Maryland player's big moment still sinking in
Emily Trycinski had been dreaming of the moment since her days as an up-and-coming field-hockey player in Nazareth, Pa.
And then it was there - the ball was in front of the Wake Forest net, and Trycinski, a Maryland senior, was in position to send the Terrapins toward their second consecutive NCAA title.
"Oh, my gosh - even today, I still can't believe it," said Trycinski, whose goal at the 30:08 mark was the difference as Maryland knocked off Wake Forest by a 1-0 count in the Nov. 19 national-championship game.
Trycinski told "ACC Nation" last week that she couldn't even remember how things transpired - though she has since seen the play on video.
"It was basically just a scramble - and I was in the right place at the right time," said Trycinski, a forward on the back-to-back national champs, who scored six goals and had a team-best .300 shooting percentage in her senior season.
It was tough repeating - Wake Forest was actually considered the team to beat for the better part of the '06 season, and entered the NCAAs ranked #1 in the country after defeating Maryland 1-0 in the finals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
"Coming into the season, I don't we even really focused on repeating. It wasn't really talked about. We just kind of went game by game - and each game focused on what we wanted to accomplish. And then we just ended up in the final. There was no real, like, We've got to make it, we've got to make it. It just happened for us, I think," Trycinski said.
Maryland sort of just happened for Trycinski as well. A two-time all-state performer in high school, she wanted to be able to help Maryland add to its portfolio of what was then three national field-hockey titles.
"I remember when I was younger looking at all the schools, and thinking, Wow, Maryland is so awesome. I can't imagine going there. And then I got a letter from them, and pursued them, and here I am, basically," Trycinski said.
And now, in a four-year flash, it's all over - though that has yet to begin to sink in for Trycinski.
"I don't think so, not yet - because I'm still hanging around with everybody," Trycinski said. "I don't think field hockey will ever go away for me completely. I'm a phys-ed major, and so I'll eventually be in a school setting, and maybe even coach high school. And I'm hoping to stay around next year and help out with the team occasionally. So it will definitely still be a part of my life."
Next year could be another solid one for Maryland - Trycinski thinks the program could be loaded for another run at a national title.
"We could do it all again. We still have Nicole Muracco, our scoring sensation, and we still have a strong backfield with Susie Rowe and Bri Davies. And we have upcoming Ellen Ott, who saw some time this year. So we definitely will have a strong team again," Trycinski said.
- Chris Graham