Field Hockey Championship Field Set

Top-Seeded Trinity In Search of First Conference Title

HADLEY, Mass. – Spurred by an 8-1 conference record, Trinity College has earned the top seed for the 2009 NESCAC Field Hockey Championship, as it is the first time in program history that the Bantams have finished atop the conference standings. Trinity will host a quarterfinal contest this Sunday, Nov. 1 along with Amherst, Middlebury and Tufts at 1:00 p.m. The highest remaining seed after Sunday’s first round matches will host the semifinals and final next Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 8-9.

Trinity (13-1, 8-1 NESCAC) knew heading into Friday’s contest that it would have the number-one seed thanks to 2-1 victories at Tufts on Oct. 17 and over Bowdoin on Oct. 24, however the Bantams perfect regular season was ruined with a 1-0 loss to Amherst - the second consecutive year that the Jeffs have defeated the Bantams to end the regular season. After advancing to the semifinals for the first time in tournament history a year ago, Trinity will look to take it a step further this fall when it hosts a quarterfinal contest for the first time on Sunday against fellow Constitution State resident, eighth-seeded Connecticut College (5-9, 3-6 NESCAC). The Camels suffered a 3-2 setback to Wesleyan on Friday to close out the conference slate, their seventh loss in the last nine outings. Connecticut College returns to the conference championship for the first time since 2005, and Sunday’s matchup will be the first between the two squads in playoff history. The Bantams earned a 3-0 victory at home over the Camels on Oct. 10, the lone meeting of the regular season.

While Tufts (13-1, 8-1 NESCAC) fell short in its quest for the top seed for the second year in a row with the loss to the Bantams, the Jumbos have secured a home first round contest for the fourth year in a row. The Jumbos took it to new heights in 2008, reaching not only the NESCAC championship for the first time in program history but also the NCAA championship, falling in both instances to defending champ Bowdoin. Tufts closed out the regular season on the road at Bowdoin on Friday with a 2-0 decision and will host seventh-seeded Wesleyan (8-6, 3-6 NESCAC). The Jumbos and the Cardinals have plenty of playoff history between them having met four times in the first round, and Tufts has won three of those four contests, the most recent a 1-0 victory in 2007. Although the Jumbos downed the Cardinals 3-1 in Middletown on Sept. 26, the two squads enter Sunday’s tilt with a bit of momentum, both having gone 6-1 over their previous seven outings.

Third-seeded Amherst (11-3, 6-3 NESCAC) had its highest finish to the regular season since the inaugural championship in 2000. The Jeffs tied with Middlebury in the conference standings but edged the Panthers for third thanks to a 4-2 win on Oct. 10. Amherst has had some impressive wins so far this season, maybe none as impressive though as the aforementioned 1-0 win at previously-undefeated Trinity Friday afternoon. The Jeffs will look to return to the semifinals for the first time since 2006 when they host two-time defending NESCAC and NCAA Field Hockey Champion Bowdoin (9-5, 4-5 NESCAC). While this Polar Bear squad may not be the same one that has captured four-straight conference crowns, they will not give up their title easily, and plenty has changed since these two teams met to open the season on Sept. 12 when Amherst snapped a six-game losing streak to Bowdoin with a 4-2 win at home. This will be the second time that the Jeffs and the Polar Bears have faced each other in tournament play. Bowdoin edged Amherst 1-0 in the semifinals of the 2006 championship en route to their third NESCAC title.

The final first round matchup will be a rematch in more ways than one. Fourth-seeded Middlebury (11-3, 6-3 NESCAC) will take on fifth-seeded Williams (5-9, 5-4 NESCAC) for the second time in three days and for the second-straight year in the quarterfinals. The Panthers held a 5-0 advantage over the Ephs by halftime of Friday’s season finale and rolled to an eventual 7-1 victory. During last year’s first round contest, Middlebury came away with a 2-1 victory over Williams. The Panthers head into Sunday’s contest riding a five-game winning streak and are 10-1 over their last 11 outings. The Ephs, meanwhile, have recorded all five of their wins this season in conference play but have gone 0-9 in non-conference action and have lost their last five contests. These two teams have plenty of postseason history against one another, having met five times with all five being one goal games and two contests requiring overtime. Williams holds the all-time edge by a 3-2 margin. The Ephs have won three NESCAC titles, its most recent in 2004, while Middlebury’s lone conference crown came against Williams in 2003.

2009 NESCAC FIELD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarterfinals - Sunday, November 1 at Higher Seeds
No. 8 Connecticut College at No. 1 Trinity - 1:00 p.m.
No. 7 Wesleyan at No. 2 Tufts - 1:00 p.m.
No. 6 Bowdoin at No. 3 Amherst - 1:00 p.m.
No. 5 Williams at No. 4 Middlebury - 1:00 p.m.

Semifinals - Saturday, November 7 at Highest Remaining Seed
11:00 a.m./1:30 p.m.

Championship - Sunday, November 8
Semifinal winners - 12:00 p.m.