INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – On Sunday evening, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced the bracket for the 2024 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship. The Messiah University Field Hockey team earned an at-large bid and will host Roger Williams on Wednesday, Nov. 13 on Anderson Field. Action is set to begin at 4:00 p.m.
Messiah has a season record 14-5 and 7-0 in MAC Commonwealth play. The Falcons enter the tournament via an at-large bid after suffering a 1-0 overtime loss in the MAC Commonwealth Championship against the York College Spartans. Roger Williams is 16-6 with a conference record of 4-1. The Hawks enter the tournament after a 2-1 win over the University of New England in the Conference of New England Championship.
This will be the first time the Messiah Falcons and Roger Williams Hawks face-off.
The winner of the First Round contest will travel to Williams College for a Second Round game on Saturday, Nov. 16. at 2:00 p.m. They will face the winner or the First Round game between Shenandoah and Westfield St.
The Falcons enter the national tournament with a National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) national rank of twelve, pursuing their second NCAA Division III National Championship in program history (2016).
General admission for Wednesday's contest is $5, with senior citizens, students with an ID, and children 3-12 being admitted at $3. Children aged three and under have free admission. Messiah students are free with ID thanks to a generous donor.
Read below for a quick preview of the NCAA First Round matchup:
Messiah University Falcons
MAC Commonwealth Runner-Up
14-5 Overall | 7-0 Conference
The Falcons finished as the MAC Commonwealth Runner-Up at Anderson Field on Saturday. The York College Spartans claimed the Championship with a 1-0 overtime win.
Messiah finished with a regular season conference record of 7-0 and went 1-1 in MAC Commonwealth Tournament play. The Falcons lead the MAC Commonwealth in average goals/game (3.53) and goal margin (2.37).
Players to watch:
#20 Hailey Womer – Senior forward – 10 goals, two assists, two game-winning goals
#11 Leah Bryner – Senior forward – 10 goals, two game-winning goals
#12 Carrie Bair – Senior forward – seven goals, four assists, two game-winning goals
#00 Joy Lippert – Freshmen goalie – 0.60 GAA, 0.800 save pct., 6-1 record
Messiah has an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 58-35, going 45-8 on Anderson Field.
Â
Roger Williams University Hawks
Conference of New England
16-6 Overall | 4-1 Conference
The Hawks claimed their first conference championship in program history on Saturday afternoon, defeating University of New England 2-1. Roger Williams is making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The 2024 season was the Hawks best season, collecting a record of 16-6, with a .727 win percentage. Roger Williams ranks first in the Conference of New England with 84 and second in average goals/game with 3.82. The Conference of New England champions enter the national tournament having won nine of their last ten games, only dropping their regular season finale in that stretch.
Players to watch:
#13 Chelsea King – Junior forward – 21 goals, 13 assists, seven game-winning goals
#16 Maddy Monahan – Sophomore midfield – 15 goals, seven assists, one game-winning goals
#18 Elizabeth Duquette – Junior forward – nine goals, four assists, four game-winning goals
#55 Jill Haudenshield – Senior goalie – 1.30 GAA, 0.769 save pct., 14-5 record
The Hawks will be making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Â
