GRANTHAM, Pa. – On Saturday afternoon, the Messiah field hockey team claimed its 14th-consecutive MAC Commonwealth Championship after topping visiting Widener University, 7-3. Now, the Falcons are gearing up to make their 34th appearance in the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday evening. Messiah (16-2, 8-0 MAC Commonwealth) will host reigning MAC Freedom champions Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks (15-4, 6-1 MAC Freedom) on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.
The winner of the First Round contest will travel to Babson College to take on the Beavers on Saturday, Nov. 13. Messiah and Stevens have met just twice before. The Falcons won both matchups with the most recent meeting occurring during the 2014 campaign.
The Falcons enter the national tournament with a National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) national rank of nine, pursuing their second NCAA Division III National Championship in program history (2016).
General admission for Wednesday's contest is $5, with senior citizens and students with an ID being admitted at $3. Children aged six and under have free admission.
Read below for a quick preview of the cross-MAC NCAA First Round matchup:
Messiah University Falcons – MAC Commonwealth Champions – 16-2 Overall, 8-0 Conference
As mentioned, the Falcons earned another MAC Commonwealth Championship at Anderson Field on Saturday. The conference crown is the program's 27th all-time, as
Makayla Malcolm's hat trick in the championship contest earned her MAC Commonwealth Tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
Messiah swept its conference schedule, including the two postseason competitions last week. The Falcons lead the MAC Commonwealth in average goals/game (3.94), and average goals allowed/game (1.06). Messiah's margin of 2.88 is also a conference-best mark, senior forward
Jennie Young is tied with the conference lead in total assists (8).
Players to watch:
Makayla Malcolm – Junior forward – 14 goals, two assists, three game-winning goals
Jennie Young – Senior forward – 10 goals, eight assists, one game-winning goal
Ashlyn Smith – Junior midfielder – Nine goals, four assists, three game-winning goals
Catie Brubaker – Junior goalkeeper – 1.12 GAA, 0.696 save pct., 15-2 record
Messiah has an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 55-32, going 43-7 in home competitions.
Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks – MAC Freedom Champions – 15-4 Overall, 6-1 Conference
The Ducks claimed their second conference championship in program history on Saturday afternoon, besting Misericordia University, 2-0. The conference championship was the program's first MAC Freedom title since joining the conference in 2019. Stevens is making its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament after clinching a spot in the tournament back in 2015.
Stevens rattled off 11-consecutive wins earlier in the season, spanning from Sep. 11 – Oct. 20. Senior defender Aryana Muscara is tied for the MAC Freedom in goals (13), as the Ducks rank second overall as a team in average goals/game with 3.0. The MAC Freedom champions enter the national tournament having won three of its four past contests.
Players to watch:
Aryana Muscara – Senior defender – 13 goals, six assists, two game-winning goals
Lynda Farinella – Junior midfielder – Seven goal, six assists, three game-winning goals
Brynn Froehlich – Fifth-year forward – Six goals, five assists, three game-winning goals
The Ducks have an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 3-4, recording first-round victories in three of their five total appearances.
