Fairfield vs. Wager and St. Joe’s vs. Vermont at 2 p.m. Photos: Fairfield, Wagner, St. Joe’s, and Vermont athletic departments
Northwestern is back on top in the final National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll, but the conclusion of conference tournaments this past weekend offered plenty of reminders that November field hockey rarely follows a script.
The Wildcats shut out Maryland 3-0 in the Big Ten final, while Yale, Syracuse and Old Dominion produced championship runs that upended higher-seeded opponents.
Those results set the stage for Wednesday’s NCAA Division I tournament opener.
One important distinction: the games on Nov. 11 are officially the opening round, not the first round. Saint Joseph’s meets Vermont and Fairfield faces Wagner, both at 2 p.m. Eastern on ESPN+.
Opening round: Wednesday, Nov. 11
2 p.m. | Fairfield vs. Wagner | ESPN+
2 p.m. | Saint Joseph's vs. Vermont | ESPN+
The eight-game first round follows Friday, Nov. 13.
The final poll: Northwestern leads, Yale Surges
The Nov. 10 National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I poll puts Northwestern first at 18-2, with 219 points and 10 first-place votes. Maryland, also 18-2, slips to second with 210 points and the remaining first-place vote. Harvard is third, UConn fourth and Princeton fifth, with the Tigers climbing four places despite their loss in the Ivy League tournament final.
Massachusetts ranks sixth, Duke and Iowa share seventh, Wake Forest is ninth and Syracuse rises six spots to No. 10. Yale makes the biggest upward move among the ranked teams, jumping eight places into a tie with North Carolina at No. 11.
Old Dominion enters at No. 16 after its Big East title run.
The rest of the top 20 is Miami (Ohio) at No. 13, Lafayette at No. 14, Penn State at No. 15, Liberty at No. 17, Indiana at No. 18, and Boston College and Rutgers tied at No. 19. The coaches’ poll is separate from NCAA selection and seeding: Yale, for example, is the NCAA’s No. 6 seed despite its No. 11 poll ranking.
How the conference titles were won
Big Ten — Northwestern. The Wildcats followed a 3-0 semifinal victory over Indiana with another 3-0 shutout against Maryland in Sunday’s championship game. Their emphatic finish came after Northwestern and Maryland shared the regular-season crown at 7-1 in conference play.
Northwestern also brings major individual star power into the national tournament. Senior forward Ashley Sessa was named both Big Ten Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year after leading the conference with eight goals in league games. Teammate Ilse Tromp earned Defensive Player of the Year, while Maryland’s Alyssa Klebasko took Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
Atlantic Coast Conference — Syracuse. The Orange claimed their first ACC championship by beating Boston College in a shootout after regulation and overtime ended scoreless. Sammie Goin and Taylor Bigbie converted, while goalkeeper Jessie Eiselin denied four Boston College attempts in the 2-0 shootout. Syracuse had already survived a 4-3 quarterfinal against Louisville, decided by Fieve Frenken’s 51st-minute winner, and a semifinal shootout against top-seeded North Carolina. Senior defender Bo Madden was the tournament MVP.
Ivy League — Yale. The fourth-seeded Bulldogs delivered one of the weekend’s most remarkable comebacks, erasing Princeton’s 2-0 fourth-quarter lead before winning the final 3-2, with a 3-1 shootout. Victoria Collee scored in the 52nd minute and Issy Baileff equalized in the 56th. Captain Hettie Whittington converted the championship-clinching shootout attempt, and goalkeeper Amelie Schwarzkopf made 12 saves to earn Most Outstanding Player. After also beating top-seeded Harvard 2-1 in the semifinal, Yale became the first No. 4 seed to win the Ivy tournament.
Big East — Old Dominion. The third-seeded Monarchs avenged regular-season losses to both Liberty and UConn. Lotte Haagmans supplied the 51st-minute winner against Liberty in the semifinal; Madison Zalewski then broke the deadlock in the fourth quarter of the final, and Cosima Perleth added an empty-net goal that proved crucial in a 2-1 victory over UConn. Goalkeeper Suus Broers allowed just one goal across the two games and earned Most Outstanding Player honors.
America East — Vermont. The fifth-seeded Catamounts won three road games, beating New Hampshire 2-0, rallying past top-seeded UMass Lowell 3-2 and defeating UAlbany in the championship shootout. Against Albany, Vermont lost a 2-0 fourth-quarter lead but recovered to win the shootout 6-5, with Gabby Santini converting the decisive attempt. Addie DelOrefice earned tournament MVP honors after contributing a goal and an assist in the quarterfinal and another goal in the semifinal.
Atlantic 10 — Saint Joseph’s. The Hawks secured their sixth consecutive tournament title in an eight-round shootout against Richmond. Erika Culp scored the regulation equalizer and later put Saint Joseph’s ahead 4-3 in the shootout. Goalkeeper Avianna Wagner then made a championship-clinching save—and repeated the stop after a retake was ordered. Wagner was named Most Outstanding Player after making 10 saves and allowing two goals across the semifinal and final.
Coastal Athletic Association — Fairfield. In their first season in the league, the Stags beat Monmouth 2-1 behind two fourth-quarter goals from Camille Perlov, scored 75 seconds apart. Kylie Corcoran created the opener with an interception and a ball into the circle; Courtland Schumacher supplied the pass for Perlov’s second. Fairfield then protected its lead despite late pressure and a player disadvantage. Corcoran was named championship MVP.
Mid American Conference — Miami (Ohio). The RedHawks made it nine straight MAC tournament championships with a 2-1 overtime victory over Massachusetts. Julia Fernandez opened the scoring, UMass answered through Elani Sherwood, and Justina Intzes settled the final by tipping in Malena Sabez’s shot in overtime. Senior back Lucia Ventos was the tournament MVP, while Macarena Gonzalez made four saves in the final.
Northeast Conference — Wagner. The Seahawks earned their first NEC title with a 3-2 overtime victory over Sacred Heart after shutting out Rider 2-0 in the semifinal. Victoria Bruno’s golden goal sent Wagner into the NCAA field, and Julia de Leeuw was named championship MVP.
Patriot League — Lafayette. Lena Thedrian scored both goals in a 2-1 championship victory over Boston University, opening the scoring on a second-quarter penalty corner and restoring the lead in the third after the Terriers equalized. Katie Gibb assisted on both goals, and goalkeeper Addison Kahn made three saves. Thedrian earned Most Outstanding Player honors as the Leopards won their second league title in three seasons.
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation — Delaware. The Blue Hens retained their conference tournament title with a 6-0 win over UC Davis. Delaware scored three times in the second quarter and three more in the fourth; Saar de Boer scored twice, both on assists from Linde van Leeuwen. Sarah Rigual, another scorer in the final, earned Most Outstanding Player honors. Delaware is not among the NCAA’s 10 automatic qualifiers, which are listed separately from this conference championship result.
Today’s contests
Saint Joseph’s (11-9) vs. Vermont (14-5): The Atlantic 10 champion meets the America East champion, with a Friday matchup against No. 1 seed Northwestern at stake. Vermont arrives off its three-game road run; Saint Joseph’s brings the shootout resilience of Wagner and Culp.
Fairfield (12-7) vs. Wagner (11-7): The CAA champion faces the NEC champion for the right to play No. 2 seed Maryland on Friday. Perlov’s finishing and Corcoran’s playmaking helped power Fairfield’s title, while Wagner enters after its breakthrough overtime championship.
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