Division I College Games: 2024 Conference Tournaments

HOST: UALBANY | NOV 7, 8 & 10

No. 14 in the nation and AE outright regular season champion UAlbany will host the AE Championship for the first time since 2015. The Great Danes kept a clean sheet in conference play, taking down Vermont, 3-1, last weekend for their sixth win. Senior Alison Smisdom leads the AE in goals (20) and points (46), and earned NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week earlier this season after netting all three goals in a 3-2 overtime win against then-No. 7 Harvard. UAlbany will not have to worry about facing reigning AE champion California in the title match again this year, after the school moved conferences to the ACC.

Joining UAlbany with a bye in the first round is No. 2 seed New Hampshire. The Wildcats had the next best AE record at 4-2, falling to Maine and UAlbany. 

There was a three-way tie for the No. 3 seed spot, with Maine coming out on top after defeating UMass Lowell earlier this fall and shutting out New Hampshire 2-0 in their regular season finale. The Black Bears will face No. 6 UC Davis in the conference quarterfinals on Thursday, November 7. 

Vermont and UMass Lowell picked up the four and five seeds, respectively, and will battle it out on Thursday after both losing their first postseason match-ups last year. Back on October 18 of this year, Vermont took a 3-1 victory over the River Hawks. Goalkeeper Merle Vaandrager is the best in the AE, with a 1.150 goals against average and .796 save percentage.

HOST: WAKE FOREST | NOV 5, 6 & 8

With the addition of two teams to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) this season, the ACC tournament will now feature eight teams, starting with four quarterfinals on Tuesday, November 5 and finshing with the champion being crowned on Friday, November 8th.

It'll be another high octance conference tournament for the ACC this year, as five of the eight teams are currently ranked top in the nation -- No. 2 North Carolina, No. 3 Virginia, No. 6 Duke, No. 9 Boston College, and No. 12 Syracuse. Stanford and California will be making their ACC tournament debut as No. 6 and No. 8 seeds, respectively.

Clinching the top seed with an undefeated regular season is North Carolina, who will be looking to add another ACC title to their storied program history. The Tar Heels clinched the regular season title last Friday with a 5-2 victory over rival Duke. It's been another successful season for head coach Erin Matson, who was recently tabbed ACC Coach of the Year in just her second season. Opponents of North Carolina have been unable to shut down the offensive partnership of Ryleigh Heck and Charly Bruder, who are second and third in Division I for points per game. Heck joined Matson in the ACC awards as Offensive Player of the Year, with 12 goals and an ACC-leading 15 assists, while Bruder has tallied 21 goals in her 15 games played.

The Tar Heels will face No. 8 California, the 2023 America East Champions, at 11 a.m. ET on Tuesday. North Carolina defeated the Golden Bears 3-1 earlier this fall, with Bruder notching a hat trick on the day. California secured their berth in the postseason with a 2-1 victory over Louisville a few weeks ago, with both goals coming from ACC Freshman of the Year Liz Klompmaker.

At 12:30 p.m., No. 4 Virginia will play No. 5 Syracuse in a game that could easily go in either direction. Virginia won the regular season battle, with their 3-2 victory coming after shootouts. The Cavaliers' two ACC losses were to North Carolina and in overtime Boston College. Senior defender Jans Croon, who is also a threat on the offensive penalty corner unit, was honored as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Syracuse split their ACC play, but picked up huge ranked wins over No. 13 Princeton and No. 10 UConn. Stand-out defender for the Orange Bo van Kempen, who was named to the ACC First-Team, is third in the ACC in points behind North Carolina's Heck and Bruder with 33.

No. 2 Duke plays No. 7 Wake Forest, a match-up in which Duke won 2-0 back on October 11. The Blue Devils have won seven of their past eight games, all wins being shutouts for the Duke defense and goalkeeper Frederique Wollaert, who is now second in the ACC in save percentage (.800). Host Wake Forest kept their conference tournament dreams alive after a 71-minute overtime battle with California, where sophomore Faye Janse tallied her second gamewinner of the season.

No. 3 Boston College faces No. 6 Stanford in the final quarterfinal. 0-6 in conference play on the morning of October 25, Stanford stepped onto the field to face Wake Forest. It took 52 minutes before sophomore Star Harlock broke the stalemate and helped lead the Cardinal to their first-ever ACC victory. Five days later, Stanford clinched their conference tournament berth with a 3-1 win over California. Goalkeeper Daisy Ford has picked up the most saves in the ACC at 89.

Boston College won this match-up earlier this season, claiming a 2-0 victory. Senior goalkeeper and ACC Goalkeeper of the Year Charley Kramer has amassed quite the highlight reel this season, making key saves to help bring the Eagles to 12 wins, including four against ranked teams.

