Northeastern University Athletics

• Cheryl Murtagh Year-by-Year Record

Head coach Cheryl Murtagh returns to the sidelines for her 30th season at the helm of the Northeastern field hockey program in 2017.

In her first 29 seasons in Boston, Murtagh gives the Huskies plenty to be proud of, both on and off the field. She's led Northeastern to 10 America East titles and the Huskies first CAA regular season title following the 2014 season, twice stringing together four-consecutive conference championships. Under Murtagh, the Huskies have reached the NCAA Tournament 16 times, including three Final Four appearances. A seven-time Northeast Region Coach of the Year, Murtagh enters the season with 399 career wins collected over 31 seasons, which is tops of any female coach in NU history and seventh most among active Division-I coaches.

The 2015 and 2016 seasons saw six players named to the All-CAA First and Second teams including Natalie Stewart who became just the second ever Husky to be named to the All-CAA First Team and NFHCA All-Region teams in each of her four seasons at Northeastern (Crystal Poland, 2009-12). 

After an outstanding performance in 2014, Northeastern earned a 14-5 (.737) record and their first-ever CAA regular season championship. Five players garnered All-CAA honors, and Murtagh was named the 2014 CAA Co-Coach of the Year.

In 2013, Murtagh's team finished 8-13, but advanced to the CAA championship game for the third straight season. She helped develop several young players on the roster, including goalkeeper Becky Garner, who was named to the All-CAA Rookie Team. Along with Garner, Murtagh assisted in the growth of Jessica Unger, who was one of eight players in the CAA with two or more defensive saves and Emmy Zweserijn, who finished 2013 with a team-high 65 shots and four assists.

In 2012, Murtagh guided the Huskies to a 14-7 (5-2 CAA) record, reaching the conference title game for the second straight season. With the help of senior All-American Crystal Poland, who broke the school record in both career goals (78) and career points (179), NU earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and finishing the season ranked 12th in the nation.

The 2012 campaign was also a memorable one on a personal level for Murtagh, who was inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association's Hall of Fame, as well as the Northeastern University Varsity Club Hall of Fame.

Much of Murtagh’s success can be attributed to the quality of student-athletes she has recruited to play at Northeastern. Under her watch, Northeastern has garnered 41 All-America selections, including 17 named to the first team. NU has had 106 selections to All-Northeast Region teams and 72 Huskies have been named first-team All-Conference. In addition, 12 of Murtagh’s star players have been named conference Player of the Year. Murtagh’s players also have excelled in the classroom, with seven Academic All-America selections and numerous NFHCA Academic Squad honorees.

In 2012 alone, two Huskies earned All-America honors, including Crystal Poland's first team and Deirdre Duke's third-team selections. Additionally, five Huskies performed well enough during the season to earn All-CAA recognition by the conference.

A part of the highly competitive Colonial Athletic Association since 2005, Northeastern has held its own against a conference that features six national champions since 1991, including 2016 National Champs Delaware. NU holds a 45-41 record in conference action, but has five appearances in the CAA Tournament, including three appearances in the championship game, in 2005, 2011 and 2012.

In Northeastern’s final season in the America East Conference in 2004, Murtagh led the Huskies to their 13th America East Tournament final and their 10th championship in the 14-year history of the tournament. Over that span, Northeastern went 24-4 in the annual conference event and held a superb 74-19-3 America East regular-season record.

Northeastern ranks 10th all-time for most NCAA tournament appearances in all of Division I (16). Murtagh has guided the Huskies to three Final Four appearances, most recently with back-to-back trips in 1995 and 1996. In 1995, Murtagh’s Huskies pulled off a big upset, toppling No. 2 Iowa in the quarterfinals to advance to the Final Four. In 1996, the Huskies knocked off perennial powers Massachusetts and Connecticut before narrowly falling to eventual repeat champion North Carolina. Northeastern came up just short of the national semifinals in 2002, losing in a penalty-stroke shootout to Michigan State in the quarterfinals, and again in 2004, falling to eventual national champion Wake Forest in the quarterfinals. But perhaps Murtagh’s most impressive year was in her rookie season of 1988, when she took a blue-collar group of players to Northeastern’s first Final Four and a third-place finish with a 1-0 win over Pennsylvania in the consolation match. It was the culmination of four years as an assistant under Joan Broderick, and it set the tone for Murtagh’s remarkable career.

In total, Murtagh has amassed 41 conference and NCAA Tournament victories, including impressive wins over mainstays Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts and Providence. Under her direction, the Huskies have recorded at least one postseason victory in 22 of the last 29 seasons.

Murtagh has presided over her share of both offensive juggernauts and defensive stars in her time at Northeastern. In 1997, the Huskies scored a program-record 77 goals, averaging 3.67 per match. In 2003, two-time All-American Mari Creatini led the nation in points with 72, an NU program record which still stands. In Murtagh’s first season, 1988, Northeastern allowed a meager 11 goals in 22 games, the second fewest ever allowed in Division I history. In 1992, the Huskies followed that performance up with a nation-best 13 goals allowed and program record of 14 shutouts, the ninth-most in the Division I books.

A Rowley, Mass., native, Murtagh began her illustrious career at Bishop Fenwick High School as a multi-sport athlete, where she now is enshrined in the Crusaders' Hall of Fame. Aside from playing midfielder on the field hockey field, Murtagh was named a Parade All-American and was inducted into the Springfield Hall of Fame for her success on the basketball court for Bishop Fenwick.

Choosing to play field hockey for the University of New Hampshire, Murtagh became a two-time All-American for the Wildcats, in 1979 and 1980, and was eventually inducted into the school's Hall of Fame for her accomplishments on and off the field. Before graduating UNH in 1981 with a degree in physical education, Murtagh was honored by being selected to play for the National Elite Squad, a team comprised of the nation's top 30 players.

Following her time as a player, Murtagh turned her focus to the sidelines, taking the head coach position at Division II Bentley College in 1982 for two seasons. Following her stint at Bentley, Murtagh accepted an assistant coach role at Northeastern under then-head coach Joan Broderick, setting the stage for her to take the reigns of the Northeastern program in 1988.

Northeastern's hiring of Murtagh has paid off immensely, as a well-trained coach dedicated to building one of the best programs in the nation came on board. She has since become one of the most successful Huskies coaches of all time. Murtagh enters the 2017 season with the second-longest tenure of any active Northeastern head coach and is the longest tenured current NU women’s coach. During her time in Boston, Murtagh has earned her MBA from Northeastern in 1991 and has since been inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. Adding to the laurels, Murtagh also is a member of the New England Women's Sports Foundation's Hall of Fame. 

In addition to directing Northeastern, Murtagh has taken her coaching skills to the national level, working with the U.S. National Program for more than 20 years. She has served as an assistant coach with the national team and was the head coach of the Under-21 team, leading the squad to a gold medal. She also was the head coach for the U.S. Under-18 team, winning a pair of golds. In 2001, Murtagh was the head coach for the U.S. Under-19 team.