NCAA Division III Tournament: First Round

(Team listed first is host)

Earning an at-large bid, Bryn Mawr will make program history with their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Owls will welcome SUNY Geneseo to their campus in Bryn Mawr, Pa. 

A program that was 0-12 in 2015, Bryn Mawr has been building up to this very moment. Under head coach Victor Brady, the Owls earned their first Centennial Conference tournament berth in 2019, first win over a ranked opponent in 2022, and first national ranking in 2023. This year, the No. 15 Owls picked up five straight ranked victories in September, and currently sit with an overall record of 14-6. Bryn Mawr defeated Swarthmore, 3-0, in the Centennial Conference semifinal, but dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker to No. 5 Johns Hopkins in the final. 

No. 17 SUNY Geneseo returns to the NCAA postseason after last making a run to the Second Round in 2019. The Knights are in after winning the Empire 8 championship in their debut season. Two attackers have tallied 16 goals – Clare Katrina and Ella Greico – in a season that has only seen two losses. The Knights and the Owls have never matched up, and there are no mutual opponents played. 

FINAL: BRYN MAWR 1 - 0 SUNY GENESEO

Winners of their respective conferences, SUNY Cortland and Ohio Wesleyan will clash in the First Round on Wednesday. 

For the third year in a row — and 18th time overall — No. 8 Cortland claimed the State University of New York Conference (SUNYAC) title. The Red Dragons breezed past Oswego in the semifinals, 7-0, then eked past New Paltz, 2-1, with a late penalty corner goal from Sydney Reinisch. 17-1 overall, Cortland’s only loss of the season was to No. 10 York back on October 9.

Ohio Wesleyan defeated Denison in this year’s NCAC championship after falling to the Big Red in the 2023 iteration. The Battling Bishops did not concede a single goal in the conference tournament, with the defensive line working overtime. Ohio Wesleyan is 17-4 going into this match-up, and fell 2-0 to York before Cortland fell 1-0 to that same team.

The duo met in the NCAA First Round not too long ago, with Ohio Wesleyan winning 2-1 in overtime in 2021.

FINAL: SUNY CORTLAND 2 - 1 OHIO WESLEYAN

ODAC champion Shenandoah will host MASCAC champion Westfield State in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. No. 8 Shenandoah will play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016, while Westfield State makes their triumphant return – last appearing in the inaugural NCAA Division III Tournament in 1981 as the host. 

Shenandoah’s ODAC championship win over Lynchburg earned them both an automatic berth and solidified a new program record for wins (18). The Hornets have not lost a game since September 10, and picked up their biggest ranked win in overtime against No. 1 Salisbury on September 21.

FINAL: SHENANDOAH 11 - 0 WESTFIELD STATE

In the First Round, Lynchburg will host Susquehanna in a rematch of their September 29 meeting. On that day it was Lynchburg who was victorious, by a score of 3-1.

No. 8 Susquehanna is in with an automatic spot after an astounding comeback victory over Scranton in the Landmark Conference Championship. Down 2-0 heading into the fourth quarter, the River Hawks finally broke the spell with a goal from Taylor Rothermel in the 49th minute. First-year Mady Quigley picked up a second and third goal in the final five minutes, as the River Hawks soared to a 3-2 victory.

Despite being the ODAC runner-up, No. 14 Lynchburg’s 15-4 record was enough to secure them a spot in the postseason. The Hornets lost to Shenandoah, 4-1, in the final, after finishing their regular season with a much tighter 2-1 overtime loss. Last season, Lynchburg made it to the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals before falling to Kean, 2-1. 

FINAL: LYNCHBURG 2 - 1 (OT) SUSQUEHANNA

After hosting a regional site last season and making a run to the NCAA Semifinals, Babson will settle for hosting a First Round match against Keene State. Both teams won their respective conferences, with Babson picking up their fourth consecutive NEWMAC title and Keene State finally winning the LEC crown after four years of falling short in the conference tournament. 

No. 7 Babson, now 18-3, has lost only to No. 2 Middlebury, No. 4 Williams, and No. 3 Tufts. Senior goalkeeper Bayla Furmanek sits top-three in the division for goals against average (0.62), with a defense that has accumulated 12 shutouts. 

Keene State is returning to the NCAA postseason after last appearing in 2018. The Owls defeated VTSU Castleton in a 3-2 thriller last Sunday, putting their overall record at 16-6. Junior Grace Bazin is fifth in Division III for points per game (2.75) and goals per game (1.20).

This duo last matched up in 2021, with Babson finishing on top by a score of 6-1. Against mutual opponents this season, both teams are able to tally goals, but the Beaver defense boasts more strength. Against Smith, Babson took a 6-0 victory while Keene State won 6-4. Babson defeated Clark 9-0 and Keene State won 6-3.

FINAL: BABSON 5 - 0 KEENE STATE

Bates and Stevens are both back for their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, facing each other in the First Round. 

No. 11 Bates had their season go from good to great last weekend, as the Bobcats made it to the NESCAC championship match for the first time in program history. The journey started with a sudden victory shootout win against No. 13 Wesleyan in the quarterfinals, then an incredible 2-1 upset over No. 2 Middlebury. NESCAC First Team selection Anna Cote notched the game winning penalty stroke goal in the 46th minute, while the defense fended off 26 shots from the Panthers. Sophomore Haley Dwight made four defensive saves on the day. Bates fell to Tufts in a tight championship game that ended in shootouts after neither team could find the back of the net.

Stevens will be facing Bates for the first time, having fallen to Cortland in the NCAA Tournament First Round last season. The 15-5 Ducks defeated Arcadia, 2-1, in this year’s MAC Freedom final, with goals from First Team All-Conference selection Sophia Cozza and Second Team selection Sarah Korczukowski.

