Northwestern University Athletics
Coykendall’s Journey to Becoming Northwestern’s Vocal Offensive Engine
5/3/2023 1:52:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
Since third grade Erin Coykendall wanted to play lacrosse at Northwestern, now she is living her dream for the No. 1 'Cats.
EVANSTON, Ill. – As the crowd at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium celebrated Northwestern's second goal in under four minutes against No. 12 Maryland, all eyes were locked on senior attacker Erin Coykendall.
Coykendall had little involvement in the preceding events, which saw graduate student attacker Hailey Rhatigan connect with first-year attacker Madison Taylor for a goal to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead. In fact, Coykendall was standing nowhere near the goal when Taylor's shot squeezed past the Terrapin goaltender. But once the Wildcats huddled together, six pairs of eyes locked in on the Spencerport, New York, native.
The cameras only caught 10 or so seconds of the huddle, but it was a glimpse inside a common occurrence for the 'Cats, one in which Coykendall — Northwestern's de facto on-field coach — illustrates her impact beyond her offensive playmaking.
"I know a lot of times we'll score and the camera will zoom in and it's me doing a lot of talking," Coykendall said. "But it's usually me just saying something like, "Maddie (Taylor) scored because Dylan (Amonte) cut through for her and brought that defender with her.'"
The pauses after a goal or as the teams are setting up for the next draw provide Coykendall a chance to deliver any in-game adjustments to her teammates. Most of the time, she tries to keep the messaging simple, whether that's a quick explanation of why the offense is humming or offering some general encouragement amid a rut.
Coykendall said the decision on how to relay her on-field thoughts is rooted in her ability to read her teammates and whether they are engaged or a little flustered.
"It's just about knowing people, being able to read their body language and if they're processing what I'm saying or if I need to step back and try to rephrase it at the end of a quarter or halftime," Coykendall said.
Coykendall's journey to becoming not only a regular fixture under coach Kelly Amonte Hiller but Northwestern lacrosse's vocal engine has been a long one, dating all the way back to elementary school.
As a third grader, Coykendall wrote herself a letter outlining her future plans. Once finalized, it would be stored away and eventually delivered back to her during her senior year of high school. One of those goals was that she wanted to be a Northwestern lacrosse player.
Nearly 10 years after she put pen to paper, that dream became a reality when Coykendall made her debut for the Wildcats against Detroit Mercy on February 7, 2020. She tallied her first goal for Northwestern just 70 seconds into the match as the 'Cats routed the Titans 30-3. However, her first season in Evanston would be cut short after just seven games following the outbreak of COVID-19.
Coykendall, who committed to Northwestern the summer before her freshman year of high school, missed most of the fall during her first year in Evanston while recovering from surgery. When the season commenced, Coykendall found herself adjusting to the "learning curve" and as a result, became a "little more passive and quiet" in her opening few appearances for the 'Cats.
Still, even as a first-year, Coykendall said some of the older players on the team looked to her for advice regarding tactics or pre-game strategy. That trust slowly built Coykendall's confidence as a vocal leader, though she still wasn't completely outspoken in games. Following a loss to Syracuse, Coykendall said Amonte Hiller asked to meet with her.
The 'Cats had just fallen to the Orange 16-11 in Ryan Fieldhouse. Coykendall had two assists in the game, but Amonte Hiller was searching for something more.
"I was definitely quiet during the first few games," Coykendall said of her first year. "We lost to Syracuse and (Amonte Hiller) called me in. She told me, 'I know you're a first-year, but you're on the field for a reason.' That kind of sparked some confidence in me knowing that they were giving me the green light to speak up and be more assertive in the decisions I make on the field."
While her first season ended abruptly, the confidence boost carried Coykendall into her sophomore campaign. On the nation's No. 1 offensive unit in 2021, she tallied a team-high 44 assists along with 21 goals. Riding a 15-game win streak into the Final Four, Northwestern's bid for a perfect season fell short in a 21-13 loss to Syracuse.
The following year, Coykendall started all 21 games for the 'Cats, more than doubling her scoring output from the previous season with 45 goals. Nevertheless, Northwestern and Coykendall suffered a similar fate in 2022, marching again to the Final Four, before ultimately falling short in its quest for a national title after surrendering a fourth-quarter lead to North Carolina.
Heading into her senior year, Coykendall said her trainer challenged her to tally 40 goals and 40 assists this season. As the 'Cats ready for the Big Ten Tournament semifinal on Thursday, Coykendall has already reached the mark, having scored 42 goals and tacking on 40 assists in 16 games so far this season.