The tournament will be hosted at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. Tuesday's match-ups will determine who will go on to play in the ACC semifinals on Wednesday, November 6. The ACC Championship is set to take place on Friday, November 8.

HOST: SAINT JOSEPH'S | NOVEMBER 7 & 9

There are strong indications that this year’s Atlantic 10 (A10) title game will feature Saint Joseph’s and UMass again. Now up to No. 4 in the nation, Saint Joseph’s has impressed this season with wins over then-No. 3 Virginia, No. 6 Duke, and then-No. 11 Rutgers. It was a huge blow to the Hawks mid-season when No. 15 UMass handed them their first and only conference loss of the season to clinch the No. 1 seed. Slotting in at the second seed, Saint Joseph’s will face No. 3 Richmond, a match-up they won 7-0 in the regular season. Despite being the No. 2 seed, a predetermined host site will give the Hawks home field advantage.

Richmond is back in the A10 tournament after missing out the past two years. Under the guidance of first year head coach Martu Loncarica, the Spiders secured 11 wins on the season, and lost only to UMass and Saint Joseph’s in A10 play. Luna Parataore is currently tied for most goals (14) in the conference with Hawks’ Lily Santi.

With the top seed secured after going 7-0 in the A10, UMass will play No. 4 VCU. The Minutewomen shut out VCU, 2-0, for their first conference victory of the season back in September. Since then, UMass took down two ranked opponents - No. 4 Saint Joseph’s and No. 8 Boston College. 

HOST: PROVIDENCE | NOVEMBER 8 & 10

The Big East Conference tournament is set to be the most competitive it has been in years with UConn, Old Dominion, Temple and Liberty all vying for the championship title. Held at Providence’s Lennon Family Field in Providence, R.I. on Friday, November 8 and Sunday, November 10, any of the four qualifiers could capture the crown and coveted spot in the NCAA tournament.

Game one will feature top-seeded UConn and No. 4 seed Liberty. After missing the tournament last fall in a season riddled with injuries, UConn locked up the top spot by outlasting Old Dominion in their regular season finale. Back in October, the Huskies slipped past Liberty in a hard-fought, tightly-contested battle that slid into overtime. Freshman Juul Sauer scored the OT winner just 44 seconds into the extra period to propel her team to victory. Since opening conference play with a 2-0 victory over No. 3 seed Temple, UConn has picked up ten wins and dropped only two losses — to #7 Syracuse and in OT at Providence. Sauer and fellow freshman Sophie Perschk lead the Huskies with 12 goals each, while Junior Sol Simone leads in assists (11). Sophomore Natalie McKenna has started all 18 games in net and has posted four shutouts with a 1.21 goals against average.

The NCAA runner-up in 2021, Liberty had tough regular season conference losses to UConn, Old Dominion and Temple, but showed a glipse into their skill with a key nonconference win over No. 4 Duke. With ten goals, senior Tuti Dell Anna leads a powerful Flames offense that has featured 13 different goal scorers and has posted almost three goals per game. In cage, Liberty had big shoes to fill after the departure of 2023 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, Iritxity Irigoyen. The job landed in the lap of Michaela Skinner, who has started all 17 games for the Flames and posted 45 saves with a 1.73 GAA.

Game two on Friday will feature No. 3 seed Old Dominion and No. 2 seed Temple. In the regular season, Temple’s Myrthe Schuilenburg scored the game-winning goal 3:57 into overtime as the Owls slipped past ODU, 1-0. Temple dominated Liberty, 5-1, while dropping a tight 2-0 match to UConn in their conference opener. The Owls have featured a balanced offense all season with Alize Maes and Devin Kunzel each tallying 7 goals.

Aside from their OT loss to Temple, Old Dominion's only other BIG EAST loss was 3-1 to UConn. The Monarchs offense has scored nearly 3 goals a game, led by seniors Tess Jedeloo (12 goals) and Sian Emslie (10). Sophomore Suus Broers has led ODU's defense from goal, posting a 1.23 GAA in 16 starts.

HOST: MARYLAND | NOVEMBER 7, 8 & 10

With six of the seven teams ranked in the Penn Monto/NFCHA Coaches Poll — including four in the Top 10 — the 2024 Big Ten Tournament should feature a plethora of close, high-quality matches. After going 18-0 with a spotless 8-0 record in Big Ten play for the first time, No. 1 Northwestern highlights the field as the Wildcats go for a repeat.

Northwestern — last year’s national runners-up — outscored Big Ten foes by a 27-4 margin behind a dynamic attack highlighted by Ashley Sessa (20 goals, 13 assists) while goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz (0.51 GAA) stood tall. The Wildcats will await the results of quarterfinal action after earning the bye.

