For Northeastern field hockey coach Cheryl Murtagh, her 300th win Friday against Delaware is more than just another milestone in a prodigious career already filled with success.
Win No. 300 inspired Murtagh to fondly recall the players she’s coached, while at the same time looking ahead to finishing the 2008 campaign on a strong note.
“[Looking back] I think of a lot of the great players I had; that’s what makes it the most fun,” she said. “At the Stanford game [on Alumnae Day Oct. 4] we had over 40 alums, and the team played well against a good team. It’s the players and the seasons that we had, those are things I think about the most and the team right now, trying to get as many wins as we can near the end of the season.”
Murtagh, in her 21st season at Northeastern, is 300-149-10 (.670). Her 300 wins rank her ninth all-time among field hockey coaches who have coached exclusively at the Division I level. She is also the winningest field hockey coach at Northeastern and the winningest female coach in Husky history.
Murtagh has particularly enjoyed the confines of Sweeney Field, as 201 of her 300 wins have come at home.
She wasted no time collecting her first Husky win, as Northeastern downed Dartmouth 3-1 during her debut on Sept. 15, 1988. Murtagh said her first year was one of her more memorable one, and with good reason. The Huskies went 16-4-2 that year and advanced to the Final Four. It’s fair to say that when Northeastern switched to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) following the 2004 season, the rest of America East breathed a sigh of relief. During their time in the conference, the Huskies captured 10 America East titles in 15 years and posted an overall conference record of 74-19-3.
The Huskies have made 14 appearances in the NCAA tournament during her tenure, including three trips to the Final Four, the most recent in 1996.
Only five field hockey coaches have made more appearances in the NCAA tournament than Murtagh. She has also been honored by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association as Northeast Coach of the Year seven times and was America East Coach of the Year five times.
Murtagh notched her 100th win on Nov. 6, 1994 over New Hampshire and her 200th came in a 1-0 decision over Hofstra on Oct. 14, 2001.
Mari Creatini, Northeastern’s all-time leading scorer, played for Murtagh from 2001-2004. In addition to being on hand for Murtagh’s 200th win, Creatini saw the Huskies capture the America East crown in each of her four seasons.
“I thought she was the main reason why I was successful as a player and [we] were successful as a team,” Creatini said. “I thought she always pushed people to be all that they could, she brought me to another level. She sees a lot of potential in people that may not believe in themselves.”
The current captains of Murtagh’s squad share Creatini’s sentiments.
“It was great [for her to get 300 wins] to show her success,” said senior back and co-captain Jillian Wilkes “It’s good to play for a coach who knows what it takes to win and coach a good team.”
“It was really cool,” senior co-captain and midfielder Ashley Bascetta said of Murtagh’s 300th win. “She’s a great coach and well respected by all her players and every other coach in Divison I.”
