A History of the NCAA Field Hockey Tournament
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) conducts annual field hockey tournaments to determine the national champions for both Division I and Division III collegiate women's field hockey in the United States. These single-elimination tournaments showcase the best teams in the country and have a rich history spanning over four decades.
NCAA Division I Field Hockey Tournament
Overview
The NCAA Division I Field Hockey Tournament was founded in 1981. It is an American intercollegiate field hockey tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I national champion. The championship is contested exclusively by women's teams and there is no equivalent NCAA men's field hockey championship.
History
Field hockey was included as one of the 12 women's sports added to the NCAA championship program for the 1981-82 school year, marking the NCAA's engagement in a battle with the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) for the sole governance of women's collegiate sports. The AIAW continued to conduct its established championship program in the same 12 sports. However, after a year of dual women's championships, the NCAA overcame the AIAW, usurping its authority and membership.
The tournament began with six teams and has expanded to 18. At different times a third-place game has been played as well. Under the tournament's current format, 18 teams qualify, with two play-in games. The play-in games and first two rounds are played at the home turf of the higher seeds in each matchup.
Teams
60 teams have appeared in the NCAA Tournament in at least one year starting with 1981.
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Most Successful Team
The most successful team is the North Carolina Tar Heels, who have eleven titles. In addition, North Carolina has finished national runner-up an NCAA record eleven times.
Recent Semifinal Matchups
No. 1 North Carolina vs. Saint Joseph's
North Carolina finished off regionals on their home field in Chapel Hill with a perfect 20-0 record. The Tar Heels headed to Ann Arbor with hopes of capturing a third consecutive National Championship, making it to the Semifinal weekend with wins over Delaware and Duke. North Carolina took down the Blue Devils in a decisive 3-0 victory. 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 was on the prowl for her second National Championship title in her second year as head coach.
Coming straight from their home turf in Philadelphia, Saint Joseph's came 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. 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. Manu Ghigliotti and A10 Offensive Player of the Year Lily Santi were selected to the 2024 NFHCA Senior Team. This was the first time in program history that Saint Joseph's made it to the NCAA Semifinals.
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.
No. 2 Northwestern vs. Massachusetts
The most recent NCAA Champion outside of North Carolina, Northwestern was looking to get back to the final once again. A few weeks prior, 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 was looking to win their second NCAA title and first since 2021. The Wildcats were 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.
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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, 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 went into this game as the favorite, Massachusetts had won their previous two match-ups as the underdog.
2024 Final
For the first time in program history, Saint Joseph's made an appearance at the NCAA Tournament final. The Hawks took down the favored No. 1 North Carolina in a 2-1 victory. 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 headed into the final for the fourth consecutive year, the Wildcats had hopes of securing their first National Title since 2021.
Northwestern was looking for their second national title while Saint Joseph’s hoped to secure their first. These two teams have faced each other just once before, back in 2009, with the Wildcats winning 7-3.
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Individual Streaks
- Old Dominion (1984; Old Dominion-10 vs. Maryland (2008; Maryland-8 vs. Old Dominion (1984; vs. Paula Infante, Maryland (2004; Maryland-5 vs. Maartje van Rijswijk, Old Dominion (2012; Old Dominion-6 vs. Cheryl Van Kuren, Old Dominion (1984; Old Dominion-10 vs. Missy Farwell, Virginia (1984; Virginia-2 vs.
NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament
Overview
The NCAA Division III field hockey tournament is an annual single-elimination tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the national champion of women's Division III collegiate field hockey in the United States. The tournament was founded in 1981. Currently, 24 teams compete in each national championship tournament.
Most Successful Team
The most successful team has been The College of New Jersey, with 11 titles.
Champions
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