Congratulations 2024 College Division I Conference Winners

Photo by Jeffrey A. Camarati

One thing synonymous with North Carolina field hockey is winning. This past Saturday marked the eighth straight Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Title for the Tar Heels, and their 27th in program history. Despite being in only her second season in the role of head coach, Erin Matson has managed to lead her team to yet another championship title.

After taking down No. 8 seed California 5-0 in the quarterfinals and No. 5 seed Syracuse 3-1 in the semis, North Carolina was ready to face off against No. 3 seed Boston College. While the Tar Heels were kept at bay during the first quarter, Charly Bruder and Ciana Riccardo found the back of the net in the second quarter, taking a 2-0 lead at the end of the half. Sanne Hak scored off a penalty corner in the third, and Ryleigh Heck added to the scoring in the fourth. Despite a last minute goal from the Eagles off a penalty corner, the Tar Heels sealed a dominant 4-1 victory to claim the ACC title.

Bruder’s goal was her fifth of the tournament, and she was named the tournament MVP for her performance. Hak, Heck and Kelly Smith were also named to the All-ACC Tournament Team.

North Carolina will enter the NCAA Tournament with a perfect 18-0 record. They will aim to play for their third consecutive NCAA title.

Photo by Joe Schneyder / Say Cheeze Studios

Saint Joseph’s was looking for revenge after losing the top seed spot to UMass, and they got it this Saturday. The Hawks came out strong in their first Atlantic 10 Tournament game, taking down Richmond 6-1. Manu Ghigliotti got the scoring started, notching two on the day.

The Hawks were fired up when they came out onto the field against UMass. After an early goal from Julia Duffhuis, UMass settled in and held back the Saint Joe’s offense for the second and third quarters. The Minutewomen equalized off a goal from Neva Eisenga in the third quarter, but Sol Borensztein would be the hero of the game for the Hawks, tipping in the game winning goal off of a penalty corner in the fourth frame.

This victory marks the fourth consecutive A10 title for Saint Joseph’s, and eighth in the past nine years. This was also the third consecutive year that Saint Joseph’s and UMass met in the final. With the win, Hawks improved their overall record to 17-3.

Duffhuis was recognized as the A10 Championship Most Outstanding Player, while Ghigliotti, Sol Borensztein, and Celeste Smits were also given All-Championship honors.

On Sunday afternoon, a penalty stroke scored by Julia Bressler would determine UConn as the 2024 Big East Champion.

After a 2-1 win against Liberty to punch their ticket into the championship game, the Huskies took advantage of their opportunity. It was a defensive game, with goalkeeper Natalie McKenna playing a key role in shutting out the Owls on all three of their on-goal attempts. A penalty stroke was awarded for UConn after a penalty corner shot from Sophie Perschk was blocked illegally, and Bressler sunk the attempt. The single goal was all the Huskies needed to take a 1-0 victory and claim the Big East crown.

This championship win puts the Huskies 17-3 on the season. Bressler, Juul Sauer, and Sophia Ugo all joined Big East MVP McKenna on the All-Tournament Team.

In an incredible run, Michigan completed a three-game revenge tour and took down undefeated Northwestern to claim their ninth Big Ten (B1G) title in program history.

In regular season play, the Wolverines only lost three conference games – to Indiana, Maryland, and Northwestern. No. 9 nationally ranked Michgian was paired up with Indiana to kick off the B1G Tournament, fighting to take a 2-1 overtime victory and advance to the semifinals. The Wolverines struck first, with a goal from Kate McLaughlin in the first quarter, then saw the game-winner from Esmée de Willigen at 68:45. Michigan had lost to Indiana 2-1 when they met earlier this season.

Next, the Wolverines faced Maryland, a game they had lost 2-0 back in October. In the high-powered match, Maryland took a 3-1 lead after a goal from Hope Rose in the third quarter. Not giving up, Michigan’s Lora Clarke tallied in the final minute of the frame to decrease the deficit to one. With just four seconds on the clock in the final quarter and an empty net behind them, the Wolverines earned a penalty corner, and Juliette Manzur put it away for a second straight overtime match.

The score remained 3-3 after two overtime periods, and the match would be decided in shootouts. Goalkeeper Hala Silverstein made four stops, while Clarke and McLaughlin converted their attempts, giving Michigan a 4-3 victory over the Terps.

The final piece of the puzzle was Northwestern, a team they had lost to 2-1 in overtime just weeks before. The Wildcats were an undefeated 19-0 heading into the final on Sunday, suffering their first loss of the season in the B1G title game. Alana Richardson scored the game-winning and only goal of the match in the third quarter, as Silverstein made four saves on the day. Clarke was named the Tournament MVP, and was joined by teammate Erin Reilly on the All-Tournament Team.

Photo by Jeff Fannon

The Blue Hens couldn’t have asked for a better bounce back. After missing out on the CAA Tournament in 2023 for the first time in five years, Delaware is taking home their 12th conference title. The Blue Hens entered the postseason as the No. 3 seed after going 3-3 in CAA play, falling to William & Mary, Northeastern, and host Drexel. When matched up with the Huskies again in the semifinal, this time Delaware got the job done by scoring three unanswered goals after going down 1-0 in the first five minutes.

