Boston College - 14, Northwestern - 13
THE MODERATOR: Welcome our National Runners-Up, the Northwestern Wildcats. Head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller and student-athletes Izzy Scane and Erin Coykendall.
KELLY AMONTE HILLER: I think it was an awesome game, awesome game for the sport today. Obviously we're not happy with the result, but just really proud of the group, the way they fought this year, this particular senior, fifth year, sixth year group, what they've done for our program has been pretty incredible. It's been a great ride, a great ride.
Kudos to BC. They played a tremendous game, a lot of fight, a lot of belief. They really deserved to win in the end. They made a few more plays than us.
Q. Izzy, I noticed when you walked in here and now sitting here, you've got a little bit of a smile on your face. I'm just wondering what's going through your head since the game has ended? What type of perspective do you have?
IZZY SCANE: Yeah, losing sucks, but I think more of the emotions are coming from just a really awesome experience at Northwestern. I made sisters, family members. I've grown so much as a person. The people around me, I've watched grow as people. And I've just had some of the best experiences of my entire life.
It sucks because it seemed like one game changes that. Like we lost, that sucks, but it's been a really, really incredible ride.
People like Erin and I had a little extra time, which we're super lucky. I'm very grateful for the time I had here and the experiences I had. So I'm just smiling because it's been awesome.
I love all the people I've met through the sport, through Northwestern, through everything. Yeah, so it's hard to not smile. I mean, losing sucks, but it's been a great ride. I'm glad I could finish my time in the last weekend of May and get as much out of it as possible, and get to spend the rest of the weekend with my best friends.
Q. Coach, how would you characterize the impact that players like Izzy, Erin make on this team (indiscernible)?
KELLY AMONTE HILLER: It's very hard to put it into words. These two young women, they care a lot about Northwestern lacrosse. They've just been great ambassadors their whole entire career. And really that's what it's about.
Q. Izzy, you guys talked a little bit about being able to have this weekend. Five straight Final Fours, what does it mean to you guys that basically every year you've been able to have this extra week? Obviously not ending well, but still one last time of getting this extra week with everyone?
ERIN COYKENDALL: I think Izzy touched on it. Obviously you come here and you do want to win, but at the end of the day, win or lose, this is the last day you have with your team. Every practice, every game, it's just let's just work for an opportunity to have another week together.
Obviously losing sucks. No one likes to lose. But I think just being able to know that you've really maximized your time here, regardless of the result, maximize the time that you get to spend with your best friends, you really can't ask for more.
IZZY SCANE: Yeah, same thing.
Q. Coach, you had talked about Erin and Izzy again, the best seat in the house to watch them just take women's lacrosse by storm, and maybe one of the best duos we've seen in a while in lacrosse. From sheer onfield watching them play standpoint, how much of a treat was that?
KELLY AMONTE HILLER: I mean, unreal. To get to work with players like them that have just an unreal level of competitiveness, a love and care for the game, those around them, and just like a selflessness that -- it's very rare to have stars that get along, to be honest, in any sport.
That's why these guys have done what they've done is because they're not about themselves. They're about like making sure they look good, and that's really been the culture of program. Hopefully the kids that we have carrying forward will continue to that addition.
Q. Izzy and Erin, obviously your families and your fans have been with you like this entire way, going to almost every game. What does it mean to you guys to be with them and like just to have that kind of support throughout the years?
IZZY SCANE: Yeah, it's awesome. I think, when you're playing at this level, it's really easy to let like pressure, expectations get to you, and I think when you have a support system like both of us are lucky enough to have with our family and our friends and the fans of Northwestern and our teammates and stuff and everyone involved, it takes a lot of weight off your shoulders when you know people like that aren't only happy for you or aren't only rooting for you when you're successful, but throughout the entire journey and whatever's happening.
I know both of us, neither of our parents care about the winning. They care about who we are as people and players. When you have that as kind of like a backbone to fall on, it's really easy to just enjoy the sport, enjoy growing as people and teammates, and very, very lucky to have that experience for sure.
Q. Izzy, you said you've made sisters. What is that love for your teammates and the love you have for each other? How do you think that's contributed to all the success you've been able to find the last couple of years?
