Division III College Games: Conference Tournaments

HOST: HIGHER SEED | OCT 28, NOV 1 & 4

The 2023 Atlantic East Conference (AEC) Field Hockey Championship begins on Saturday with a pair of games before two more teams enter in the semifinals after a first-round bye. 

St. Mary’s earned the top seed for a third straight year but is seeking its first conference title in the fifth year of the AEC’s existence. The Seahawks closed the year on a five-game winning streak, all against conference foes, and piled up 27 goals in those games. The other first-round bye went to No. 2 seed Marywood, who boasts the conference’s top offense (3.8 goals per game). The Pacers won six of their last seven games, the lone setback a narrow 1-0 defeat to St. Mary’s.

Two-time defending champion Cabrini earned the fourth seed in what will be the program’s final year. The Cavaliers’ path to a three-peat and a return to the NCAA Tournament will run through fifth-seeded Neumann. In the regular season meeting, Cabrini rolled to a 5-1 win behind two goals and two assists from two-time AEC Player of the Year Caroline Gallagher. Gallagher leads the conference with 21 goals in 16 games.

The other play-in game features No. 3 Immaculata hosting No. 6 Gwynedd Mercy. Immaculata’s conference losses came to St. Mary’s and Marywood while proving their mettle in close conference games—they won a trio of one-goal games behind goalie Julia Levase leading the AEC in saves per game. Gwynedd Mercy, meanwhile, closed the year on a five-game losing streak but did take the Mighty Macs to double overtime on October 11th in a tournament preview. 

The lower seeded winner of the first round will draw St. Mary’s, while the other will travel to Marywood on Wednesday. The championship is scheduled for Saturday, November 4 and the victor earns an auto-bid to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | OCT 31, NOV 2 & 4

It will be an interesting postseason for the Centennial Conference –  the group contains four nationally ranked teams and two teams that did not appear in the 2022 conference tournament. 

Play kicks off with quarterfinals on Tuesday, October 31 – the four lowest seeds will fight for their spot in a semifinal match, while the top two seeds get a bye. No. 3 seed Franklin & Marshall will host No. 6 seed Ursinus in what is sure to be a thrilling match-up. The contest between the two earlier this season was their only game determined by a shootout, and ended 2-1 in favor of Franklin & Marshall. The two teams are side-by-side in the national rankings, with the Diplomats at No. 23 and the Bears at No. 24.

After failing to qualify for the postseason in 2022, Dickinson landed in the No. 4 seed via a tiebreaker with No. 5 seed Bryn Mawr, who they will be facing in the quarterfinal. Both teams ended the season with a 6-4 conference record, but it was the Red Devils who were victorious over the Owls in regular season play – shutting out then-No. 23 Bryn Mawr 1-0.

2022 NCAA runner-up Johns Hopkins clinched the number one seed with a 10-0 conference record, while Swarthmore came up with a big 8-2 season to claim number two. The Garnet entered the national rankings partway through this season and now sit up at No. 21. A dominant force in Division III with a 16-1 record, the Blue Jays are ranked third nationally – with wins over then-No. 3 Rowan, then-No. 4 Salisbury, and then-No. 4 Messiah. The two teams will each host a semifinal on Thursday, November 2, with Swarthmore playing the highest remaining seed and Johns Hopkins matching up against the lower seed.

The match to determine who will win the Centennial Conference crown will take place Saturday, November 4 at the location of the highest remaining seed. Johns Hopkins has been the winner the past four seasons, going on a run in the NCAA Tournament each time. The winner of the Centennial Conference gets an automatic bid to the NCAA postseason.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOVEMBER 1 & 4

The three-team Coast-to-Coast (C2C) conference — which sent a pair of teams to the NCAA Tournament last year — starts its two-game tournament with a play-in game on Wednesday before Saturday’s final. While the league doesn’t have an automatic qualifier, it is expected to continue its strong representation due to the quality of the teams.

No. 1 Christopher Newport — which ranks fourth nationally — earned the bye after beating both its leaguemates. The Captains are a perfect 16-0 on the season with wins over the likes of No. 12 Kean and No. 23 Franklin & Marshall. Despite postseason success like an NCAA Tournament win last year, Christopher Newport is looking for their first C2C championship since 2017 after four straight losses to Salisbury.

Salisbury, the two-seed, is just behind the Captains at No. 6 in the NFHCA poll. The Sea Gulls, who started last year 18-0 before a loss in the NCAA quarterfinals, enjoyed a similarly strong campaign this year — their only losses came to No. 3 Johns Hopkins, No. 5 Messiah, and the Captains. They’ll face off against Mary Washington, who dropped a pair of two-goal games to the other two C2C teams. Since the move to the three-team format, the Eagles are still searching for their first conference win and will hope to play spoiler to yet another Sea Gulls-Captains matchup.

The championship is scheduled for Saturday, November 4 at the Jennings Family Stadium in Newport News, Va. While there’s no auto-bid, there is the chance for a team to gain an important win in terms of positioning in the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOVEMBER 1, 3 & 5

A trio of teams earned a first-round bye in the Commonwealth Conference tournament, which opens up in prime time on Halloween before semifinals follow on Thursday.

Three teams atop the CCC standings finished deadlocked at 4-1 in conference play for a share of the regular season title, but tiebreakers handed Roger Williams the top seed followed by Endicott and University of New England.

The tournament’s opener features Western New England and Nichols. The host Golden Bears went 9-1 at home with the lone loss coming in the last game of the year. That record included a 6-0 shutout of Nichols on Senior Day in mid-October. Goalkeeper Ella Henry led the league with a .847 save percentage. Nichols traded wins and losses down the stretch and will look to find consistency to pull off an upset.

The winner of that game will face Roger Williams, who scored four-plus goals per game to top the conference. The Hawks had a tough stretch to end the year — narrow losses to University of New England, Connecticut College, and No. 20 MIT — but finished with a plus-40 goal differential behind leading goalscorer Chelsea King (20 goals). 

The other semifinal features Endicott and University of New England, who coincidentally played on Saturday. Endicott’s 2-1 win denied the Chargers a chance to claim the top seed, ending what had been a perfect conference record. The Gulls feature four dynamic goalscorers that rank in the top six of the CCC — Tori Swanson (19 goals), Maddy Dengler (13), Kathleen Reissfelder (11), and Reagan Hicks (10). UNE will be seeking to keep them in check and — having taken an early lead in that aforementioned regular season finale — return the favor to Endicott.

The championship — scheduled for Saturday, November 4 — will be at the highest seed remaining after the semifinals. The winner claims the CCC’s automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | OCT 30, NOV 2 & 4

A standalone play-in game on Monday afternoon opens up the Empire 8 tournament, which is features a familiar duo atop the seedings: No. 1 St. John Fisher and No. 2 Hartwick have split the last four E8 championships.

St. John Fisher, who capped a perfect E8 campaign with a 3-1 win over Houghton, is looking for its third title in the last four years. The Cardinals closed the year on a four-game winning streak. They’ll face either No. 4 Utica or No. 5 Russell Sage in the semifinals.

Utica, who won three straight titles in 2012-14, took down Russell Sage in the regular season. Alyssa Pisano scored in the fourth quarter for the Pioneers to take a decisive 2-1 lead that they’d hold in a win over the Gators. Russell Sage is making its first-ever appearance in the E8 tournament after starting its program in 2018.

Hartwick, on the other hand, suffered just one loss — to the top-seeded Cardinals. The Hawks went an impressive 6-1 at home, a mark that includes a 3-1 win over their first-round opponent Houghton. The first-round matchup could become a defensive battle quickly: Houghton’s Annika Galen and Hartwick’s Ashley Luppens rank first and second in the conference in goals against average at 1.33 and 1.88, respectively.

After the play-in and semifinal round, the highest seed remaining will host the Empire 8 Championship game. Will it be a familiar team holding the trophy at the end or will a newcomer break up the St. John Fisher-Hartwick run? Whoever it is will earn the conference’s auto-bid to the 2023 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | OCT 28, NOV 1 & 4

After plenty of tiebreakers were needed to separate the top five teams, the 2023 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Field Hockey Championship gets underway on Saturday with a four-game slate that gets started at 11 a.m. and runs into the late afternoon.

Johnson & Wales earned the top seed over Lasell by virtue of a 3-1 win a little under two weeks ago. Seeds three through five required similar sorting and it was Colby-Sawyer and Simmons that earned the final two hosting spots.

JWU is looking for its third straight conference crown, having dispatched Colby-Sawyer and Simmons in consecutive years. The Wildcats only lost one GNAC game in the regular season — in overtime — and will host No. 8 seed Regis. The Pride won back-to-back games to close the year but will have a stiff test against JWU — they lost to them, 12-0, in early September.

Lasell, paced by conference points leader Sheridan Blaha, is looking for its first GNAC crown after falling in three straight title games from 2017 to 2019. Blaha has piled up 23 goals and six assists in 15 games. They narrowly missed the top seed but will be motivated into a matchup with Saint Joseph’s (ME), who beat them in each of those championships. The Monks have lost five straight, including a 4-1 setback to Lasell.

The final two first round matchups feature Colby-Sawyer hosting No. 6 Rivier and Simmons facing No. 5 seed New England College. The first matchup had no shortage of dramatics in the regular seasons — Rivier erased deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 and beat Colby-Sawyer, 4-3, behind a hat trick from Reilly Swislosky. In the other, Simmons earned hosting rights thanks to a 2-1 overtime win over New England College back in September. The Sharks have won five straight and are 8-1 at home.

After the quarterfinals, the semifinals are scheduled for Wednesday, November 1. The championship — and the right to the league’s automatic bid into the 2023 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship — is scheduled for Saturday, November 4.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | OCT 28, NOV 1 & 4

The Landmark Conference tournament begins with quarterfinals on Saturday, October 28. The top six teams in a ten team conference have punched their ticket to move on, with Susquehanna claiming the No. 1 spot after a three-way tiebreaker with Catholic and Scranton. In the quarterfinals, No. 4 seed Moravian will host No. 5 seed Elizabethtown and No. 3 seed Scranton will host No. 6 seed Wilkes.

Moravian took on Elizabethtown just last week, defeating them 4-0, with two goals from Sarah Bietka and two assists from Jenna Segrave. Last season, the Greyhounds advanced all the way to the Landmark final where they fell 4-2 to Catholic. 

Wilkes breathed a sigh of relief when their final game of the regular season against Drew ended with a 1-0 win – the victory needed to claim their first ever appearance in the Landmark postseason. It was Maura Hensel’s first goal of 2023 that propelled the Colonels to victory. Their opponent Scranton on the other hand had just one loss in conference – to Susquehanna – and ended up at the number three slot by sheer goal differential. When the Royals faced the Colonels earlier this season, they registered a 4-1 victory.

No. 1 Susquehanna and No. 2 Catholic will both have a bye into the semifinal round, where they will play the winners of game one and two, respectively, on Wednesday, November 1. Reigning Landmark champion Catholic has picked up some impressive wins this season, including kicking off their campaign with a pair of 2-1 wins over TCNJ and Rowan. With Susquehanna’s only conference loss this season being to Catholic, they are guaranteed to play a team they have already defeated this year in their semifinal match-up. The semifinal winners will play in the Landmark final on Saturday, November 4, hosted by the highest remaining seed – the winner recieving a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | OCT 31, NOV 3 & 5

The first round of the Liberty League tournament kicks off at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 31 with a match between fourth seed Vassar and fifth seed Union. The two teams were similar in conference play this season – they both lost to No. 1 seed Ithaca and No. 3 seed Rochester, but defeated No. 2 seed William Smith. The third conference loss for Union was to Vassar last weekend – Sydney Kovel netted the lone goal for the Brewers off an assist from Molly Zahnleuter. 

Despite losing to Vassar and Union, William Smith was able to clinch the number two seed with big wins over Rochester and Ithaca this season. No. 3 seed Rochester will rematch the Herons in the semifinals, which are set to take place on Friday, November 3. Last season, the two met in the Liberty League championship, where William Smith defeated Rochester 1-0. 

Coming in at the No. 1 spot is Ithaca, who will play their semifinal against the winner of Union versus Vassar. The Bombers defeated Vassar 2-1 last weekend and shutout Union 4-0 earlier this season.

The final will take place on Sunday, November 5, hosted by the highest remaining seed. The winner recieves an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | OCT 31, NOV 2 & 4

After Keene State’s six titles in a row from 2013-18, three different teams have claimed a title in the last three Little East tournaments. Can top-seeded Southern Maine continue that stretch and break through for its first since 2003? That’s one of the biggest questions heading into the Little East tournament, which opens with a pair of quarterfinal games on Halloween.

Southern Maine earned the top seed for a second year in a row and will host the winner of the game between last year’s champion, VTSU Castleton, and Eastern Connecticut. Castleton won its first-ever LEC championship last year but split its six conference games as an encore. The Spartans do boast the league’s top offense, averaging over four goals per game — highlighted by reigning LEC Offensive Player of the Year Emily Harris (43 goals in 2023). Eastern Connecticut, who won in 2021, fell to the Spartans by a 9-2 margin in the regular season. 

The Huskieshave four players with nine-plus goals and beat both of their potential opponents in the regular season — in fact, they went a perfect six-for-six on LEC games. Keene State, who earned the No. 2 seed, is the other team that earned a first-round bye. In a potential title game preview, Southern Maine beat the Owls, 5-4, in a game that saw four lead changes.

Keene State will face the winner of Plymouth State and Western Connecticut. Third-seeded Plymouth State hosts after a late-season surge that saw them win their last four games. The Panthers’ Taylor Healey had a remarkable year, totaling 23 goals and eight assists for a sterling 54-point effort. The regular season meeting with the Wolves was a dramatic double-overtime game that ended with Healey scoring the game-winner in the 76th minute.

After the two rounds, the LEC championship game — which earns the winner a bid to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship — will be held on Saturday, November 4.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 1, 3 & 5

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOVEMBER 1 & 4

On Wednesday night, the MAC Commonwealth opens up its tournament with a pair of semifinal matches — and the biggest question is undoubtedly whether any team can end Messiah’s run of 15 straight conference championships.

Messiah won all seven of its conference games, including a top-seed deciding victory over York on the last day of the regular season. All the way up at No. 5 in the national rankings, the Falcons have lost just one game all season — to No. 3 Johns Hopkins in overtime. They’ll face fourth-seeded Stevenson in the first round, who Messiah beat 8-1 back in early October. The Mustangs will look to flip the script, entering with a three-game winning streak and the conference’s leader in goals (17) and assists (8) in Emma Gladstein.

York wasn’t able to knock the Falcons off their perch in the regular season but will be hoping for another shot at Messiah. The Spartans rank ninth nationally and had won eight of nine before their latest loss. That run included an overtime victory over their first-round opponent, No. 3 Widener. The teams were scoreless through regulation before a 63rd-minute game-winner for York’s Maggie Spadafora. Widener won three of four to close the year out, including a win over fellow tournament team Stevenson.

The winners of the semifinals square off in the MAC Commonwealth title game on Saturday, November 4. An auto-bid to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship will be at stake.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOVEMBER 1 & 4

It took until the final day to settle the regular season champion and No. 1 seed, but Stevens’ 3-0 win over DeSales — in a matchup of the last two conference tournament champions — secured their top billing in the MAC Freedom Championship. Semifinals get started on Wednesday, November 1.

Stevens will face fourth-seeded Arcadia, last year’s runners-up in the tournament. The Ducks went unbeaten in MAC play and closed the year on a 12-game winning streak. Goalie Lily Wierzbicki has been among the league’s best, topping the rankings in goals against average (0.286) and save percentage (.929). She’ll be tasked with containing the ever-dangerous Morganne Dee of the Knights, who leads the league in goals (19). In the regular season meeting, Stevens came away with a 2-0 shutout. Dee was turned away by Wierzbicki three times in that matchup.

In the other semifinal, DeSales hosts Lebanon Valley in a rematch of an absolute thriller of a regular season game. Back in early October, the Bulldogs won a dramatic double-overtime game, 4-3, behind two goals from Maddie Trocki. That snapped a seven-game winning streak in the all-time series for the Flying Dutchmen, who will seek to avenge that loss. Lebanon Valley’s lineup is highlighted by a pair of nine-goal scorers in Gracie Johnson and Rebecca Lane.

The two semifinal winners will meet on the higher seeds turf for the championship match on Saturday, November 4. The winner earns the conference’s auto-bid to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship.

HOST: HUSSON | OCT 28 & 29

Saturday marks the start of the 2023 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Field Hockey Championship at Husson’s Winkin Complex in Bangor, Maine. It’s the first time that the NAC has held a field hockey tournament and is a two-day, three-game event.

The top-seeded Eagles won all four of their conference games to earn the top seed and hosting rights. In those four games, Husson outscored opponents by a 32-2 margin with Teagan Blackie (13 goals) and Maddie Perkins (10 goals) leading the way. Husson faces fourth-seeded UMaine Farmington for the third time this year. The previous two meetings went the Eagles’ way by identical 9-0 scorelines.

No. 2 Thomas, meanwhile, enjoyed similarly strong results in conference play — the Terriers outscored their conference opponents, 31-4, but lost to Husson in NAC play, 4-2. The actually beat the top-seeded Eagles, 3-1, earlier in the year but it was a non-conference contest. Julia Reny is the conference’s top goal scorer with 36 in 18 games.

Thomas faces third-seeded SUNY Morrisville, who snapped a five-game losing streak with an emphatic 5-0 shutout of Wells College to close the regular season. Their meeting with the Terriers a few weeks ago ended with an 8-0 shutout for Thomas.

A potential championship matchup of Husson and Thomas would have no shortage of storylines with the duo splitting the regular season meetings, each winning by two goals. The championship is scheduled for Sunday, October 29, at 4 p.m.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | OCT 28, NOV 4 & 5

It’s another high-powered postseason for the NESCAC, with the four quarterfinal contests all being ranked match-ups. The quarterfinals will begin on Saturday, October 28 at 11 a.m., with each higher seed hosting.

To no one’s surprise, Middlebury clinched the No. 1 spot for the sixth consecutive year. The 15-0 Panthers have also been ranked as the top team in Division III for the entire season, downing every opponent they come across, and every NESCAC team for that matter. They have outscored opponents 78-8 and have nine total shutouts this season. Taking on the Panthers will be No. 8 seed Trinity, who currently ranks No. 22 in Division III. The Bantams fell 6-2 when they took on the Panthers earlier this season.

No. 2 seed Tufts will host No. 7 seed Amherst. Last season, the Jumbos went all the way to the NESCAC championship, where they fell 2-0 to Middlebury. Ranked No. 7 in the nation, Tufts defeated Amherst 2-1 in a tight overtime match earlier this season. No. 7 seed Amherst, who is currently ranked No. 15 in the nation, is looking to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2015.

After going a record breaking 7-3 in conference play, Bates picked up the No. 3 seed and will host a quarterfinal for the first time in program history. A pair of sisters lead the Bobcat offense – Anna Cote and Paige Cote have a combined 18 goals and 11 assists. The two each had an assist in this season’s 3-1 victory over Bowdoin, defeating them for the second consecutive year after a 39 year spell. The Polar Bears received the No. 6 seed spot after an intricate tiebreaker between them, Wesleyan, and Amherst. Bowdoin is currently ranked No. 13 nationally while Bates sits at No. 8.

Winning the three-way tiebreaker with their 3-4 record against the top eight NESCAC teams, Wesleyan is back in the postseason for the first time since 2013. The Cardinals will travel to No. seed 4 Williams, who had defeated them 3-2 earlier this season. Wesleyan currently ranks 16th nationally while Williams is No. 10.

The semifinals will commence on Saturday, November 4, with both taking place at the highest remaining seed. The host will match-up against the lowest remaining seed at 11 a.m., and the two remaining teams will play each other at 1:30 p.m. The final will take place at the same site as the semifinals at noon on Sunday, November 5. The champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and it is likely there will be several additional teams that move on in the postseason.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | OCT 31, NOV 2 & 4

After a thrilling nine-game conference slate, the NEWMAC’s six-team conference tournament has taken shape with two quarterfinals on Halloween before the semifinals follow two days later on Thursday, November 2.

There’s a target firmly on top-seeded Babson’s back as the Beavers — ranked second in the nation — have won the last seven conference regular season titles outright and are back-to-back NEWMAC tournament champions. Babson averaged over five goals per game this season and lost just one game all year to No. 1 Middlebury, the five-time defending champions.

They’ll face the winner of Springfield and Smith, with the latter hosting as the four seed. Springfield closed the year on a four-game win streak, erasing what had seemed to be an insurmountable 1-5 start to NEWMAC play. The Pride are led by Kaitlin Bardellini, who tallied 16 goals and nine assists as an all-around offensive threat. Smith, meanwhile, earned their hosting spot with a dramatic overtime win over Wheaton to end the regular season. In the last matchup, Springfield secured a 2-0 shutout.

The other team with a first-round bye is second-seeded MIT, who ranks 20th nationally. The Engineers only fell to Babson in regular season NEWMAC action, dropping a 5-2 decision that featured five combined fourth-quarter goals. Paige Forester has been the conference’s top goal scorer, tallying 19, and also leads in points with 46.

MIT awaits the winner of WPI and Wellesley — who just played to close out the season on Saturday. The other Engineers’ side came away with a 3-1 win to close the year on a three-game winning streak. WPI, like Springfield, displayed impressive resilience as they battled back from an 0-5 start to the year. Wellesley is anchored by goalie Kyra Deehr-Lewis, who ranks third in the NEWMAC in save percentage (.802) and saves per game (9.06).

After the semifinals, the highest seed remaining will host the NEWMAC Championship on Saturday, November 4 at 2 p.m. ET. The winner earns an auto-bid to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 2 & 5

A Wednesday doubleheader opens up the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) tournament which is headlined by a trio of teams in the Top 20 nationally. Rowan — who sits at No. 18 in the NFCHA rankings — will look for its third straight NJAC title and is the preemptive favorite as the top seed.

The Owls dropped their first conference game of the year to TCNJ, but followed with four straight NJAC wins to earn top billing. Rowan’s performance at Coach Richard Wackar Stadium should inspire plenty of hope — the Owls went 7-1 with the lone loss to No. 3 Johns Hopkins. They’ll welcome in Stockton, who brings in the conference’s top offense with a nearly three goals per game average. The Ospreys dropped a 1-0 decision to Rowan in the regular season but responded with six wins in seven games. Kirsten Bailey (14 goals) and Allie Palumbo (13 goals) finished second and third in the NJAC in goals.

In the other semifinal, TCNJ hosts Kean as the Lions — who won five NJAC titles in a six-year span from 2014 to 2019 — aim to return to their previous heights. Ranked No. 19 nationally, TCNJ put together a six-game winning streak earlier this year that included victories over Rowan and Kean. The visiting Cougars will look to return the favor after that 2-1 setback and bring in the conference’s top defense — they allow just 1.07 goals per game. Kean’s offense is no slouch, either, featuring the NJAC leader in points in Peyton Mann (14 goals, seven assists). Mann’s the reigning NJAC Offensive Player of the Year.

The potential for a ranked battle in the championship is high, making this conference’s tournament one of the more exciting ones in all of Division III. The title game will be held on Saturday, November 4 with an automatic qualifier to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship on the line.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 1 & 4

It’s a Wednesday night doubleheader to kick off the 2023 NCAC Tournament as a conference brimming with storylines begins a four-team, two-round playoff.

Top-seeded Ohio Wesleyan is going for a three-peat and will likely feel good about their chances: The Battling Bishops went a perfect 10-0 in NCAC play and haven’t lost a game since the first round of the 2022 NCAA Division III Tournament. They’ve cruised behind a stifling defense — just four goals allowed in 16 games — and a conference-leading offense (4.0 goals per game). No. 4 Kenyon will attempt to play spoiler and avenge a 4-0 loss earlier this season behind the NCAC’s points leader, Grace Lane (15 goals, five assists).

In the other semifinal, No. 2 Denison — unbeaten at home through six games — faces No. 3 DePauw. The Big Red won on the road against the Tigers earlier this year, 2-0, and it took shootouts for Ohio Wesleyan to hand them their only conference loss. DePauw, which won three titles in four years in the mid-2010s, will seek to return to prior heights. They only lost two conference games, both to the teams ahead of them in the final standings.

The highest seed remaining will host the championship game on Saturday. The winner earns an automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | OCT 31, NOV 2 & 4

With a pair of ranked teams, a three-peat on the line, and plenty of other storylines, the 2023 ODAC Tournament figures to be a thrilling set of games. 

The top two seeds, Lynchburg and Shenandoah, are both ranked nationally — at No. 11 and No. 17, respectively. The duo’s impressive regular seasons earned them byes into the semifinal round on Thursday. 

Lynchburg dropped just two games all year — to No. 24 Ursinus and No. 12 Kean — and finished ODAC play unbeaten. Marlou Wendriks was dynamic all season, leading the ODAC in points (45) with 18 goals and nine assists.  Shenandoah also suffered just two losses against ranked opponents in Lynchburg and No. 3 Johns Hopkins. The Hornets are searching for their first title since 2016 and have the conference’s next three leading point scorers in Gracie Wilkerson, Mairead McKibbin, and Elizabeth Ranberger.

Third-seeded Washington and Lee faces Roanoke in the quarterfinals. The Generals’ are one of the hottest teams in the conference as they bring in a five-game winning streak. Washington and Lee suffered consecutive 2-1 defeats to Lynchburg and Shenandoah but rebounded and ultimately closed the year with three straight shutouts. Roanoke, on the other hand, has dropped four straight — including a 4-0 loss to their first-round opponent. The Maroons will look to Grace Vernarelli, who has 22 goals in her last two years.

The other quarterfinal features Randolph-Macon and Bridgewater in a rematch of one of the ODAC’s top regular season games. Back in the first week of October, Randolph-Macon hosted the Eagles in a game that ultimately took penalty shootouts to settle. The Yellow Jackets got the win, boosted by a 14-save effort from freshman goalie Valentina Ambrogi-Torres.

After the two rounds and four games in a three-day span, the two teams left meet in the ODAC Championship game on Saturday, November 4. The winner earns the conference’s automatic qualifier to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship.

HOST: RHODES | NOV 3, 4 & 5

It’s a weekend of field hockey action in Memphis, Tennessee as Rhodes College hosts the 2023 SAA Tournament. It’s a three-day, four-game slate with all five members of the conference earning a spot in the postseason action.

The top seed, Centre, is looking for back-to-back titles. The Colonels closed the year on a three-game winning streak and outscored opponents by a 16-3 mark during that stretch. They’ll play the winner of the Concordia-Sewanee semifinal — which is a rematch of a close game from last Saturday. The higher-seeded Falcons came away with a 2-1 victory behind a fourth-quarter goal from Katie Quirke.

Second-seeded Rhodes, the host, is looking to take back the crown after winning in 2021 and falling in last year’s championship game. The Lynx face Marian in what will be the third meeting between the two this season — and they split the previous two games this year. Rhodes won on their home turf, 3-0, behind goals from three different players. In the rematch in Fond du Lac, WI, Marian got the 2-1 win behind a third-quarter goal from Allyson Nichols.

The tournament wraps up on Sunday, November 5 with the championship game scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 1 & 4

The SUNYAC Championship gets underway with the semifinals on Friday, November 3.

There hasn’t been a repeat champion in the SUNYAC since 2015, but top-seeded Cortland — with a conference-best 16 titles all-time — will look to end that stretch. The Red Dragons have been in prime form this year, going unbeaten in SUNYAC play with a decisive 27-1 goal differential and sit at No. 14 in the national polls. They’ll host No. 4 Brockport in the first round, a team they dealt a 4-0 setback to back in September. The Golden Eagles are searching for their first conference crown behind Quinn Guy, who had a breakout season and totaled 12 goals and five assists (30 points, fifth in the SUNYAC).

In the other semifinal, No. 2 New Paltz welcomes in No. 3 Geneseo in a rematch of a thrilling regular season contest. The host Hawks came away with a 2-1 in overtime behind Amanda Quenneville’s 73rd minute goal. New Paltz won the 2021 crown, while Geneseo won in 2019. The Knights have the services of goalie Sarah Quinlan, who holds the program record for shutouts with 13.

The semifinal winners will play in the SUNYAC final on Sunday, November 5, hosted by the highest remaining seed. The winner punches their ticket to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 1 & 4

The United East holds its first-ever field hockey tournament starting on Wednesday. Featuring all four teams in the newly-formed conference, the winner will earn an automatic qualifier to the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship.

The regular season champion, Keystone (9-4, 3-0), won all three of their United East games — including two shutouts — by a 14-1 margin. Maria Tomada finished atop the conference standings in goals (11) and assists (8) for the Giants, who averaged a league-best 2.6 goals per game. They’ll host Lancaster Bible (4-12, 0-3), who closed the year on a four-game losing streak. Molly Gray is a player to watch on the Chargers — she scored 10 goals in 16 games, accounting for nearly half her team’s scoring output.

In the other semifinal, third-seeded Wilson (9-5, 1-2) — who won the last three CSAC titles before the conference merger — travels to Cedar Crest (5-12, 2-1). The host Falcons shut them out, 1-0, in the regular season finale for both teams. Adriana Hinkle’s fourth-quarter goal was the difference for Cedar Crest, who snapped a four-game losing streak against Wilson with the victory.

The higher seed remaining will host the championship, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 4.