The championship game against No. 2 seed Monmouth was a back-and-forth battle until the very end. The Hawks got the scoring started just one minute in, enjoying a lead until Valentina Martorell evened it up halfway through the second quarter. Just two minutes later, Monmouth picked up a 2-1 lead heading into halftime with a penalty corner goal. Not going down without a fight, Rolf van de Kerkhof’s Blue Hens came out firing in the second half. A goal one minute into play from Iris Bekker tied up the match, only for Monmouth’s Sofia Fouces to score six minutes later to give her team back the lead. With 30 seconds left in the third quarter, Matorell netted her second of the day, and the tying goal that would send the game into overtime.

Eight minutes into overtime, it would be a goal from Delaware’s Lulu Fulton that gave the Blue Hens the victory and CAA championship title. Martorell, who had a career high two goals and two assists on the day, was named the CAA Championship Most Outstanding Player, and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Iris Bekker, Sarah Rigual, and goalkeeper Cecile van Eijck. Delaware will be back in the NCAA Tournament after last appearing in 2022.

Harvard remains the only Ivy League Tournament winner after defeating Princeton for the second time.

The Crimson were on the hunt for revenge from the Tigers after losing the regular season match-up – a 2-1 overtime thriller – and subsequently forgoing the regular season title. This time around, Harvard traveled to Princeton’s home turf in Princeton, N.J. and secured their own 2-1 OT victory. A defensive battle, the score was 0-0 nearly the entire match, until Harvard’s Kitty Chapple redirected a penalty corner shot and gave her team a 1-0 lead. With just over two minutes left to play, the Tigers needed something fast, and Ella Cashman found the equalizer at minute 59 to send the match into overtime. First-year Martha le Hurray notched just her second collegiate goal in overtime to give the Crimson the Ivy League trophy.

Goalkeeper Tess Shahbo made five saves on the day, and was honored alongside teammates le Hurray, Chapple, and Bronte-May Brough on the Ivy League All-Tournament Team. Le Hurray picked up the honor of Most Outstanding Player.

It was the fourth time in six games that Harvard found themselves in overtime. In their semifinal win against Brown, the Crimson narrowed made it through with a 1-0 OT victory, with Brough tallying the golden goal.

Nothing can keep Miami away from the MAC championship title. For the seventh consecutive season, the RedHawks have proven to be the dominant MAC team, defending their title even from the threat of newcomer James Madison.

Miami started off their 2024 postseason run by cruising by Ohio, 6-1. It was a bit more tense in their semifinal match-up against No. 2 seed App State, needing an overtime goal from 2023 MAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player Paula Peña Martinez to take the 3-2 win. Then, when matched up against James Madison in the final – who had handed them a 2-1 loss back in September – the RedHawks stunned the Dukes with a 3-0 shutout. Claudia Negrete Garcia, who would be named this year’s tournament MVP, scored the second goal and assisted on the third. In addition to Garcia, Paula Navarro, Becca Lawn, and Berta Mata were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Miami will enter the NCAA Tournament with a 13-7 record and five consecutive wins.

Fairfield took home the Northeast Conference (NEC) championship on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over top-seed Wagner. The Stags had previously lost to Wagner in the 2023 NEC semifinals.

A pair of 2-1 wins propelled Fairfield to their title. The first was against Rider, with Konni Hofmann and Catalina Ness each picking up a goal. In the title game against Wagner, a new pair of Stags tallied – Alice Pifferi and Rylee LaLoup – the first off of a penalty stroke attempt. Despite being outshot by the Seahawks and trailing in penalty corners 12-2, the Fairfield defense stood strong, with goalkeeper Payton Rahn making seven total saves.

Ness was honored as the NEC Tournament MVP, recognized to the All-Tournament Team alongside Hofmann, LaLoup, and Erin McGinley. The Stags are headed to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time after their garnering their third NEC title. The successful season is fitting for head coach Jackie Kane, who plans to reitre after three decades of leading the Stags.

Photo by Rick Smith

A true team effort pushed Lafayette to their first Patriot League Championship title since 2012 on Saturday. The Leopards upset long-time conference foe and No. 1 seed American on their own home turf. The win brings Lafayette to 14-6 overall and secures them a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The Leopards opened up their postseason by defeating Bucknell, 2-1, in a tight match-up. Josephine van Wijk and Lena Thedrian both tallied on penalty corner chances to bring Lafayette back to the title game. Once there, it was a scoreless match for the first three quarters. Junior goalkeeper Raffi Fragomeni ended up with seven saves, not allowing one by her until the 50-minute mark. Chasing a one goal deficit with just ten minutes to go, Lafayette earned a penalty stroke that was successfully made by Stella Malinowski, sending the match into overtime. It was another sophomore, Lea Good, who put away the win for the Leopards with a penalty corner deflection in OT.

Thedrian, Fragomeni, Makenzie Switzer, and Lineke Spaans were given All-Tournament honors, with Spaans also picking up the Patriot League Field Hockey Championship MVP award.

Images courtesy of Vermont Athletics, UNC Athletics/Jeffrey A Camarati, Joe Schneyder/Say Cheeze Studios, UConn Athletics, Michigan Athletics, Jeff Fannon/Delaware Athletics, Harvard Athletics, Miami Athletics, Fairfield Athletics, Lafayette Athletics/Rick Smith