The #9/second-seeded Middlebury field hockey team will head to Tufts to square off with #6/third-seeded Bates in the NESCAC Semifinals on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The victor battles the winner of the #4/top-seeded Jumbos and #7/fourth-seeded Wesleyan in the championship on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.
 
ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The Panthers advanced to the championship weekend as Claire McMichael scored with 5:24 left for a 3-2 quarterfinal triumph over seventh-seeded Bowdoin.
• Middlebury is seeking its seventh title in the last eight seasons and the program's 11th overall. The program's 10 field hockey league crowns are the most in the tournament's history.
• The Panthers are the only school to qualify for every conference tournament since its inception in 2000.
• Middlebury leads the NESCAC in multiple categories, including goals allowed (16), penalty corners (176) and shots (312). The squad is second in goals scored with 41 and a 2.56 scoring average per contest.
• The program has recorded four shutouts and held opponents to 16 goals entering championship weekend.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• The trio of Megan Fuqua, Addie Chandler and Emma McCann guides an offense that has scored two or more goals in 10 contests. Fuqua leads the Panthers with nine markers and 20 points, including one apiece in the NESCAC Quarterfinals. Chandler has had a stellar rookie campaign, tallying seven goals and adding a pair of helpers. McCann is one of seven players to log 900 minutes and found the back of the cage six times, including two in her previous three games.
• Other strong performers this season have been Claire McMichael, Ellie Harrison and Georgianne Defeo. McMichael is the top distributor on the squad with six assists and one of five Panthers to have double-digit points. She tallied the game-winning goal in overtime during the quarterfinal round. Harrison has appeared in all 16 contests, scoring once and adding three assists. Defeo has recorded a pair of helpers this fall.
• Anchoring the defensive unit are Grace Keefe, Tessa Herbst and Lily Stockwell. Keefe has played 969 minutes and contributed four goals and three assists, while Herbst leads the Panthers with 1,063 minutes played. Stockwell has started each contest, tallying 822 minutes of game action.
• Izzy Redzic is Middlebury's primary option in the cage. The junior sports a 12-4 mark and a 0.96 goals against average (GAA) with three shutouts over 1,001 minutes.

ABOUT BATES

• Bates is appearing in the NESCAC Semifinals for the third-consecutive year.
• The #6/third-seeded Bobcats got past #7/sixth-seeded Hamilton in a shootout by a 2-1 tally.
• Bates is making its 13th appearance in the tournament and sixth straight, while looking to advance to the title game for the second fall in a row.
• The Bobcats own a 13-3 mark heading into the weekend. All three of their losses have come against a trio of nationally-ranked NESCAC opponents.  

BOBCATS TO WATCH

• Pacing Bates up front has been Brooke Moloney-Kolenberg, who leads the squad in points (23) and goals (nine), while her five assists are tied at the top.
• Elsa Copeland and Caroline Nowak rank second and third on the team with 17 and 10 points, respectively. 
• Moloney-Kolenberg and Elena Agosti played the heroes in the NESCAC Quarterfinals, converting their chances in the shootout to push the Bobcats to the semifinals.
• Racking up the most playing time this year is defender Amy LaBelle, who has started in all 16 contests with 963 minutes played. She has stepped forward and scored twice, both of the game-winning variety.
• Starting between the pipes in each of the team's 16 games this fall has been Ava Donahue. She is 13-3 overall with a 1.16 GAA and 58 saves.

ABOUT TUFTS

• The #4 Jumbos enter the weekend winners of 11-straight contests and just two losses on the year (14-2). Tufts fell to then-#4 Williams by a 3-1 score on September 6 and then-#6 Babson in overtime (2-1) 11 days later.
• Tufts is making its 23rd appearance in the NESCAC Tournament and will look to defend its conference championship and fourth overall. 
• The Jumbos have advanced to the championship game six times, including a 3-2 shootout victory over Bates a season ago.
• Hannah Bicard is first in the league with 13 goals and paces the squad with 29 points to rank fourth among conference peers. Eleanor Helm leads the team with six assists alongside 11 tallies. Claire Casey is above the 20-point plateau with eight goals and five helpers.
• Lydia Eastburn has been the starter in goal this season for the Jumbos, sporting a 14-2 record with a trio of shutouts. Eastburn has conceded 15 tallies over 16 contests this fall, ranking third in the league in GAA (1.01).

ABOUT WESLEYAN

• The seventh-ranked Cardinals are riding a nine-game winning streak heading into the semifinals, including a 2-1 triumph at fifth-seeded Williams in the quarterfinal round. 
• Wesleyan is seeking its initial NESCAC Championship in the program's history. 
• The Cardinals are appearing in their third NESCAC Semifinal contest in school history, with the other two occasions in 2002 and 2005. 
• Wesleyan is making its 16th tournament appearance and its first spot in the title tilt.
• The Cardinals own a 13-3 mark, with their only losses coming to nationally-ranked conference foes Hamilton, Bates and Tufts. 
• Georgia Adams leads a balanced attack with 23 points (9G, 5A), while Leila Feldman (9G, 1A) and Meera Patel (6G, 7A) aid the output with 19 points apiece.
• Audrey Pace has started all 16 games in the cage for Wesleyan, pacing the conference in save percentage (.819) and tallying three shutouts.  

SERIES HISTORY VS. MIDDLEBURY

• The Panthers and the Bobcats play for the 52nd time on Saturday, in a series where Middlebury holds a 45-5-1 advantage. The sides have squared off five times in the NESCAC Tournament with the Panthers winning four of the five meetings. Bates secured a 2-1 decision last fall in the semifinal round.
• Should the Panthers and Jumbos meet, it will be the 37th all-time matchup. Middlebury has a narrow 15-11 lead in the series. The sides have competed on seven occasions in the NESCAC postseason, including four battles in the title game. The Panthers were victorious in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2022.
• If Middlebury and Wesleyan battle, the meeting will be the 43rd contest. The Panthers have secured 37 wins in the series, including a 3-2 triumph in the 2006 quarterfinals. That matchup is their lone showdown in the conference tournament.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
 
The winner of the championship will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA  Tournament. The full field for the 2025 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship will be released on Sunday, November 9 at 9:00 p.m.