Maddie Davis had her eyes closed when the ball hit her stick.
When the Exeter resident opened them, she saw that the ball had gone into the back of the cage, securing the Saint Anselm College field hockey team the NCAA Division II national championship.
Davis scored the game-winning, overtime goal in the Hawks’ 1-0 triumph over Kutztown University in the national title game Sunday in Gaffney, South Carolina. She scored from the left post by redirecting teammate Grace Michael’s shot following a penalty corner.
It was the third consecutive penalty-corner opportunity for seventh-seeded Saint Anselm (18-6) against the No. 4 seed and defending national champion Golden Bears (16-6).
“You really never know where the ball is going to go when you chip it in,” said Davis, a fifth-year forward. “When I saw it was in the goal ... I didn’t even know how to react. One moment I was so excited. The next minute I’m on the ground balling my eyes out.”
The Division II national championship is Saint Anselm’s first in any sport.
Davis’s game-winning goal gave her the program records for career goals (38) and points (102).
Davis, who was part of Saint Anselm’s Northeast-10 Conference championship team last season, almost didn’t return for her final year of eligibility.
“It honestly was a really tough decision,” Davis said. “I really was unsure about it, but something was just telling me, ‘You’re not done yet.’ I really didn’t want to give it up so soon, especially because I didn’t have a freshman season (canceled by COVID).”
Davis led the Hawks and was third in the NE-10 in goals (15). She finished tied with Amanda Lewandowski for the team’s most points (31). For her efforts that included a career-high goal output, Davis was named to the All-NE-10 First Team for the second straight season.
Starting with Saint Anselm’s 5-4 NE-10 first-round win over Pace, Davis scored five goals in six playoff games.
Davis considers herself a smart player. Hawks coach Carolyn King-Robitaille, who owns a 169-76 record over 13 seasons leading the program, tells Davis all the time that she has a high field hockey IQ.
“I’m always looking for that perfect pass,” Davis said. “I’d say I’m aggressive in the circle. I’ll do what it takes to put the ball in the back of the net.”
The lone playoff game in which Davis did not score was Saint Anselm’s 3-0 loss at Assumption University in the NE-10 title game on Nov. 10.
The Hawks then defeated Assumption for the first time over three meetings this season to begin their national championship run.
Davis scored the game-tying goal and Millie Forster notched the game-winner in Saint Anselm’s 3-2 comeback win at Assumption in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Nov. 16.
The Greyhounds led by a 2-0 score 34:07 into the game.
“That gave us all the confidence in the world and I think we really owe it to that game to leading us to the final game,” Davis said.
The Hawks then reached the national championship game with a 3-0 semifinal triumph over third-seeded East Stroudsburg.
As they prepared for overtime in the final against Kutztown, the Hawks rallied around the fact that they were not the favored team at any point in their NCAA run, Davis said.
Davis’s game-winning goal came 66:33 into the final on a designed play off the penalty corner — Saint Anselm’s sixth of the game.
“I think our whole mindset going into this tournament was we’re the underdogs. Why not just win the whole thing?” Davis said. “We’re just some girls from New Hampshire trying to get this national title.”