WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The Messiah University Field Hockey team will compete in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen Round on Saturday, Nov. 16 at Williams College. Messiah earned their spot in the Second Round after defeating the Roger Williams Hawks 6-1 in First Round play earlier this week. The Falcons will face off against the Shenandoah Hornets at 2:00 p.m.
See below for a quick preview of the four teams in action in Williamstown
No. 12 Messiah University Falcons
15-5, 7-0 MAC Commonwealth
MAC Commonwealth Runner-Up
Location: Grantham, Pa.
Coach: Brooke Good (12th season, 211-44)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 37th (59-35 Tournament Record)
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: 2016 National Champions
The Falcons are making their 37
th NCAA Tournament appearance after a 14-5 season. Messiah finished as the MAC Commonwealth Runner-Up after a 1-0 overtime loss to the York College Spartans. After a successful regular season, the Messiah Falcons received an at-large bid and defeated the Roger Williams Hawks 6-1 on Anderson Field on Wednesday to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
The Falcons offensive success is shared across the bench with 10 players tallying 10 points or more and 14 players finding the back of the cage this season. The Falcons have outscored opponents 73-23 thus far and are averaging 3.65 goals per game.
Casey Tyrrell and
Lillian Peters have anchored a solid Messiah defense throughout the season and freshman goalie
Joy Lippert has found great success late in the season, going 7-1 with her lone loss coming in the conference championship overtime loss.
Players to Watch
#20
Hailey Womer – 12 goals, 2 assists, 26 points, 2 game-winning goals, 30 shots
#11
Leah Bryner – 12 goals, 24 points, 3 game-winning goals, 35 shots
#12
Carrie Bair – 7 goals, 5 assists, 19 points, 2 game-winning goals, 38 shots
#1
Aubrey Clark – 6 goals, 4 assists, 16 points, 1 game-winning goal, 30 shots
#15
Teagan Murrie – 6 goals, 2 assists, 14 points, 2 game-winning goals, 39 shots
#00
Joy Lippert – 0.65 goals-against average, 19 saves, .792 sv. pct., 2 shutouts
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No. 8 Shenandoah University Hornets
19-2, 8-0 ODAC
ODAC Champions
Location: Winchester, Va.
Coach: Ashley Smeltzer-Kraft (11th season, 161-66)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2nd (1-1 Tournament Record)
Best Tournament Finish: First Round Appearance
The Hornets are making their 2nd NCAA Tournament appearance after a historic season. Shenandoah is 19-2 and won their second ever ODAC Tournament with a 4-1 win over the University of Lynchburg. The Hornets hosted a First Round game on Wednesday afternoon and defeated Westfield St. with a convincing 11-0 shutout to move on to the Second Round.
Shenandoah has totaled 86 goals thus far and has a 4.10 goals per game average. Seven players have 10 points or more, with two that have 41 points. The offense is led by Cassidy Morrison who has 20 goals this season. The Hornets defense has allowed 17 goals this season and have registered nine shutouts.
Players to Watch
#13 Cassidy Morrison – 20 goals, 1 assist, 41 points, 5 game-winning goals, 67 shots
#17 Farren Winter – 16 goals, 9 assists, 41 points, 5 game-winning goals, 80 shots
#8 Mairead McKibbin – 13 goals, 6 assists, 32 points, 3 game-winning goals, 53 shots
#6 Elizabeth Ranberger – 9 goals, 10 assists, 28 points, 3 game-winning goals, 56 shots
#9 Madison Short – 7 goals, 5 assists, 19 points, 1 game-winning goals, 20 shots
#0 Taylor Swann – 0.78 goals-against average, 87 saves, .837 sv. pct., six shutouts
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Hornets have met four times in history and Messiah holds a 4-0 record. The last meeting in 2010 resulted in an 8-0 Messiah win.
No. 4 Williams College Ephs
14-3, 9-1 NESCAC
Location: Williamstown, Mass.
Coach: Alix Barrale (24th season, 258-150)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 14th
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: 2022 Final Four Appearance
Wiliams received an at-large bid after being defeated by Tufts in the NESCAC Semifinal after a 2-1 penalty shootout. The Ephs other losses this season came against No. 2 Salisbury (1-0) and No. 3 Middlebury (3-0). Williams is ranked 4th after a strong schedule saw them facing many top teams in the country.
Williams has scored 44 goals and allowed 13 this season. They have an average of 2.59 goals per game. The Ephs have six players with 10 or more points, led by Kiki Higgins. Williams is led by Kiki Higgins who has 28 points behind seven goals and 14 assists.
Players to Watch
#6 Kiki Higgins – 7 goals, 14 assists, 28 points, 2 game-winning goals, 54 shots
#24 Pilar Torres – 8 goals, 1 assist, 17 points, 3 game-winning goals, 59 shots
#10 Meaghan Boehm – 6 goals, 2 assists, 14 points, 2 game-winning goals, 27 shots
#9 Haley McAuslin – 5 goals, 4 assists, 14 points, 1 game-winning goal, 22 shots
#13 Claire Colvin – 6 goals, 1 assist, 13 points, 3 game-winning goals, 21 shots
#88 Ellie Smith – 0.74 goals-against average, 60 saves, .836 sv. pct., 9 shutouts
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History Against Messiah
Messiah holds a 2-0 record against Williams. The last time the Falcons and Ephs met was in the 2006 NCAA Second Round. Messiah claimed the 3-2 victory in double overtime.
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No. 13 Wesleyan (CT)
12-5, 6-4 NESCAC
Location: Middletown, Conn.
Coach: Christine Kemp (6th season, 37-41)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 1st (1-0 Tournament Record)
The Cardinals are in the midst of their most successful season in program history, highlighted by their first ever Tournament appearance. Wesleyan received an at-large bid into the bracket after a penalty shootout loss during the NESCAC quarterfinal. The Cardinals advanced to the Second Round after defeating the No. 22 Ithaca Bombers 2-0 on Wednesday.
Wesleyan has scored 52 goals this season in comparison to their opponents 29. Competing in the highly competitive NESCAC, the Cardinals picked up some key victories this season to be named as one of the at-large bids. Five Cardinals have 10 points or more this season, highlighted by Georgia Adams, with 32 points behind 13 goals and six assists.
Players to Watch
#16 Georgia Adams – 13 goals, 6 assists, 32 points, 3 game-winning goals, 66 shots
#26 Kenzie Kelly – 7 goals, 4 assists, 18 points, 2 game-winning goals, 23 shots
#10 Helen Deretchin – 4 goals, 5 assists, 13 points, 1 game-winning goals, 25 shots
#15 Kenzie Mauro – 4 goals, 3 assists, 11 points, 11 shots
#9 Teddy Tolbert, 5 goals, 1 assist, 11 points, 2 game-winning goals, 10 shots
#60 Audrey Pace – 1.47 goals-against average, 83 saves, .783 sv. pct., 1 shutout
History Against Messiah
If the Falcons and Cardinals advance to Sunday, it will be the first meeting between the two teams.
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