Saint Joseph’s field hockey coach Hannah Prince led the Hawks to the NCAA Division I title game, a run which included a semifinal win over perennial power and top-ranked North Carolina. Photo by Greg Carroccio/Sideline Photos, LLC/Saint Joseph’s athletics.

Before she played in college, before she played varsity, before she even got to high school, Hannah Prince knew she wanted to coach field hockey one day.

And coach the best teams, too.

“In Gorham, we have a youth program that the high school team runs, and I really looked up to the high school players. I just thought they were the most amazing humans. They were such amazing role models,” she said. “I knew from an early age that I wanted to be just like them. And then when I realized I could do it collegiately, I was all in on it.”

It would have been hard for her to predict, however, what was to come. In her third year coaching Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Prince guided the Hawks on a spirited run all the way to their first national championship game, pulling off a 2-1 upset victory over No. 1 and 11-time champion North Carolina in the process.

The quest to bring Saint Joseph’s its first title ended in the next game with a 5-0 loss to Northwestern, but Prince the day after the defeat was still beaming after making program history.

“It was an incredible feeling,” said Prince, who won the the 2009 Miss Maine Field Hockey award at Gorham before going on to play at UMass. “We really in postseason this year turned it on and found that second gear and just that level of connection and fun … that really helped us accelerate through postseason.

“It really was just an incredible ride.”

The feeling was the same for Prince’s players.

“The word I keep using is it was so surreal,” graduate student forward Lily Santi said. “Since August, we said we wanted to make it to the final four. To actually get there was a big accomplishment, and actually making it farther than that was a dream come true.”

There were signs throughout the season that the Hawks, who finished 20-4 and were last ranked No. 5 in the country, were capable of that kind of ride. They beat No. 16 Penn State and No. 11 Rutgers early, then toppled No. 5 Duke and No. 3 Virginia on the road before going on to win the Atlantic 10 Conference championship.

“I always knew this team had it in them. I knew it would take a ton of work, and the right things to come together,” Prince said. “I always had faith that this team could achieve greatness. I would not say it was a surprise, but it was definitely just an incredibly rewarding experience.”

To make it through the tournament, however, after early 1-0 wins over No. 20 Lafayette and No. 13 Princeton, meant taking down the top-ranked Tar Heels, the sport’s most dominant program. On the morning of their matchup Friday, an article appeared on ESPN calling UNC coach and former star player Erin Matson “the Michael Jordan of field hockey.”

The Hawks, though, went in confident. And when Manu Ghigliotti scored to put Saint Joseph’s ahead, there was a feeling something special was happening.

“(It) really set the tone,” Prince said. “I just got this feeling that the girls were showing up today. As long as we continued on that track, we could absolutely do this. And then our goalkeeper, Marith Bijkerk, had just an outstanding game. She was the spine of the field.”

By game’s end, the Hawks had a program-defining win.

“Our motto was just ‘Why not us?’ There’s no reason why you can’t achieve what you set your mind to,” Prince said. “You could argue (they have) players who are more flashy, on national teams and things like that, and that’s just not our identity. We’re just incredibly gritty and hard-working. … That day, we performed better and we came out on top.”

It’s not the only success Prince has had in the coaching ranks. Since taking over two years ago after successful stints as an assistant at New Hampshire, Princeton, Louisville and Saint Joseph’s, she’s led the Hawks to the A-10 championship each year, and a combined record of 52-14.

“She’s been our rock,” Santi said. “She’s definitely motivating. I’ve never really seen her yell. She treats every player on the team as an equal, no one’s on a higher pedestal than another player. … She pays attention to the details, scouts very well and knows what we need to do for each individual game.”

Part of it has come naturally.

“The hockey piece probably comes the easiest, because that’s just the fun,” she said. “The scouting, the game planning, the practice planning, all of that is really fun.”

More challenging areas that Prince has had to get a feel for are managing the team, building the culture, and recruiting.

“St. Joe’s is not a power-five, so while we’re extremely competitive … I have to find players who are not as fixated on that aspect,” she said. “That piece is a challenge to the job, for sure.”

She’s found ways to make up the gap. She runs camps and clinics throughout the country, allowing her to work with prospects as opposed to just watching them.

“It really helps them realize ‘Oh, I really like this coach, because of her style or her energy,'” Prince said. “That personal touch is what’s been a difference-maker for us.”

The record proves it’s working. As do experiences like this postseason, which are why Prince does what she does.

“Seeing the girls grow and learn,” she answered when asked her favorite part of coaching. “Them pushing themselves harder than they thought they knew was possible, and seeing that growth and seeing them struggle, work through it and come out better on the other end. That’s definitely the most amazing part.”