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Top-Ranked Field Hockey Advances To Final Four, Continues Title Defense

The #1 Middlebury field hockey team looks to defend its national championship from a year ago when it heads back to the final four for the 14th time on Friday. The Panthers are seeking their sixth-consecutive NCAA Title and will take on #2 Babson on November 17 in semifinal action. The victor earns a spot in the championship on Sunday, where they will take on the semifinal winner between #4 Johns Hopkins and #14 Kean.
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY
  • The Panthers earned a bye in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The squad blanked William Smith 7-0, before defeating #5 Messiah 3-0 in the NCAA Regional Final to earn a trip to the final site.
  • The five-time defending national champions earned an automatic bid to the tournament by claiming the 2023 NESCAC Championship.
  • The Panthers became the first field hockey program to claim six-straight NESCAC Titles and 10 overall league crowns. 
  • The program is making its 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance and holds a 55-16 overall record. Those 55 triumphs rank fourth among Division III field hockey programs.
  • Middlebury will be competing for its sixth-straight NCAA Title (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022), looking to run its total to eight, having also captured crowns in 1998 and 2015. The seven crowns are the second most in Division III behind The College of New Jersey (11).
  • The program boasts an impressive 22-game winning streak in NCAA play dating back to the 2017 season.
  • Middlebury sits among the Division III leaders in numerous statistical team categories. The Panthers enter the championship weekend ranked second in points per game (13.05), goals per game (5.10), scoring margin (+4.60) and goals against average (0.50). The team is also fourth in assists per game (2.85).
  • The program is riding a 29-game unbeaten streak dating back to 2022, which is the third-longest undefeated run in program history. 
  • Middlebury also has a pair of impressive records both at home and on the road. The program has claimed a victory in each of the last 31 contests away from Peter Kohn Field while sporting a 69-1 record in the last 70 home games.
  • The Panthers enter the semifinals as the lone unbeaten team in Division III.
  • Middlebury has allowed just 10 goals this fall and the defensive unit has accumulated 12 shutouts. The Panthers haven't surrendered a goal in the last 195:13 of action this season.
  • Middlebury hasn't allowed a goal in a span of 400:27 during NCAA Tournament play dating back to the 2021 season. The Panthers last surrendered a tally to Johns Hopkins during the 2021 national championship game.
PANTHERS TO WATCH
  • The Panthers' offensive output has been led by Katie George who was named the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-NESCAC selection. The forward paces the conference in goals (23) and is tied for the league lead in game-winning tallies (five). She ranks third in the conference in points (49), while her 155 career points (70G, 15A) are tied for fifth in program history. George's 70 career scores rank third in the program's record books. Her 1.28 goals per game this season places her sixth among her Division III counterparts. 
  • Amy Griffin was selected as the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-conference honoree. She paces the league with 54 points (22G, 10A), while her 22 goals are second behind George. She has also handed out 10 helpers, which are tied for third among conference peers. Griffin's 2.70 points per game are second in the conference and ranks 15th nationally. 
  • Audrey Lazar is another key player in the Panthers' attack and was lauded with Second-Team All-NESCAC accolades. She was the fourth player to eclipse the 10-goal plateau this fall, highlighted by the game-winning tally in the NESCAC Quarterfinal. She has scored in 11 different contests this season, including a two-goal output during the NCAA Regional Final win over Messiah.
  • Defender Charlotte Marks has had a solid year and earned First-Team All-NESCAC laurels. She leads a defensive unit that has allowed only 10 goals all season. Marks has played 1,121 minutes and started all 20 games for Middlebury.
  • Katherine Lantzy is a defensive midfielder who picked up second-team all-league recognition. She tallied a goal in the victory over Bowdoin to go along with four assists this fall including a helper during the NESCAC Championship victory. Lantzy has logged 1,038 minutes, good for third on the team. 
  • In goal, KK Newton boasts a conference-best nine shutouts. Her .484 goals against average (GAA) leads the league by nearly a goal and ranks fourth in the country. Newton has started all 20 games this season and recorded over 1,115 minutes in front of the cage. 
ABOUT #2 BABSON
  • Babson received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the NEWMAC Tournament Championship with a 3-1 victory over 20th-ranked MIT.
  • The Beavers edged #7 Bates in overtime 1-0 and followed up that performance the next day with a 1-0 triumph over 10th-ranked Tufts in the second and third rounds of the NCAA Tournament to advance to the semifinals.
  • Babson is making its eighth trip to the NCAA Tournament and its fourth-consecutive appearance. The Beavers sport a 9-7 record including this year's wins.
  • Babson is playing in the semifinal round for the second time and the first since 2016 when they fell by a 5-2 score to Messiah.
  • The Beavers enter championship weekend with a 22-1 record and winners of 16 in a row with their lone defeat coming to Middlebury 3-2 on September 17 in Vermont. The squad is one of just two teams to score more than once against the Panthers this year. 