Their opponent will be either Rutgers or No. 7 Ohio State, who played a thriller back in late October. The Scarlet Knights came away with the 1-0 win and will look to replicate that upset on neutral turf. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, will lean on talented star Makenna Webster (15 goals, 10 assists) and dynamic goalie Abby Danson (0.92 GAA) in an effort to avenge the loss and make a deep run.

The other quarterfinals feature a quartet of ranked teams. Host Maryland — No. 5 nationally — welcomes in No. 16 Iowa. The Terrapins have won back-to-back games entering the tournament and cruised to a 5-0 win over Iowa back on early October. Hope Rose tallied in that game as part of an 11-goal, two-assist campaign. Iowa, meanwhile, struggled offensively in the regular season and are looking to avoid a third straight early exit in the postseason. 

Finally, No. 9 Michigan — the 2022 title winners — faces No. 19 Indiana in a rematch of a game last weekend that the Hoosiers won, 2-1. The Wolverines duo of Abby Tamer (12 goals, 12 assists) and Kate McLaughlin (11 goals, four assists) finished fourth and fifth in the conference in points. Indiana, meanwhile, reached the tournament with back-to-back wins over Michigan and Michigan State to close the year after pushing Ohio State to shootouts.

Three different teams have won the last three Big Ten tournaments — Northwestern, Michigan, and Rutgers — which makes this year’s one to tune into. The semifinals are on Friday before Sunday morning’s championship game that secures an auto-bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 

HOST: DREXEL | NOVEMBER 8 & 10

The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) tournament kicks off on Drexel’s home turf in Philadelphia, Pa. on Friday, November 8.

Top-seeded Drexel, who went undefeated in league play and has won 11 of their last 12 games, squares off against the four seed, Monmouth, in one of two semifinals on Friday. The Dragons won the regular season clash by a score of 2-1 and boasts the stingiest defensive unit in the conference, headlined by sophomore defender Pien Elsen. The offense is led by sophmore forward Valentine Van Hellemont and Maryland transfer graduate student Anna Castaldo, with 11 and 9 goals on the season, respectively. Monmouth enters the tournament with an 11-6 overall record, a 3-3 mark in CAA play, and resume-building wins against James Madison, Iowa, and VCU. The Hawks high-powered offense is led by sophomore defender Anna Moors, a weapon on penalty corners with 11 goals, and senior forward Jess Tucker, with nine goals and seven assists. The winner of this first round match-up may well be the favorite to bring home the big trophy on Sunday, provided they survive the experience.

Perennial CAA contender and former NCAA champion Delaware holds down the three seed and after failing to secure a spot in last year’s tournament. The Fighting Blue Hens, who fell by a score of 2-1 in all three CAA losses — including against Northeastern — are undoubtably hungry for redemption against the No. 2 seeded Huskies. Delaware is a balanced squad with strong team defense and an offense that spreads the scoring responsibilities around. Eleven different Blue Hens have tallied so far this season, led by freshman forward Janne Stoetzer with five goals and five assists.

Northeastern enters the tournament with an impressive 12-6 overall record and a 5-1 CAA tally only blemished by top-seed Drexel. The Huskies have the longest trek, a 300-mile jaunt down to Drexel’s Vidas Athletic Center, bringing with them a dangerous veteran squad. Northeastern boasts the most prolific offense in the CAA, featuring graduate student defender Lauren Rowe, who has posted a total of ten goals and ten assists on the season and carries the title of 2023 CAA Defensive Player of the Year.

While 19th ranked Drexel enters with serious momentum and a chip on their shoulder from last year’s early tournament exit, the CAA is stacked with talented teams and players that should make this year’s affair one to remember.

HOST: PRINCETON | NOVEMBER 8 & 10

For the second iteration of the Ivy League Tournament, No. 1 seed and regular season champion Princeton will host a four-team field at Bedford Field in Princeton, N.J.

With Beth Yeager back in action for Princeton, the Tigers have been on the offensive this year, and come into the postseason ranked No. 13 in Division I. In their three biggest wins of the season, the Tigers have seen individual athletes step up their performance — Yeager, who was named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, scored twice in a 2-1 win over Maryland. In their 3-2 victory over Rutgers, senior Grace Schulze tallied a hat trick, while Ella Cashman fired in two in a 2-1 OT win over Harvard.

With a stout defensive line, No. 4 seed Columbia played Princeton to a tight 1-0 loss earlier this season. The Lions backline is anchored by goalkeeper Katie Wimmer, who is second in the nation in save percentage (.824) and registered a career-high 122 total saves this fall. Wimmer also picked up the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year honors.