While Coykendall said she doesn't keep up with stats, her shift from being a "feeder" to a goalscoring threat has opened up holes for Northwestern's arsenal of offensive weapons.
"On offense we have seven girls who can score at any time," Coykendall said. "We take pride in that and we believe that whoever (opponents) want to put on us, we'll find a way to beat them (together)."
Coykendall acknowledged that there's "a lot of games" where the team could let graduate student attacker and the nation's leading goalscorer Izzy Scane or Rhatigan dodge and the goals would pour in for the 'Cats. But that's not always the case, and those pregame adjustments are where Coykendall has seen the coaches entrust her with more responsibility this season.
Coykendall said strategizing before games is a balancing act. On the one hand, a lot can be gleaned from an opposing defense's tendencies and tactics. On the flip side, heading into a game with a preset notion of how a team will perform could set Northwestern up for trouble, should the opponent make a noticeable switch defensively. Still, after four years in Evanston, Coykendall said it's all become a bit more natural.
"They've kind of opened it up a lot more for me," Coykendall said. "I'm constantly in the office talking to Scott (Hiller) before games and just bouncing ideas off of each other. That's kind of helped me feel more comfortable as well, just knowing that they trust me, that they're asking for my opinion, taking it into consideration and then sharing that with the group."
Coykendall said she and Hiller are in constant communication, collecting film and collaborating on how best to attack the next opponent. The off-field communication blends into in-game scenarios, too.
"Sometimes, in the game with bigger adjustments, it's a little harder for me to take a step back and verbalize that to the team," Coykendall said. "Having Scott there, I can go up to him and spit ball a bunch of stuff and he'll know exactly what I'm talking about and be able to rephrase it to the team."
Entering the Big Ten Tournament as the conference's regular season champions, Northwestern finds itself atop the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll as the No. 1 team in the nation. The Wildcats will face No. 16 Michigan at 5 p.m. CT in the two teams' second meeting in 2023 — Northwestern won the first game 16-8.
Coykendall remembers the heartbreak from last season against the Tar Heels, which saw her thrust onto national television after the loss for a postgame interview. As the 'Cats gear up for postseason play, the message is clear: Play a complete 60 minutes and finish strong.
"Our main focus is taking the air away from (opponents) and not letting them feel any sense of coming back," Coykendall said. "We're not going to hold anything back."
Coykendall had little involvement in the preceding events, which saw graduate student attacker Hailey Rhatigan connect with first-year attacker Madison Taylor for a goal to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead. In fact, Coykendall was standing nowhere near the goal when Taylor's shot squeezed past the Terrapin goaltender. But once the Wildcats huddled together, six pairs of eyes locked in on the Spencerport, New York, native.
The cameras only caught 10 or so seconds of the huddle, but it was a glimpse inside a common occurrence for the 'Cats, one in which Coykendall — Northwestern's de facto on-field coach — illustrates her impact beyond her offensive playmaking.
"I know a lot of times we'll score and the camera will zoom in and it's me doing a lot of talking," Coykendall said. "But it's usually me just saying something like, "Maddie (Taylor) scored because Dylan (Amonte) cut through for her and brought that defender with her.'"
The pauses after a goal or as the teams are setting up for the next draw provide Coykendall a chance to deliver any in-game adjustments to her teammates. Most of the time, she tries to keep the messaging simple, whether that's a quick explanation of why the offense is humming or offering some general encouragement amid a rut.
Coykendall said the decision on how to relay her on-field thoughts is rooted in her ability to read her teammates and whether they are engaged or a little flustered.
"It's just about knowing people, being able to read their body language and if they're processing what I'm saying or if I need to step back and try to rephrase it at the end of a quarter or halftime," Coykendall said.
Coykendall's journey to becoming not only a regular fixture under coach Kelly Amonte Hiller but Northwestern lacrosse's vocal engine has been a long one, dating all the way back to elementary school.
As a third grader, Coykendall wrote herself a letter outlining her future plans. Once finalized, it would be stored away and eventually delivered back to her during her senior year of high school. One of those goals was that she wanted to be a Northwestern lacrosse player.
Erin Coykendall isn't just a player when she's out on the field, she directs traffic and dictates the tempo of the game.
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 19, 2018
She's the @USMarineCorps Athlete of the Year. pic.twitter.com/RqFT6UwVY4
Nearly 10 years after she put pen to paper, that dream became a reality when Coykendall made her debut for the Wildcats against Detroit Mercy on February 7, 2020. She tallied her first goal for Northwestern just 70 seconds into the match as the 'Cats routed the Titans 30-3. However, her first season in Evanston would be cut short after just seven games following the outbreak of COVID-19.