  • Babson ranks in the top-five spots in Division III in numerous categories including scoring margin (+4.17, third), scoring average (4.83, fourth), goals per game (4.43, fifth) and penalty corners per game (12.00, fifth). 
BEAVERS TO WATCH
  • Sinead Walsh leads a potent Beaver offense that has outscored their opponents 112-14 this season. The First Team All-NEWMAC selection paces the team in goals (18), points (44) and game-winning markers (four).
  • Brianne McGrath (16G, 7A) and Camille Marsh (16G, 5A) also aid the attack, while Jessica Evans (9G, 10A) and Jackie Hill (13G) have 37 and 28 points, respectively. McGrath was honored as the NEWMAC Offensive Player of the Year, while Marsh landed a spot on the conference's second team.
  • Berit Sharrow was tabbed as the NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year. She has started all 23 games, scoring eight goals to go with seven assists for 23 points. 
  • The Beaver defensive unit has conceded only 14 goals this season and just one score over the last 308:56 of action including the pair of shutouts in the NCAA Tournament.
  • Goalie Bayla Furmanek, a Second Team All-NEWMAC honoree, has started all 23 games this season. She has allowed 14 goals in over 1,377 minutes with a .797 save percentage and a 0.61 GAA. Furmanek's GAA ranks eighth nationally.
SERIES HISTORY
  • Middlebury and Babson will play for the 12th time with the Panthers owning a 10-1 advantage, including the one-goal triumph in September. Middlebury has won the last six matchups.
  • The programs have played once in the NCAA Tournament, a 2-1 Panther victory in the 2019 NCAA Second Round.
  • Babson tallied its singular win in the series by a score of 2-1 on September 24, 2017 in Massachusetts.
#4 JOHNS HOPKINS NOTES
  • Fourth-ranked Johns Hopkins comes into the semifinals riding an 18-game winning streak with an overall record of 20-1. The Blue Jays' loss came in their third game of the season, a 3-1 defeat to then-#13 York (Pa.) by a 3-1 score. 
  • Johns Hopkins was a perfect 10-0 during Centennial Conference action, outscoring its opponents 39-5 in league play. 
  • Johns Hopkins earned its conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 triumph over 18th-ranked Swarthmore in the title game.
  • The Blue Jays began the NCAA Tournament run with a 3-1 victory against #24 Ithaca, followed by a 1-0 triumph against sixth-ranked Salisbury in the regional final.
  • Johns Hopkins is playing in its fifth-consecutive championship weekend and making their 13th appearance in the national tournament with a 14-12 overall record.
  • The Blue Jays have advanced to the championship game in each of the last two years, falling to Middlebury 4-1 in 2021 and 1-0 in overtime last fall.
  • Johns Hopkins is a solid all-around team, ranking in the top-10 spots nationally in GAA (0.56, fifth) and penalty corners per game (11.10, ninth).
  • Sienna Urbanski leads a balanced offensive output that features seven players with more than 15 points. Urbanski, the Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year, has scored 11 goals to go along with six assists. 
  • Liz Falterer (9G, 4A), the league's defensive player of the year and Gen Mehra (9G, 2A) are also above the 20-point plateau.
  • Goalie Alexis Loder has logged the most minutes, playing in all 21 games with 15 starts. She has posted a 15-0 record with a 0.45 GAA and an .843 save percentage. Her GAA is third nationally, while her save percentage ranks ninth.
  • Middlebury and Johns Hopkins have squared off just twice before with the Panthers winning each in the last two NCAA Championship games.
#14 KEAN NOTES
  • Kean earned its first trip to the NCAA Semifinals with a thrilling 2-1 victory over #11 Lynchburg in the regional final. 
  • The Cougars posted a 4-2 first-round victory over St. Mary's (Md.), followed by an upset of third-ranked and previously unbeaten Christopher Newport 1-0 in overtime to play in the regional final against Lynchburg.
  • Kean garnered an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament after a 3-1 loss to The College of New Jersey in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship tilt. 
  • The Cougars boast a 14-5 record and are making their third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth overall, all coming since 2017, with a 6-3 record. 
  • Peyton Mann, a First-Team All-NJAC selection, propels the Cougar offense. Mann has recorded team-best totals in goals (16), assists (11) and points (43). 
  • Also aiding the output are first-team all-league recipient Morgan Stump (6G, 5A) along with Joria Hibschman (6G, 4A), who was tabbed as the NJAC Co-Midfielder of the Year.
  • Jenna Flemings, the NJAC Goaltender of the Year, has logged every minute in front of the Kean goal. Her .847 save percentage is sixth in Division III to go along with a 1.15 GAA and seven shutouts.
  • The Panthers and Kean have met just once in field hockey, a 4-2 Middlebury triumph during the 2019 NCAA Regional Final.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
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