Saint Joseph’s Field Hockey to Face Drexel in NCAA Championship Opening Round
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Saint Joseph’s University’s field hockey team, riding the momentum of a fifth consecutive Atlantic 10 Championship, will face local rival Drexel University in the opening round of the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship on Wednesday, November 8th. The Hawks (11-9) earned their berth with a dominant performance in the A-10 tournament, while Drexel (13-9) secured its first championship appearance since 2012.
Hawks Soar After A-10 Title
Saint Joseph’s clinched the Atlantic 10 Championship title on Saturday, November 4th, with a decisive 2-0 victory over top-seeded Richmond at Crenshaw Field. Dear Kluyt, named both the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and the Championship’s Most Outstanding Player, opened the scoring with a goal off a penalty corner just under five minutes into the game. The Hawks’ defense proved impenetrable, holding Richmond to a single shot on goal throughout the contest. Ava Smith then sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the final minute, securing the team’s fifth consecutive conference championship and eighth in the last nine seasons.
Drexel Dragons Earn Championship Berth
Drexel University also secured its place in the national tournament after a hard-fought 3-2 win over Monmouth in the CAA championship game on Sunday, November 5th. This marks the Dragons’ first NCAA tournament appearance since 2012. The teams have already met once this season, with Drexel emerging victorious in a 3-2 shootout on October 12th at Ellen Ryan Field.
Challenging Road Ahead
The opening round matchup will take place at 2:00 p.m. at Karen Shelton Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The winner will advance to face the overall top seed, the University of North Carolina, on Friday, November 10th. Saint Joseph’s faced a challenging schedule this season, including matchups against four teams also in this year’s tournament bracket. The Hawks began the season with wins against UConn and New Hampshire, but later suffered defeats against Drexel and Liberty.
The NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship will progress with First and Second Round games on November 10th and 12th, respectively, hosted at various campus sites. The competition culminates with the Final Four, scheduled for November 21st and 23rd on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