FINAL: BATES 4 - 1 STEVENS

Wesleyan will make their NCAA Tournament debut this Wednesday, hosting Ithaca, who is making their 18th all-time appearance. 

Despite losing out in the NESCAC quarterfinal, No. 13 Wesleyan is on solid ground heading into the tournament – picking up wins over opponents like No. 11 Bates and No. 3 Tufts in the regular season. The loss came in shootouts after Ava Galdenzi tied up the match in the second quarter. With the announcement of the conference awards this past Tuesday, senior Imani Ochieng became the only Wesleyan defender to receive two All-NESCAC First Team selections.

No. 19 Ithaca also made program history this past week, by winning their first ever Liberty League championship. It was a sweet victory for the Bombers, who had lost in the final in 2023 and 2021. In a dominant performance, Ithaca shut out Rochester, 2-0, not allowing a single shot on goal. 

The duo have never matched up, but fared similarly against mutual opponents this fall. For example, a 4-1 win over Vassar was a 4-0 win for Ithaca. 

FINAL: WESLEYAN 2 - 0 ITHACA

Veteran of the NCAA Tournament Messiah will host Roger Wiliams for their first appearance in program history.

It will be the 36th dance for No. 12 Messiah, who earned an at-large bid after claiming the conference title and automatic bid for the past 16 seasons. The Hawks’ streak was broken in a 1-0 OT heartbreaker to York, following a 7-1 semifinal win over Alvernia. Messiah remains the most recent team other than Middlebury to win an NCAA Championship, winning the title back in 2016 against Tufts.

Roger Williams makes their NCAA Tournament debut with an automatic berth after winning their first ever CNE title. The Hawks defeated the University of New England, 2-1, with senior Abigail Stevens finding the back of the net in overtime.

FINAL: MESSIAH 6 - 1 ROGER WILLIAMS

York will host their first ever meeting with Johnson & Wales in the NCAA Tournament First Round. 

A win over 16-time reigning MAC Commonwealth champion Messiah propelled No. 10 York to their first ever conference crown last Saturday. In the 1-0 victory, tournament MVP Riley Buschert tallied the lone goal, while goalkeeper Belle Fields was phenomenal between the posts for the Spartans. York has played a challenging schedule this fall, coming out 16-5 with wins over No. 14 Lynchburg and No. 5 Johns Hopkins but narrow losses to No. 1 Salisbury and No. 6 Christopher Newport.

A fourth consecutive GNAC title granted Johnson & Wales their automatic spot, as the Wildcats search for a First Round win after three years of losses to NESCAC teams. Graduate student from UMass Lowell Megan Salsinha has already accumulated 45 points on the season, sitting at the fourth-highest single season record in program history. It’s been an 18-3 season so far for the Wildcats, who have not lost a game since September 7.

FINAL: YORK 2 - 0 JWU

One team will end their season the way they started as Rowan and Ursinus face off in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. The pair opened their season together for the eighth straight time, with Ursinus taking a 6-2 victory.

No. 16 Ursinus will host with an at-large bid after falling to Johns Hopkins in the Centennial Conference championship. The now 13-6 Bears took down Franklin & Marshall in a narrow 3-2 overtime match to advance to the conference final, but could not outlast Johns Hopkins, falling 4-1. Kirsten Johnson, who leads her team in assists, picked up her seventh of the season in the loss. Bears’ offensive leader Mary Lauren Franz has continued to shine, and is averaging about 2.18 points per game.

Earning the automatic bid with their fourth straight NJAC title, No. 22 Rowan has been heating up heading into the NCAA postseason. The Profs are on a ten-game win streak that includes the conference winner against TCNJ and a late October victory over No. 1 Salisbury. 

FINAL: URSINUS 1 - 2 ROWAN

2021, 2022, and 2023 NCAA runner-up Johns Hopkins will host Marywood for the first time in recent history, having met previously 39 years ago. 

No. 5 Johns Hopkins clinched their sixth straight Centennial Conference title last weekend with a 4-1 victory over No. 16 Ursinus. Two goals from offensive leader Lila Slattery helped the Blue Jays overcome the Bears, as the graduate student is now up to 42 points on the season. Sitting 17-3 overall, Johns Hopkins only losses were to No. 1 Salisbury, No. 10 York, and No. 25 Swarthmore. 

It’s a return to the NCAA Tournament for Marywood, who hasn’t danced since 2019. The Pacers earned a spot with their second AEC title, shutting out Immaculata 2-0 last weekend. When matched up against TCNJ this season, Marywood fell, 4-1, while Johns Hopkins took a decisive 4-0 victory. 

FINAL: JOHNS HOPKINS 6 - 0 MARYWOOD

Old familiar foes Christpher Newport and St. Mary’s will meet in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in Newport News, Va. Both were previously members of the Capital Athletic Conference, and the pair has faced off nearly every year since 2001, with Christopher Newport winning 18 of 20 total matches. 

With an overall record of 14-2, it seems the only team No. 6 Christopher Newport can’t get past this season is fellow C2C member Salisbury. The Captains fell to the Sea Gulls 3-1 in the regular season, then 3-2 after shootouts in the C2C Championship. Besides those two losses, Christopher Newport has taken down all three ranked opponents they faced – then-No. 18 Franklin & Marshall, No. 10 York, and No. 23 SUNY New Paltz. 

Fresh off an unbeaten conference regular season, St. Mary’s swept the four-team United East Conference field and topped Keystone, 5-1, in the final. The Seahawks will need to carry that momentum into their contest against the Captains, having fallen in the same match-up by a score of 5-0 earlier this fall.

FINAL: CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT 4 - 0 ST. MARY'S