Weekend College Games • Divison I and III NCAA Final Four

Weekend College Games: Division I and III NCAA Final Four

College field hockey has now entered NCAA Tournament Semifinal and Final play in Divisions I and III. USA Field Hockey highlights each Division Tournament this weekend.

DIVISION I
Trager Stadium | Louisville, Ky.
Friday, November 16 | Semifinals | 1:00 p.m. ET & 3:45 p.m. ET
Sunday, November 18 | Final | 1:00 p.m. ET

No. 1 North Carolina vs. Wake Forest  | 1:00 p.m. ET | NCAA Live
This match-up is a repeat of this year’s Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game, which North Carolina defeated Wake Forest to win program’s 21st title. These two teams have played twice this season and North Carolina was victorious both meetings.

The No.1 Tar Heels have gone a perfect 21-0 this season and maintained their undefeated record with a pair of wins in the NCAA First and Second Rounds, advancing them to the program’s 23rd NCAA Division I Field Hockey Semifinal. This is also the tenth year in a row that North Carolina has also made it to the NCAA Final Four. The Tar Heels beat William & Mary 4-0 in the First Round and went on to defeat Michigan 5-2 in the Second Round. North Carolina has not won a NCAA National Championship since 2009.

Wake Forest (13-9) had their ups and downs this season but is coming together heading into the Semifinal Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Demon Deacons recorded a pair of dramatic wins against ranked opponents to advance to the Semifinals. They defeated No. 7 Iowa 3-2 in the First Round and went on to upset No. 3 Duke 1-0 in a thrilling double overtime match in the Second Round. Both of these teams are extremely proficient on attacking penalty corners so keep an eye out for drag flicks, deceptive passes and deflections.

 

No. 2 Maryland vs. No. 3 Princeton | 3:45 p.m. ET | NCAA Live
To advance to the program’s first back-to-back NCAA Semifinal appearance in years, Maryland defeated Albany, 2-1, in the First Round and went on to upend No. 5 Connecticut, 2-1, in an exciting overtime win in the Second Round. The Terrapins took down the defeating National Champions, in a rematch of last year’s final. It took until the 23rd minute before the scoring opened for Connecticut, but two minutes later Maryland tallied one of their own. Three minutes into overtime a diving game-saving defensive save (featured on Monday’s SportsCenters Top-Ten plays) kept Maryland in the game, and three minutes later they sealed the victory.

Princeton topped No. 13 Virginia, 2-1, in the First Round before edging No. 6 Harvard, 2-1, in a comeback win in the Second Round. The Tigers scored twice in the second half, including the game winning goal in the final 4 minutes to advance to the Semifinals. This will also mark back-to-back appearances to the Final Four for Princeton and is their eighth Semifinal appearances overall. In 2015, these two teams met in the Semifinals where Maryland knocked out Princeton 3-1 to advance to the championship game. These two squads previously met in the regular season, where Terrapins defeated the Tigers, 5-4, in double overtime.

 

DIVISION III
Spooky Nook Sports | Lancaster, Pa.
Saturday, November 17 | Semifinals | 11:00 a.m. ET & 2:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, November 18 | Final | 1:00 p.m. ET

No. 9 Johns Hopkins vs. No. 4 Tufts  | 11:00 A.M. ET | NCAA Live
To advance to the program’s first-ever Semifinal appearances in program history, Johns Hopkins recorded a pair of wins in the Second and Third Rounds. The Blue Jays defeated FDU-Florham 4-0 in the Second Round and then went on to stun No. 1 ranked Messiah 3-2 in double overtime in the Third Round. This was Johns Hopkins first-ever win over Messiah in program history as they continue their hunt for their first-ever NCAA title.

Tufts earned wins in the Second and Third round to advance to the program’s fifth Final Four appearance. The Jumbo defeated Smith 3-0 in the Second Round and went on to take down Salisbury 1-0 in the Third Round. Tufts was the NCAA runner up in 2016 but haven’t won the title since 2012. Archives show that these teams have not crossed paths in the last ten years.

 No. 2 Middlebury vs. No. 3 Rowan | 2:00 p.m. ET | NCAA Live
No. 2  Middlebury will make their tenth trip to the NCAA Final Four in program history and are the reigning 2017 NCAA Champions, looking to earn back-to-back titles. The Panthers earned a pair of wins in the Second and Third Rounds, by defeating Keene St. 8-0 and TCNJ 5-1, respectively.

Rowan remains undefeated by earning a pair of wins in the Second and Third Rounds to advance to the Semifinals. Rowan defeated Lynchburg 1-0 in the First Round and Rochester N.Y. 4-0 in the Second Round. The last time Rowan made it to the Semifinals was in 2012. Within the last ten years, these two teams have never met.

 

0 comments

Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published