UD field hockey beats UNC 3-2 for national championship
The University of Delaware field hockey team beat North Carolina 3-2 in the national championship game Nov. 20 at Old Dominion University to claim the first national championship in field hockey for the Blue Hens.
Delaware led 2-0 at halftime, but Carolina came back to tie the game 2-2. Delaware got the game-winning goal from Greta Nauck with just under six minutes remaining in the game to ice the championship.
There is a Cape Henlopen connection on the team, as Maggie Delp is a midfielder and Jacki Coveleski is a graduate assistant coach.
Delaware defeated Louisville 1-0, Duke 3-2, Princeton 3-2 and North Carolina 3-2 on the way to its first NCAA Division I title.
Player Maggie Delp and coach Jacki Coveleski texted Cape Gazette Sports Editor Dave Frederick from the field after the game.
Delp: “Winning the high school championships were so great because I was carrying on a legacy and accomplishing it with my childhood friends ... But now I am a part of building a legacy, and that is amazing! People may have doubted or underestimated us, but we never doubted ourselves for a minute. Both my high school and college championships are so memorable because of all the teammates and friends I have to share them with. These experiences have taught me to never give up and to always stay positive. I am also so proud to be representing my home state!”
Coveleski: “I think it all seems so surreal. I certainly didn't know as a little freshman at Cape what lay ahead in my career, nor did I have a clue when I was a freshman in college. All I can say is I have always loved competing; I have always loved sports; and I have always loved being a part of a team. This Delaware team we had this year – to put it in a way that Rolf phrases it – was the result of years of UDFH building a foundation. I am so thankful to have been a part of it and happy to have been able to coach this year. Rolf, Jordan and Missy worked so hard all season and the team was right there with them. I dreamt about an NCAA title somewhere in the time between when I first saw [my sister] Sam compete in college [at Villanova] and when I drooled over Carrie Lingo. I know Maggie is pumped out of her mind, just like anyone else. This team went 23-2 this season ... they put in the work and had a goal for Final Four. We laugh because we got there and then got the opportunity to set a new one – take home a championship.”
