Rowan field hockey, Castagnola ready to play for national championship this weekend
Ask Kristiina Castagnola if she would trade all the records and hardware for just two more wins, and she wouldn’t need any time to think about it.
Because if the Rowan University field hockey team can earn two more victories, the squad will have won the ultimate prize: a national championship.
The Profs will compete for the program’s first national title in two decades when they host the NCAA Division III Final Four this weekend on their home turf at Coach Richard Wackar Stadium.
Third-ranked Rowan (21-1) will play No. 2 Middlebury (19-1) in Friday’s semifinal at 3 p.m. The championship game is slated for Sunday at 3 p.m.
“There’s just something special about this team,” said Castagnola, whose mother, a Finland native, used a traditional spelling for her daughter's first name. “We’ve had a lot of firsts, a lot of historical moments, but we always had our sights on being national champions. One hundred percent, I knew we (would be playing on the final weekend of the season).”
Rowan head coach Michelle Andre had the same feeling about this group, a well-seasoned squad with some players who have been a part of three NCAA tournament qualifying teams. The Profs are trying to duplicate the feat of the 2002 squad, which owns the program’s lone national title.
“We’re physically ready to play and we’re emotionally ready to play, too,” said Andre, a Pennsauken High School and Rowan alum who has a 115-29 record in seven seasons with the Profs. “We’ve continued to get better. We’re not the same team we were in September.
“I really feel we are in the best position right now. They’re a fun group to be around. They’re talented, but they can also adjust. They have a mindset where everyone is a key part of this team.”
Castagnola certainly has been one of the players who has adjusted to a new role.
Once a tenacious defender in high school, the 5-foot Castagnola has thrived as a midfielder with the Profs, becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer. She has registered 163 points (66 goals, 31 assists) in 86 games, surpassing the old mark of 148 set by Danielle Miranda in 2007.
“I was used to keeping goals out of the cage instead of putting them in,” said the Voorhees native, who is second on the team with 21 goals this season. “I remember telling (Coach Andre) that I’m a defender and tried explaining to her that I didn’t have any offensive skills to show. She saw something though and said I moving up one (level).
“I think being able to adapt is something that’s really important and not just in hockey. You never know where life is going to take you. You just want to be the best version of yourself.”
Castagnola quickly developed an ability to generate offense, scoring 13 goals and four assists as a freshman in 2018. She increased her goal total to 14 in 2019 and 18 in 2021.
“She’s embraced whatever role we’ve put her in,” Andre said. “She can go anywhere and I think that’s one of the things that makes us so dangerous as a team.
“We work on our players to be the best hockey players they can be, not just position players. I knew she had it in here. Her work ethic is unbelievable and is always working on her shot, her moves and her acceleration.”
Castagnola’s name is etched in the Rowan record books several times, including single-season points by a midfielder (52) and goals by a midfielder (21), as well as being a two-time NJAC Midfielder of the Year and two-time All-American.
“Just to have my name anywhere in the record book is something special,” said Castagnola, who set the record on Senior Day during a 9-1 win over Ramapo. She's one of the team's captains along with Melissa Donaldson (Maple Shade), Bridget Guinan (Owen J. Roberts, Pa.) and Abby Hainsworth (Williamstown).
Castagnola points to the team’s depth and versatility as the biggest strength. And it was on full display in the opening game of the season with a 2-1 comeback win over then-No. 13 Ursinus.
“We saw how many people we were able to rotate into that game and help us get that win, that was so important,” Castagnola said.
Castagnola knows plenty about winning, that’s for sure.
During her scholastic career at Eastern Regional High School, Castagnola was part of four state championship teams that went a combined 105-0-1 in four seasons.
After a red-shirt season at Penn State, Castagnola transferred to Rowan where the Profs have gone 76-10 over the last four seasons with three NJAC titles, three NCAA Tournament appearances and three trips to the national semifinal round.
Castagnola earned her undergraduate degree in communications studies is working toward a masters degree in higher education. She’s like to be a coach at some point and, ultimately, an athletic director. A standout student, she’s a three-time Rowan Student-Athlete of Distinction award winner and three-time member of the NFHCA National Academic squad.
However, getting opportunity to play for a national title in front of a stoked field hockey community on their home turf is what she has her sights set on right now.
“There’s so much excitement right now,” she said. “We want that chance to have one more trophy to hold up and be national champs.”
Notes
Hainsworth set the record for most career wins (38) and fewest losses (2) by a goalkeeper. ... The Profs have scored a record 105 goals this season. ... Guinan ranks third in career points with 128 points (51 goals and 26 assists) ... Julia Patrone (Washington Twp.) leads the team with 24 goals and 59 points this season while Liz Fox (Upper Perkiomen) has a team-best 12 assists.
The schedule
At Rowan’s Coach Richard Wackar Stadium:
Friday
No. 8 Williams vs. No. 4 John Hopkins, 1 p.m.
No. 3 Rowan vs. No. 2 Middletown, 3 p.m.
Sunday
National championship, 1 p.m.
Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Rowan field hockey chases first national title in two decades
