
Duffhuis also was named the Atlantic 10 Championship Most Outstanding Player. It was Duffhuis’ second Most Outstanding Player honors in as many conferences. She was named Colonial Athletic Association tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2021 while at Delaware.
“It’s so fresh, so it’s hard to even put it into words,” Duffhuis said. “It’s just insane, MVP or anything like that doesn’t even really embrace what we’ve done here as a team today.”
With their seventh A-10 title in eight years, the Hawks have earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Although Borensztein and her teammates expected their championship win to be their last game on Ellen Ryan Field, the Hawks learned Nov. 10 they’d be hosting Lafayette in the first round of the Tournament back on their home turf.
An earlier version of this article was first published by the Philadelphia Inquirer Nov. 9 as part of the Inquirer’s college correspondent program.