Coykendall, who committed to Northwestern the summer before her freshman year of high school, missed most of the fall during her first year in Evanston while recovering from surgery. When the season commenced, Coykendall found herself adjusting to the "learning curve" and as a result, became a "little more passive and quiet" in her opening few appearances for the 'Cats.
Still, even as a first-year, Coykendall said some of the older players on the team looked to her for advice regarding tactics or pre-game strategy. That trust slowly built Coykendall's confidence as a vocal leader, though she still wasn't completely outspoken in games. Following a loss to Syracuse, Coykendall said Amonte Hiller asked to meet with her.
?? ?????? ???????????????????? ??
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) April 6, 2022
A student of the game, nobody prepares like Erin Coykendall ??#GoCats | @NU_Sports pic.twitter.com/sdqpbtdtcN
The 'Cats had just fallen to the Orange 16-11 in Ryan Fieldhouse. Coykendall had two assists in the game, but Amonte Hiller was searching for something more.
"I was definitely quiet during the first few games," Coykendall said of her first year. "We lost to Syracuse and (Amonte Hiller) called me in. She told me, 'I know you're a first-year, but you're on the field for a reason.' That kind of sparked some confidence in me knowing that they were giving me the green light to speak up and be more assertive in the decisions I make on the field."
While her first season ended abruptly, the confidence boost carried Coykendall into her sophomore campaign. On the nation's No. 1 offensive unit in 2021, she tallied a team-high 44 assists along with 21 goals. Riding a 15-game win streak into the Final Four, Northwestern's bid for a perfect season fell short in a 21-13 loss to Syracuse.
The following year, Coykendall started all 21 games for the 'Cats, more than doubling her scoring output from the previous season with 45 goals. Nevertheless, Northwestern and Coykendall suffered a similar fate in 2022, marching again to the Final Four, before ultimately falling short in its quest for a national title after surrendering a fourth-quarter lead to North Carolina.
Heading into her senior year, Coykendall said her trainer challenged her to tally 40 goals and 40 assists this season. As the 'Cats ready for the Big Ten Tournament semifinal on Thursday, Coykendall has already reached the mark, having scored 42 goals and tacking on 40 assists in 16 games so far this season.
While Coykendall said she doesn't keep up with stats, her shift from being a "feeder" to a goalscoring threat has opened up holes for Northwestern's arsenal of offensive weapons.
"On offense we have seven girls who can score at any time," Coykendall said. "We take pride in that and we believe that whoever (opponents) want to put on us, we'll find a way to beat them (together)."
Coykendall acknowledged that there's "a lot of games" where the team could let graduate student attacker and the nation's leading goalscorer Izzy Scane or Rhatigan dodge and the goals would pour in for the 'Cats. But that's not always the case, and those pregame adjustments are where Coykendall has seen the coaches entrust her with more responsibility this season.
Coykendall said strategizing before games is a balancing act. On the one hand, a lot can be gleaned from an opposing defense's tendencies and tactics. On the flip side, heading into a game with a preset notion of how a team will perform could set Northwestern up for trouble, should the opponent make a noticeable switch defensively. Still, after four years in Evanston, Coykendall said it's all become a bit more natural.
"They've kind of opened it up a lot more for me," Coykendall said. "I'm constantly in the office talking to Scott (Hiller) before games and just bouncing ideas off of each other. That's kind of helped me feel more comfortable as well, just knowing that they trust me, that they're asking for my opinion, taking it into consideration and then sharing that with the group."
Coykendall said she and Hiller are in constant communication, collecting film and collaborating on how best to attack the next opponent. The off-field communication blends into in-game scenarios, too.
"Sometimes, in the game with bigger adjustments, it's a little harder for me to take a step back and verbalize that to the team," Coykendall said. "Having Scott there, I can go up to him and spit ball a bunch of stuff and he'll know exactly what I'm talking about and be able to rephrase it to the team."
Entering the Big Ten Tournament as the conference's regular season champions, Northwestern finds itself atop the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll as the No. 1 team in the nation. The Wildcats will face No. 16 Michigan at 5 p.m. CT in the two teams' second meeting in 2023 — Northwestern won the first game 16-8.
Coykendall remembers the heartbreak from last season against the Tar Heels, which saw her thrust onto national television after the loss for a postgame interview. As the 'Cats gear up for postseason play, the message is clear: Play a complete 60 minutes and finish strong.
"Our main focus is taking the air away from (opponents) and not letting them feel any sense of coming back," Coykendall said. "We're not going to hold anything back."
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