Kayla Joyce Gives Verbal Commitment to Northwestern
North Allegheny junior goalie Kayla Joyce recently announced her verbal commitment to play college field hockey at one of the premier field hockey programs in the nation, Northwestern University.
Joyce entered her junior season this past fall as one of the top field hockey players and goalies in the country, according to MaxPreps Top 150 player rankings. The North Allegheny net minder lived up to and exceeded all expectations with a spectacular campaign. Joyce posted six shutouts and made 311 saves to help North Allegheny to another WPIAL playoff berth and a semifinal round appearance. A brick wall for the black and gold, Joyce had a season-high 48 saves against Magnficat on Sept. 16. By season’s end, Joyce earned All-WPIAL laurels for her dazzling junior year performance.
At Northwestern, Joyce will play for one of the top NCAA Division I programs in the nation. In 2023, the Wildcats went 21-2 and reached the NCAA National Championship game before narrowly falling to North Carolina in the title tilt, 2-1, in an overtime shootout. Northwestern went 8-0 in Big 10 play and cruised to a Big 10 Tournament championship. The Wildcats finished as national runners-up in 2022 and won the national championship in 2021.
Additionally, Joyce will join a program known for boasting some of the top goaltenders in the NCAA. This past season, senior Annabel Skubisz shut out 13 opponents – the most ever by a Northwestern player in a season – and helped the team to a national best 0.65 goals-against-average on the season. Skubisz was also named the Big 10 Tournament MVP, among numerous accolades.