In the other semifinal, Harvard will match up against Brown. Despite a stellar season performance and finishing in the top-tier of Division I, Harvard finds themselves the No. 2 seed after a 2-1 overtime loss to the Tigers back in mid-October. Following the loss, the No. 11 nationally ranked Crimson finished off the regular season with two Ivy wins and an upset over No. 4 Saint Joseph’s. Senior Lucy Leel stepped up and notched her first multi-goal game of the season, scoring twice in the 2-1 victory. Harvard also took down No. 10 UConn earlier this season and fell just 3-2 to No. 2 Northwestern.

Slotting in at the third seed, Brown will make their first Ivy League tournament appearance. The Bears were shut out 4-0 when matched up against Harvard earlier this season, but were able to put up some nice offensive stats in the Ivy League — MK Myklebust stands second in goals (9) while Lucy Brown leads in assists (11).

The two semifinal winners will play in the Ivy League final on Sunday, November 10.

HOST: MIAMI (OHIO) | NOVEMBER 6, 7 & 9

After seven consecutive years of claiming at least a share of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season conference title, Miami-Ohio has conceded the honor. James Madison swooped in as an outsider to claim the top seed, but will share the title of regular season champion with App State. 

Without a conference for several seasons after leaving the CAA, JMU has shown dominance in the MAC, taking down reigning champ Miami-Ohio, 2-1, and 2023 runner-up Kent State, 3-0. In a very competitive regular season finale, the Dukes lost to App State, 4-3, but claimed the No. 1 seed with conference goal differential - outscoring MAC opponents 28-8. Alice Roeper, who leads the MAC in goals and points, has accumulated 33 points so far for JMU.

No. 2 seed App State will join the Dukes in the semifinals on Thursday, November 7, both garnering a first round bye. The Mountaineers single conference loss was 1-0 to Miami-Ohio in early October. 

Wednesday’s quarterfinals will feature No. 4 Kent State against No. 5 Ball State, and No. 3 Miami Ohio against No. 6 Ohio. Miami-Ohio matched App State and JMU with a 7-1 conference record, but fell to the third seed via conference tiebreakers. The Redhawks only conceded a MAC loss James Madison, 2-1, and defeated Ohio by a score of 5-1.

When the two matched up earlier this season, Kent State defeated Ball State 1-0 - the first win for the Flashes’ new head coach Heather Hefner. 

HOST: WAGNER | NOVEMBER 7 & 9

After three different champions in the last three years, the 2024 Northeast Conference Tournament gets underway with the top seed — Wagner — earning its first-ever NEC regular season crown.

The Seahawks edged Rider, 2-1, in the regular season finale to slip past the Broncs and secure the top seed. They did so behind a balanced offense and goaltender Saar Van Dalen, who posted a NEC-best 1.43 goals against average. Wagner faces LIU in the first round, a team it dispatched by a 4-0 margin back in late September with two goals from Emma Lofstedt. The Sharks return to the tournament for the first time since 2021 after winning four of their last five conference games

The other semifinal features two teams that have accounted for seven of the last eight tournament crowns (and the last five regular season titles): Rider and Fairfield. The Broncs have the NEC’s top offense at 2.8 goals per game, paced by Olivia Machiavelli (14 goals) and Valeria Perales (10 goals). The Stags, meanwhile, rank third offensively and first defensively (1.2 goals allowed per game) with Emily Streib (1.435 GAA) in the cage. The regular season meeting was a close one with Rider eking out a 1-0 shutout.

It’s been a storybook season for Wagner but the competition will be stiff in the conference bracket. The final is scheduled for Sunday at noon with a spot in the 2024 NCAA Tournament on the line.

HOST: AMERICAN | NOVEMBER 7 & 9

Defending champions American host the 2024 Patriot League Championship in the nation’s capital after polishing off an undefeated season with a 2-0 win over Bucknell in the regular season finale. The Eagles finished 6-0 — a game up on Lafayette — to clinch a 14th regular season title. Action gets underway on Thursday morning.

American will face fourth-seeded Boston University for the second time this year after winning 2-0 back in mid-October. The Eagles feature the conference’s Goalkeeper of the Year in Bryn Underwood, who posted a 1.13 GAA and won the honor for the third time in her career. Head coach Steve Jennings earned Coach of the Year and freshman Olivia Morraye was the Rookie of the Year. The No. 4 Terriers, meanwhile, have dropped three straight but will hope for Payton Anderson (15 goals) to power them forward.

 In the other semifinal, Lafayette — a double overtime loss to American away from being the No. 1 seed — faces Bucknell. While the Bison are the lower seeded team, they do boast the conference’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in Lily Neilson (17 goals) and Kira Leclercq. The Leopards, on the other hand, won the regular season meeting 2-0 and have rattled off four straight wins — outscoring opponents 13-1 during that span.

The championship will be held on Sunday afternoon with the winner earning the conference’s auto-bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Eagles are looking for a third crown in four years.