NCAA Division I Tournament: Semifinals & Final

North Carolina finished off regionals on their home field in Chapel Hill with a perfect 20-0 record. The Tar Heels now head to Ann Arbor with hopes of capturing a third consecutive National Championship, making it to the Semifinal weekend with wins over Delware and Duke. North Carolina took down the Blue Devils in a decisive 3-0 victory this past Sunday. ACC Offensive Player of the Year Ryleigh Heck opened up the scoring with a pair of goals, and senior Kennedy Cliggett scored the third. The Duke offense was limited to a single shot on goal, as goalkeeper Abigail Taylor earned her 12th shutout of the season and her second in back-to-back games. ACC Coach of the Year Erin Matson is on the prowl for her second National Championship title in her second year as head coach.

Also coming straight from their home turf in Philadelphia, Saint Joesph's comes to Michigan looking to claim their first National Championship. The 19-3 Hawks came out on top over Ivy League powerhouse, Princeton, in a 1-0 nailbiter on Sunday. Celeste Smits scored the lone goal for the Hawks off their first and only penalty corner of the match, while goalkeeper Marith Bijkerk made two stops against a pair of Beth Yeager dragflicks to keep the season alive. In a recent announcement, Manu Ghigliotti and A10 Offensive Player of the Year Lily Santi were selected to the 2024 NFHCA Senior Team. This is the first time in program history that Saint Joseph's has made it to the NCAA Semifinals, and they will look to make more history this weekend.

The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with the Hawks, 4-1. Their most recent match-up was in the 2022 NCAA Second Round, in which North Carolina won 5-2, and Erin Matson tallied a hat trick. In a 2021 regular season meeting, Saint Joseph's took a 3-2 victory.

FINAL: NORTH CAROLINA 1 - 2 SAINT JOSEPH'S

The most recent NCAA Champion outside of North Carolina, Northwestern is looking to get back to the final once again. Just a few weeks ago, the Wildcats had their hopes of winning a second Big Ten (B1G) Championship disappear when a tenacious Michigan team took a 1-0 victory. Now, with a 21-1 record and a fire underneath them, Northwestern is looking to win their second NCAA title and first since 2021. The Wildcats are through to the Semifinals with a hard-fought 4-3 overtime win against No. 3 Virginia. After goals from Elaine Velthuizen and Ashley Sessa in regulation, the thrilling OT goal came from Lauren Wadas. Sessa was selected as the B1G Offensive Player of the Year, while goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz earned B1G Goalkeeper of the Year and Maddie Zimmer was unanimously tabbed B1G Player of the Year. Head coach Tracey Fuchs was named B1G Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Massachusetts clinched an NCAA Semifinal appearance for the first time since 1992 with a 1-0 victory over Harvard. Claire Danahy scored the game winning goal for the Minutewomen while goalkeeper Myrte van Herwijnen made saves on all three shots faced. The Minutewomen put up nine shots themselves, getting one by Harvard's Tess Shahbo. The Crimson pulled their goalkeeper with five minutes and change remaining in the fourth quarter to bring on an extra attacker, but Massachusetts was able to hold them off. In the First Round, the Minutewomen upset regional hosts UConn with a 2-1 comeback victory.

UMass nearly swept the A10 awards this year, as van Herwijnen was dubbed Goalkeeper of the Year, Paula Lorenzini was selected as Defensive Player of the Year, Elani Sherwood was Rookie of the Year, and head coach Barb Weinberg was Coach of the Year.

While Northwestern goes into this game as the favorite, Massachusetts has won their previous two match-ups as the underdog.

FINAL: NORTHWESTERN 1 - 0 UMASS

For the first time in program history, Saint Joseph's will make an appearance at the NCAA Tournament final. The Hawks took down the favored No. 1 North Carolina in a 2-1 victory on Friday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Mich. Both goals for the Hawks came from graduate student, Manu Ghigliotti. The first was off a quick reverse hit in the second quarter, and in the third frame Ghihliotti was in just the right spot to put in a rebound off of Lily Santi's penalty corner shot. North Carolina's Charly Bruder scored with under a minute remaining in the third off a penalty corner straight shot. The Hawks managed to hold on in the fourth quarter with several inspiring stops from goalkeeper Marith Bijkerk, and a goal line save from Jordan Carr halfway through the fourth.

Northwestern punched their ticket to the NCAA Championship game after a fourth quarter goal from Ashley Sessa. Despite attempts by Massachusetts, including pulling their goaltender with six minutes and charge remaining, the Wildcats were able to secure the narrow 1-0 victory. Despite a narrow scoreline, Northwestern managed to limit the Minutewomen to just a single shot on goal the entire game. As they head into the final for the fourth consecutive year, the Wildcats have hopes of securing their first National Title since 2021.

Northwestern will be looking for their second national title while Saint Joseph’s hopes to secure their first. These two teams have faced each other just once before, back in 2009, with the Wildcats winning 7-3.