IZZY SCANE: I think, when you're that close to a group of people, you'll do anything for them. I think we've been very lucky over the years at Northwestern that we have a lot of people that will take a bullet for the girls on the team. It's very much a team first mentality here at Northwestern.
I think that starts from the top-down, like that's just part of our culture. When you have a group of girls that are willing to do anything for the people around them, it allows for a high level of success and a high level of just loving care for what they're doing. When the focus isn't on yourself, individual things, individual staff, but just making the people around you better and feel loved and know that they're an important part of the success that we have, it's been a really awesome experience to be a part of. It's great.
ERIN COYKENDALL: I would just add to that, like the culture that we have doesn't just happen. It starts in the recruiting process. Kelly and Scott are so like specific and do their due diligence when they recruit people, and they're making sure they're recruiting good people, good families.
Then that's why we're able to kind of create this culture of love. That's why we can kind of walk away with a smile because of the relationships that we've created and everything.
Yeah, I think that it doesn't just happen. It goes years back, ten years back probably now at this point of Kelly recruiting us.
Q. Question for anybody. Madison Taylor with three goals today, also great performance in the semis. What do you say about just her and kind of the future?
KELLY AMONTE HILLER: I think Madison has done a great job. I think that she's lucky enough to play by these two's side, and that opens up a lot for her. She's been very steady for us. Just steady in all areas. Coming up with those last two draw controls, giving us a chance to win the game.
She's very reliable in that way, and I'm sure these ladies would say that she's really a joy to have on the team. She's always smiling and just gives her heart, just like she's got great leaders to look up to.
Q. Coach, tactically after the second quarter, when Kayla Martello had that string of goals for BC, what did you talk about at halftime about maybe making some defensive adjustments, if any?
KELLY AMONTE HILLER: I think just kind of keeping our eye on her and making sure that she wasn't able to be open on cuts, I think there were some things that they were doing. We changed some things.
I don't necessarily think it was our best day defensively. I wish we could have made a few more stops, but I was proud how they stayed resilient throughout and just still continued to try to gain possession for the offense.
Q. For Izzy and Erin, y'all's careers have come to an end and the next generation is coming up. What advice are you giving Maddie and Sam and the rest of them? I know these relationships don't end but--
IZZY SCANE: It's more than a sport obviously. It is what it is. We come to college to play. Obviously we love lacrosse. We love the game. But I think at least from my perspective, just enjoy as much as possible. Really pour into as many people as possible.
You're not going to be remembered for the amount of goals you score, the way you play, as much as you're going to be remembered as how you are as a teammate, how you are as a person, and a leader. I think that's something, as I got older, my mentality shifted a lot towards that. You want to pour into the kids that are going to be here once you're gone and into the culture that so many people have poured into you to help create.
It's a game at the end of the day. It's not too serious. Be a good teammate, be a good person, and the rest kind of comes with it.
Q. Izzy and Erin, obviously right now everything's a whirlwind. I know both of you were drafted into the Athletes Unlimited league. Aside from that, what does the future look like for both of you in terms of lacrosse?
ERIN COYKENDALL: I don't know (laughter).
KELLY AMONTE HILLER: Present moment.
ERIN COYKENDALL: Really people have been asking me what are you playing, what are you doing? I just tell them, even my parents, let's just get through this season. Let me just live in this moment.
Coming back for a fifth year and sixth year, there's a lot of laughs. And so you really just try to soak all those in and make the most of them and try to have the most fun you can with your teammates. Honestly not something I've given too much thought to.
Q. Izzy or Erin, you guys have both talked for years about how this was a lifelong dream to play at Northwestern. How much have you cherished the ability to experience and live out your dream for five, six years?
ERIN COYKENDALL: Yeah, I think you really can't put it into words. I think -- we just talked about it in the locker room. That's why it's so hard because we care so much. Our experience has been nothing short of amazing.
You look back at the years and the relationships that you've built, yeah, you can't beat it. You couldn't ask for anything more. That's why you come to Northwestern because of days like this. You meet great people and have those lifelong relationships.
IZZY SCANE: What she said.
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