A year from now, the UMass field hockey program will have a new coach and new players as five players will graduate and interim coach Amy Robertson will return to retirement.
But the Minutewomen, who came together to earn their 26th NCAA Tournament appearance, are trying to make this run last as long as it can. UMass (13-7) will face Monmouth (17-2) in a play-in game, Wednesday at 1 p.m. in New Jersey.
The winner will face Maryland (17-4), the No. 2 overall seed in the 18-team field, Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in College Park, Maryland.
Robertson, who was hired in August after former coach Carla Tagliente unexpectedly left for Princeton, was proud of how her team responded.
“To say this year has been special would be an extreme understatement,” Robertson said. “It’s hard to put into words what it’s like to coach such an extraordinary group of young women. They’re tough. They’re fun. They meet challenges and take steps forward. It’s been amazing.”
The Minutewomen earned their bid in the field by upsetting top seed Saint Joseph’s in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
“The girls are so excited that we’re at this point in our season. Everything is crazy from here forward,” Robertson said. “The team really has the confidence that as long as we play to our ability we’ll move on to the next game.
“This team has a goal of going to the Final Four. That hasn’t changed,” Robertson continued. “We knew going through the play-in that it would be a tougher route, but we’re not daunted by that. We’ll take what ever is put in front of us and do the best we can. When you get to this point, it’s a brand new season.”
Monmouth earned a bid as the champs of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Hawks carry a 10-game winning streak into NCAA Tournament play.
NOTES: Princeton plays at Penn State at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Junior Danielle Duseau (Hatfield) has appeared in 17 games with one start for the Tigers.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage