Division III College Games: 2024 Conference Tournaments

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 2 & 9

The 2024 Atlantic East Conference (AEC) Field Hockey Championship kicks off on Saturday, November 2, as the top four teams play for a spot in the final. No. 4 seed Manhattanville is back in after missing out on the postseason last fall, taking on No. 1 seed Marywood, the 2023 runner-up. No. 2 seed Immaculata will host No. 3 seed Gwynedd Mercy in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal.

In regular season play, Marywood took a sweeping 9-0 victory over Manhattanville. The Pacers’ closest match against a ranked team this fall was a tight 3-2 loss to Rochester, with the two goals scored by graduate student Maria Tomada. After finishing the 2023 season with no conference wins, Manhattanville picked up their crucial victory last weekend – 1-0 over Neumann. The gamewinner from sophomore defender Julia Huertas was her first goal of the season.

Immaculata and Gwynedd Mercy clashed just two weeks ago, where Immaculata took a 3-0 victory. Offensive leader for the Macs Alexis Andrada tallied the second goal in the first quarter. Last season, Immaculata knocked Gwynedd Mercy out of the postseason with a 1-0 OT victory.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 5, 7 & 9

Centennial Conference Tournament play is set to begin Tuesday, November 5th, and is expected to bring much excitement and a high level of competition. Trailing the NESCAC's six, this conference tournament features the second highest number of nationally ranked teams - No. 5 Johns Hopkins, No. 12 Bryn Mawr, No. 17 Ursinus, and No. 24 Swarthmore.

The quarterfinals kick off on Tuesday, November 5, with No. 5 seed Haverford traveling to take on No. 4 seed Franklin & Marshall. Nearly missing out on the postseason, Haverford rallied and defeated No. 24 Swarthmore in shootouts in their final match of the regular season. As with their previous match, which was another must-win victory against Muhlenberg, the Fords opted to use freshman goalkeeper Steph Ionescu in the shootouts. The 1-0 win propelled Haverford back to the conference tournament after missing out in 2023. F&M is rematching with the Fords after a solid 4-1 victory back on October 19. The Diplomats were close but unable to pick up regular season wins against ranked Centennial foes Swarthmore and Johns Hopkins, falling 2-1 and 1-0, respectively.

Meanwhile, No. 6 seed Bryn Mawr is set to travel to No. 3 seed Swarthmore on Tuesday evening. Bryn Mawr’s Sophie Vagts scored in the third quarter to secure a 1-0 win over Swarthmore in their regular season match. After dropping a few key Centennial matches, the Owls found themselves in a must-win situation against McDaniel last Saturday, and after going down a goal in the third frame, found three fourth quarter goals to secure a postseason spot. Swarthmore did something this season that no other Centennial Conference teams has been able to do since 2019 - beat Johns Hopkins. The Garnet took down the Blue Jays in dramatic fashion - off a penalty stroke in overtime. Following the victory, Swartmore was unable to get past their two remaining Centennial opponents, falling to Washington College and Haverford.

Johns Hopkins and Ursinus sit atop the bracket for this conference as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively. Both of these teams are incredibly strong and have been performing well as of late. Before finishing up the regular season with a 2-1 shootout loss to No. 23 Ithaca, Ursinus picked up five straight Centennial wins, including over No. 12 Bryn Mawr. Bears’ offensive leader Mary Lauren Franz also leads the conference in points (35) - tied with Johns Hopkins’ Lila Slattery. 

All six of these teams have a chance at playing in the championship game next Saturday, November 9. This conference has seen many upsets already this season, and there could very well be several more.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 1 & 3

The 2024 Central Maine Collegiate Field Hockey Conference (CMCFHC) Tournament begins on Friday afternoon as the University of Maine at Farmington travels to face Husson with the winner earning a trip to the championship game against top-seeded Thomas College.

The No. 1 Terriers (10-6, 3-1 CMCFHC) earned the bye and host rights with a dramatic 4-3 win over No. 2 Husson last Sunday. Thomas trailed by two goals through the first 20 minutes before knotting it up at halftime. Husson retook the lead just after the break but the Terriers scored two unanswered to avenge a loss the week prior. Thomas had a high-flying offense in the regular season, averaging four-plus goals per game behind a 20-goal, 14-assist season from Julia Reny. Samantha Thebarge chipped in 17 goals as another of seven players that logged double-digit points totals.

The second-seeded Eagles (7-8, 3-1) will look to win a third straight game against Maine at Farmington (0-14, 0-4) this year after beating them 7-0 and 13-0 in the regular season. Husson finished a game below .500 but went 4-1 at home. The Eagles have used a balanced attack with four players tallying double-digit goals: Maddie Arsenault, Maddie Perkins, Faith Tillotson, and Tessa Capozzoli. The Beavers, on the other hand, are still searching for their first win on the year. Ella Grant has been kept busy in the cage — she averaged almost 12 saves per game. This is a rematch of last year’s NAC Semifinal, which Husson won 11-0.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOVEMBER 9

With only two teams left in the Coast-to-Coast Conference (C2C), both Salisbury and Christopher Newport have an entire week to prepare to face their familiar opponent on Saturday, November 9 in the C2C championship. The conference will disband after this season, with Salisbury heading to the SUNYAC, so whoever wins on Saturday will be the final C2C winner.

Salisbury has had a strong season, sitting in the No. 2 spot in the national rankings and only falling to Shenandoah and Rowan - both in overtime. When the Sea Gulls faced off against Christopher Newport earlier this season, Salisbury came away with the win 3-1 and right to host the C2C championship, with goals coming from Emma Radebaugh, Marli McDorman, and Arden Hunteman. With a 56-12 goals to goals allowed record, Salisbury has been very strong offensively this season.

Christopher Newport comes into this contest with their only loss of the season to Salisbury. They are ranked No. 6 in the national poll, getting as high at No. 5 earlier this fall. The Captains have also been strong offensively this year, scoring 46 goals, while only allowing 9 of the 120 shots faced past their defense. Christopher Newport defeated Salisbury 2-0 in the C2C Championship last year, and will be looking to defend their title.

HOST: SEWANEE | NOV 7, 8 & 9

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOVEMBER 6 & 9

No. 4 University of New England gears up to take on top-seed Endicott, while No. 2 Roger Williams and No. 3 Western New England will clash on Wednesday, November 6 to kick off Conference of New England (CNE) tournament play.

The last time University of New England and Endicott met, it was an extremely tight match, with the Endicott Gulls eeking out a 1-0 victory. In the stat book, it was 10-11 on shots, 11-9 on saves, and 5-4 on penalty corners (Endicott-UNE). The Gulls are the reigning CNE champions, and have not lost a conference game since September 23, 2023, to Roger Williams. For the Nor'easters, it's been a more up and down season, picking up a recent 11-0 shutout over Gordon after conference losses to Western New England and Roger Williams.

Roger Williams appeared in their first ever conference title game last season, falling to Endicott 2-1. The Hawks have looked good again this year, with a few close losses to tough teams, inclduing a 1-0 loss to No. 5 Babson and 3-2 defeat against No. 13 MIT. When put up against Western New England in the regular season, Roger Williams took a 2-1 victory after rallying in the fourth quarter to surpass the 1-0 lead built by the Golden Bears' Tania Evans.

The winners of the two semifinal matches will meet on Saturday, November 9 in the final.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 4, 7 & 10

Six teams look to battle it out this week to take the title of 2024 Empire 8 Champion. No. 6 Houghton will play No. 3 Hartwick and No. 5 St. John Fisher will meet No. 4 Nazareth for the quarterfinals on Monday, November 4. Following Monday’s games, No. 1 seed SUNY Geneseo will take on the winner of the first quarterfinal game, and No. 2 seed SUNY Brockport will play the winner of the second on Thursday, November 7.

SUNY Geneseo ended the regular season undefeated in conference play, earning the regular season Empire 8 title. The No. 18 nationally ranked Knights have only lost twice this season, both to ranked opponents - No. 3 Salisbury early in the season and most recently to No. 21 Rochester. Geneseo stands out in the Empire 8, leading with 73 goals (Houghton having the second most at 58) while Sam Lewis and Katrina Clare hold the top two spots for goals at 16 and 15, respectively. SUNY Brockport comes in as the No. 2 seed after falling to Geneseo and St. John Fisher in conference competition.

Hartwick has defeated Houghton in ten consecutive meetings - this year being a close 2-1 win, with both Hawks goals coming from Ashley Tricarico. In the 2023 iteration of the Empire 8 tournamnet, Hartwick claimed the title of champion for the second consecutive year. Houghton was knocked out by Hartwick in the semifinal stage.

Nazareth is having a bounce back season, going 9-7 after getting just one win in the 2023 season and garnering an over .500 win percentage for the first time since 2007. Freshman Michaela Cushman has 13 goals for the Golden Flyers, while junior Audra Mieczowski trails close behind with 12. Nazareth clashed with St. John Fisher just a few weeks ago, downing the Cardinals for the first time since 2019.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 2, 6 & 9

The 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament gets underway on Saturday with a familiar team in pole position: Johnson & Wales. The three-time reigning champion Wildcats wrapped up an undefeated regular conference season and enter the tournament looking to continue their reign over the GNAC.

They’ll host eighth-seeded Dean in the first round. Johnson & Wales outscored its opponents, 68-16, and were paced by Megan Salsinha (12 goals) and Zofia Bangs (13 goals) in the regular season. The No. 8 Bulldogs snapped a four-game skid with an emphatic 5-0 Senior Day win and will look to Emily Yazzetti (13 goals, seven assists) to avenge an earlier defeat to the Wildcats.

The next two seeds required a tiebreaker to sort out, with New England College earning No. 2 over Simmons by virtue of a 1-0 shutout back in mid-October. The No. 2 Pilgrims have yet to win a GNAC crown but enter on a prolific seven-game winning streak and boast a stingy defense that allows less than a goal per game. They’ll face seventh-seeded Lasell in a rematch of the regular season finale: New England College eked out a 1-0 win. Lasell went 11-1 in conference play last year before slipping to 6-6 but are a dangerous matchup — they outscored opponents 32-20 in GNAC play.

Simmons, meanwhile, will host the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.). The No. 3 Sharks boast the conference’s top offense behind the high-flying duo of Sydney Gonyea (26 goals) and Anna Tedeschi (25 goals). They’re looking for their first title since 2015. The No. 6 Blue Jays went 6-3 away from home and will look to spring the upset behind freshman Grace Kociszewski (15 goals).

The final matchup features No. 4 Colby-Sawyer against No. 5 Saint Joseph’s (Maine), with the latter looking to return to its title-winning ways after taking four titles from 2016 to 2019. It’ll be a tough matchup as Colby-Sawyer is 9-1 at home and averages over three goals per game behind Brooke Farquhar (16 goals, 14 assists). Saint Joseph’s Kassidy Collins is third in the conference in save percentage while the Monks have a trio of double-digit goal scorers.

All games will be hosted at the higher seeds. After the quarterfinals, the semifinals are scheduled for Wednesday, November 6. The championship — and the right to the league’s automatic bid — is scheduled for Saturday, November 9

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 2, 6 & 9

The stage is set for the Landmark Conference Championship, beginning this Saturday, November 2 with a pair of quarterfinal matches. In similar fashion to last season, top-seeded Susquehanna and No. 2 seed Catholic will have a bye in the first round and will host the semifinals on Wednesday, November 6. 

No. 3 seed Scranton and No. 6 Drew clash at 1 p.m. ET, a meeting that Scranton won 7-0 earlier this season. The Royals have been an offensive force, tallying 3.26 goals per game and leading the Landmark in goals (62). Scranton’s two conference losses were both narrow 2-1 defeats to Susquehanna and Catholic.

Meanwhile, Drew is making their triumphant return to the Landmark Conference Tournament for the first time since 2013. The Rangers reached ten wins for the first time since 2013, and are third in conference for goals scored with 41. Drew clinched their spot in the postseason with a 4-1 win over Wilkes, with Ellie Kopec and Lauren Cagliostro each tallying a goal and an assist to each other.

Moravian clinched the No. 4 seed and their fourth straight Landmark Conference Tournament appearance after an overtime win against No. 5 seed Juniata, who they will rematch in the quarterfinals. Senior defender Lexi Dinsmore scored both goals against the Eagles on penalty corner attempts.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 5, 8 & 10

The 2024 Liberty League Tournament gets underway on Tuesday night as the top three seeds await the play-in winner. Can William Smith defend its back-to-back titles? Or will top-seeded Ithaca, the preseason pick to win it all, end the streak?

No. 4 William Smith and No. 5 Skidmore will meet in Tuesday night's lone first round game. In their regular season match-up, Skidmore defeated Williams Smith, 1-0, despite being outshot by the Herons 17-6. Skidmore's Victoria Bodnar was up the task, making 11 saves on the day.

The winner of Tuesday's match will face No. 1 Ithaca, who is currently ranked No. 23 in the nation. The Bombers picked up their fourth ranked win of the season last weekend after shootouts against No. 17 Ursinus, taking down teams such as then-No. 9 York earlier this fall. Their lone Liberty League loss was 2-1 to William Smith.

No. 2 Union has found success this season, falling only to Ithaca in conference play and picking up a ranked victory of their own when they defeated Rochester, 3-2, in overtime. To conclude regular season play, the Garnet Chargers defeated Keene State, 2-1, as sophomore Maddie Greco proceeded to break the program's single season goals (19) and points (42) records with her pair of goals. Rochester's only losses of the season were to SUNY Cortland, Ithaca, and Union.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 5, 7 & 9

Quarterfinals for the Little East Conference (LEC) Tournament start this Tuesday, November 5. No. 4 Eastern Connecticut State will face No. 5 Southern Maine, and No. 3 Plymouth State will host No. 6 Western Connecticut State.

VTSU Castleton shook up the LEC this season, winning the regular season title and top seed after defeating UMass Dartmouth for their sixth straight conference win. The Spartans will have a bye in the first round and start play in the smeifinals on Thursday, November 7.

Keene State is set as the No. 2 seed, only losing to VTSU Castleton in LEC play by a score of 6-1. The Owls house the offensive leaders in the conference, with Grace Bazin scoring the most goals (24) and points (55) and Irini Stefanakos tallying 18 assists. Keene State was edged out of the LEC championship title last season in a 1-0 OT loss to Southeern Maine.

Reigning champions Southern Maine find themselves as the No. 5 seed this year, and will look to take down No. 4 Eastern Connecticut State. In their match-up earlier this season, Eastern Conn. State took a decisive 4-1 victory with Emma Sanson and Rebecca Minaya each tallying two goals.

No. 3 Plymouth State will play No. 6 Western Connecticut State in the other quarterfinal game this Tuesday. Plymouth split their LEC record 3-3, narrowly avoiding two losses to Southern Maine and UMass Dartmouth by scores of 4-3 and 5-4. Graduate student Taylor Healy tallied a hatrick in the first victory and a combined for a goal and an assist in the second, earning her the honor of NFHCA Offensive Player of the Week the following Monday. Eastern Conn. State took down the Panthers just last weekend in overtime, as Jakhelin Cota scored her first goal of the season two minutes into the extra period.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 5, 7 & 9

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOVEMBER 6 & 9

Wednesday marks the start of Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth Tournament play and all eyes, once again, will be on top-seeded and No. 14 Messiah. The Falcons have dominated the MAC Commonwealth — they’ve won 16 straight tournament titles and last lost in conference play back on Oct. 18, 2014. Still, two other ranked teams in the field — No. 9 York and No. 22 Stevenson — will look to end that lengthy reign.

The earlier game features the two other ranked teams battling and should have no shortage of dramatics. When York hosted Stevenson back in early October, it took shoutouts to decide and the Mustangs prevailed, 2-0, after 80 minutes of scoreless action. Both teams will be hoping to get another shot at Messiah — the Falcons beat Stevenson, 6-1, in the semifinals before taking down York, 1-0, in last year’s final.

In the nightcap, Messiah hosts fourth-seeded Alvernia. The Falcons won earlier this year, 4-0, with points being logged by eight different players. The Wolves will hang their hat on how they closed the season, tallying three straight wins including a pair of overtime victories against Widener and No. 22 Stevenson to pull into the fourth position.

The winner of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament earns an auto-bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The last non-Middlebury program to win the national championship came from the Commonwealth as Messiah was crowned back in 2016.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOVEMBER 6 & 9

Wednesday, November 6 marks the start of the MAC Freedom tournament, with four teams battling it out for the title and a bid to the NCAA Tournament. No. 4 Lebanon Valley is set to take on No. 1 Arcadia while No. 3 DeSales plays at No. 2 Stevens.

After five straight conference wins and a spot secured in the postseason, Arcadia hosted Lebanon Valley on October 30. The Dutchmen, who had lost their previous two conference matches to DeSales and Stevens, rallied to find a dominating 5-1 win over Arcadia. Three goals in just the first quarter — two from Claire Weidenhammer — helped propel Lebanon Valley to victory. A 4-0 shutout against Delaware Valley in their final conference game of the season gave Lebanon Valley their postseason berth. Ella Weidenhammer, who leads the MAC in save percentage (.857) picked up her eigth shutout of the season.

Aside from the single loss, Arcadia dominated MAC play this year, going 6-1 and earning the regular season title and No. 1 seed for the first time since 2014. Morganne Dee leads the conference in points (47) and goals (21), while Charli Rissmiller leads in assists (11).

In another rematch of a lopsided regular season outcome, No. 3 DeSales will take on. No. 2 Stevens. It was a dominant performace from Stevens, as Gabi Moroney recorded her first-ever hat trick for the Ducks in their 6-1 victory. Last season, Stevens defeated DeSales, 1-0, in the MAC Freedom title game.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 2, 9 & 10

The power conference of Division III once again, the NESCAC will begin their conference tournament this Saturday, November 2 with four quarterfinal matches. 

No. 1 nationally ranked Middlebury has claimed the top seed once again, narrowly missing another flawless NESCAC regular season record after falling to Tufts a few weeks ago. Besides the single loss, the Panthers have been absolutely dominant – outscoring opponents 83-11 and defeating six ranked teams. They will take on No. 8 seed Hamilton in the quarterfinals, who is back after missing out on the postseason in 2023. Hamilton was one of only three teams (excluding Tufts) to get within two goals of the Panthers this season, falling 3-1 back in September. 

Having an extraordinary season is Williams, who finished with the No. 2 spot and will face No. 7 Connecticut College. The Ephs lost only to No. 1 Middlebury and No. 2 Salisbury this season, claiming the No. 3 spot in the nation with seven ranked wins. Last week Williams defeated Conn. College 4-1, with goals from four different Ephs. The Camels are back with a bid in the NESCAC tournament for the first time since 2012, picking up their three conference wins against Colby, Hamilton, and Trinity.

No. 3 seed Tufts and No. 6 seed Amherst clash on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. In addition to their huge win over Middlebury, the Jumbos have picked up ranked wins over Bates, Amherst, and MIT, falling only to Williams and Wesleyan. Amherst played Tufts hard back on October 9, but fell 2-1 to the Jumbos. 

No. 4 seed Wesleyan will host No. 5 seed Bates in the fourth quarterfinal. Both teams finished with a 6-4 NESCAC record, but Wesleyan had a 5-1 victory over then-No. 8 Bates. The Cardinals picked up their other biggest ranked win against then-No. 7 Tufts, with two goals from first-years Teddy TolbertBrooke Miner. 

The four quarterfinal winners will continue on to the NESCAC semifinals on Saturday, November 9. The highest remaining seed will play the lowest remaining seed, while the other two winners will face off.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 5, 7 & 9

After a four-way tie for fourth place, only six teams from the New England Men's and Women's Conference (NEWMAC) will proceed to the conference postseason. Babson sealed the top seed with a perfect 9-0 conference record, and is on the hunt for a fourth consecutive NEWMAC title. MIT will be the No. 2 seed again after losing only to Babson, and WPI comes in at third with a 7-2 conference record. Wellesley, Salve Regina, Springfield and Smith were all tied up at 4-5, with Smith not making the cut.

Sitting at seventh in the nation, Babson will have a first round bye in the NEWMAC tournament. The Beavers are on an 11-game win streak, losing only to three NESCAC teams earlier this season. It was a 1-0 OT loss to then-No. 8 Williams, a 2-1 loss to No. 1 Middlebury, and 3-1 defeat from then-No. 7 Tufts. No. 16 in the nation MIT, who also lost by two goals to Tufts, will also have an automatic spot in the semifinal.

On Tuesday night, No. 6 Springfield travels to No. 3 WPI. Lauren Meinhold, who has been clutch for WPI and leads the NEWMAC in assists (9), tallied five points off two goals and an assist back when the Engineers defeated Springfield, 5-2, in conference play. Springfield finished up their season with three tight and crucial NEWMAC wins, with junior Nicolette Morlock scoring in all three.

The other quarterfinal will feature No. 4 Wellesley and No. 5 Salve Regina. Since joining the NEWMAC in 2023, this will be the first postseason appearance for Salve Regina. The Seahawks played No. 1 seed Babson to a close 2-1 loss earlier this season, in addition to a 2-1 defeat to Wellesley. Julia Decker scored the lone goal in both matches, and currently leads the NEWMAC in goals (16). Wellesley will be looking to heat back up after finishing the regular season cold on five losses. Their crucial conference wins came against Springfield and Salve Regins back in mid-October -- both by scores of 2-1. First-year Annika Schermerhorn notched both goals in the win against the Seahawks.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 6 & 9

Three-time defending NJAC champion Rowan finds itself in a familiar place as the top seed entering the postseason. Unbeaten in conference play and with 12 straight NJAC wins dating back to September 2023, the Profs headline the four-team tournament that gets underway on Wednesday night.

They’ll host third-seeded Stockton in a rematch of the 2023 semifinals, which Rowan won 6-0. The latest meeting between the two sides — just five days ago — was a narrower 3-1 win for the Profs. Rowan has won seven straight and paces the conference in goals per game (3.5), while Stockton and Kirsten Bailey (13 goals) sit in third at 2.5.

The other semifinal features TCNJ welcoming in Montclair State. The host Lions lost just once in NJAC play — to Rowan in a game in which they led entering the fourth quarter. TCNJ boasts a stifling defense, conceding less than a goal per game with Brigitte Racey in the cage. It could be a defensive thriller as the Red Hawks have Sydney White, who topped the charts with eight shutouts. TCNJ won the regular season matchup, 1-0, with a goal in the final two minutes.

The two semifinal winners will meet on Saturday with the right to an automatic bid in the 2024 NCAA Tournament on the line. 

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 6 & 9

The 2024 NCAC Tournament figures to be a tense one: Two tiebreakers were needed for seeding and just one game separated the four teams in the conference standings after a 10-game slate. Can No. 2 Denison defend its crown and win a sixth NCAC title? Will top-seeded Ohio Wesleyan avenge its only loss from last year, a season-ending defeat in the championship game? Or will one of the lower seeds end a six-year title run that the two top seeds have been on? That and more will be answered come Wednesday night.

The No. 1 Battling Bishops had a storybook 2023 campaign — winning their first 17 games — before Denison beat them in overtime in the NCAC title game, spoiling a shot at a three-peat. They avenged the loss with a 1-0 regular season win to secure the No. 1 seed but will undoubtedly be looking for more. They’ll have to get through third-seeded DePauw first, though, who handed them their only conference loss this year back on Oct. 26. That snapped a 24-game winning streak in NCAC play for Ohio Wesleyan. The Tigers have won three straight and it took overtime for Denison to beat them.

In the other semifinal, the aforementioned No. 2 Big Red enter on a six-game winning streak. Denison has defended Deeds Field-Piper Stadium to the tune of a 5-2 record and host No. 3 Wittenberg — who they beat 3-2, in overtime, near the end of October. If this matchup is anything like that one, be prepared for fireworks: Denison led 2-0 early before the Tigers fought back to equalize and force overtime. Emma Gebhart was the hero in the 62nd minute with her second goal of the game

Both semifinals have no shortage of storylines and the title game surely will as well. The winner of Saturday’s final will earn an auto-bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 5, 7 & 9

It came down to the wire — overtime, to be exact — but Shenandoah’s Farren Winter tucked away the game-winning goal against Lynchburg to secure the top seed in the 2024 ODAC Tournament. The drama-filled conclusion to the regular season sets the stage for the path to the conference championship — one that featured those two teams a year ago.

For now, the two top seeds will await Tuesday’s results after earning the byes. No. 11 Shenandoah will be looking for just its second ODAC title and first since 2016. The Hornets have won a remarkable 14 straight games and finished 8-0 in ODAC play. No. 13 Lynchburg, meanwhile, has a conference-best 22 titles — including 2023 and three of the last six.

Shenandoah awaits the winner of Virginia Wesleyan and Washington and Lee. It’s a familiar matchup for both teams having just met on Saturday afternoon. The host Generals claimed a 2-0 victory behind goalkeeper Julia McDonald, who finished her regular season with a 1.196 goals against average (third in the SUNYAC). The other quarterfinal features Roanoke at Bridgewater, with the latter boasting one of the best defenses in the conference. The Eagles’ Ashley Nau — who splits time with Madalyn Miller — led the conference in goals against average (.656) and the pair logged a shutout in the prior meeting between the two teams, a 2-0 win back on Oct. 23.

The tournament winner on Saturday, November 9 will earn the ODAC’s auto-bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Lynchburg made a run last year, winning a pair of games before falling to Kean in the quarterfinals.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 6 & 9

After wrapping up an undefeated season in conference play, top-seeded and No. 8 Cortland looks to defend its crown in the four-team SUNYAC tournament that gets started on Wednesday afternoon.

Cortland clinched the top seed with a 5-1 win on Saturday over No. 20 New Paltz, who finished second. Cortland has won a conference-best 17 crowns and are looking for a third straight title after outscoring SUNYAC opponents by a decisive 31-2 margin highlighted by 15 goals apiece from Keirra Ettere and Hanna Corrigan. Cortland host No. 4 Oswego in a rematch of a late-September game that they won, 8-0.

The other semifinal features No. 2 New Paltz, winners of six conference crowns, against third-seeded Oneonta. The Hawks boast the SUNYAC’s highest-scoring duo in Rachel Tama (26 goals, 11 assists) and Miranda Britton (18 goals, nine assists). Oneonta, meanwhile, leans on Alexandra Howell (13 goals, five assists) and Erin Clark (seven goals, 10 assists). The regular season matchup went New Paltz’s way by a 5-1 margin.

The winners will meet next Saturday, November 9 to decide who earns the conference’s automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Cortland was last year’s representative and won its first game in the bracket.

HOST: HIGHER SEED | NOV 2 & 9

The 2024 United East Championship gets underway on Saturday with a four-team field that should produce excellent matchups. The conference is in its second year after merging with the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) and the defending champion, Keystone, slots in as the No. 3 seed.

Top-seeded St. Mary's (Md.) finished two games under .500 overall but coasted through conference play, going 5-0 while outsourcing opponents 20-0. Emma Watkins and Brenna Ziegler combined for 21 goals to pace the Seahawks, who won their fourth straight regular season title after three in the Atlantic East. They’ll face No. 4 Penn State Harrisburg — a program that has had a fantastic first-ever season. The Lions went 9-6 behind goaltender Macenzie Mulholland, who led the conference with a 0.95 goals against average.

In the other matchup, it’s a rematch of the 2022 CSAC final that No. 2 Wilson won — while No. 3 Keystone bounced back the following year to win the title. The pair played a tight regular season matchup that saw Wilson win, 1-0, behind Kate Seymour’s goal. Wilson boasts the conference’s top offense (2.4 goals per game) and have the leader in shutouts, Erin Sullivan, on the other side of the field. Keystone, meanwhile, allowed just four goals in five conference games and will look to avenge the low-scoring defeat earlier in the year.

The winners will meet next Saturday, November 9 to decide who earns the conference’s automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.