Field Hockey Squares Off with William & Mary in NCAA Opening Round

Wednesday, November 8

Chapel Hill, N.C. / Karen Shelton Stadium

2 p.m.

Sacred Heart

William & Mary

Photo by: Maddie McCall

Field Hockey Squares Off with William & Mary in NCAA Opening Round

11/7/2023 10:30:00 AM | Field Hockey

NCAA Field Hockey Championship Watch (ESPN+)William & Mary Field Hockey

Pios back in NCAAs for first time in 18 years

By: Matthew Janik

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (November 7, 2023) – Riding a six-game winning streak highlighted by a dramatic, overtime-laden run through the Northeast Conference Championship, the Sacred Heart University field hockey team returns to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2005 on Wednesday afternoon. The Pios are in Chapel Hill, N.C., on the campus of North Carolina, where they will take on the Coastal Athletic Association champion, William & Mary, in the opening round. Game time is 2 p.m. at Karen Shelton Stadium. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+.

A LOOK AT THE PIOS
SHU (9-10) was 3-10 following a shootout loss to Dartmouth on Oct. 15, but has been on a tear in the three weeks since. The Pioneers won their final three NEC games by a combined margin of 10-1 to earn their postseason bid and then gave the attendees their money's worth in the NEC Championship. Third-seeded Sacred Heart defeated second-seeded Saint Francis, 1-0 (2 OT), on an 80^th-minute penalty stroke in the semifinal round, and then outlasted fourth seed Wagner, 1-0 (OT), in the final, with a goal on a 62^nd-minute penalty corner. Isabelle Chamberlain (North Yorkshire, United Kingdom) provided both goals, to earn tournament MVP honors, while Samantha Maresca (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) collected 13 saves in the title game and 19 on the weekend while posting a pair of shutouts.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
William & Mary (11-8) brings a tidy little win streak of its own into the national tournament, as winners of four in a row. The Tribe were also the third seed in their conference tournament, where they took down second-seeded Drexel, 2-0, in the CAA semifinal, and then erased a pair of one-goal deficits on the way to a 3-2 (2 OT) victory over top seed Monmouth in the championship tilt. Pyper Friedman scored both Tribe goals on Friday, while Lauren Curran notched all three in the final for her second hat trick of the season. Curran is the team's leading point-getter (14-3-31) and has scored 10 goals in the last six games.

NICE TO MEET YOU
Wednesday afternoon marks the first meeting ever in the sport of field hockey between Sacred Heart and William & Mary.

PIOS IN THE NCAAs
SHU returns to the national tournament for just the second time in program history. After the Pios captured the 2005 NEC title, they went on to suffer a 7-2 defeat at Richmond in what was then termed the play-in round. Carisa Eye scored both goals in the loss for the Pioneers. Due to NCAA record-keeping policies regarding the former play-in round, 2023 is considered Sacred Heart's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championship proper.

WILLIAM & MARY IN THE NCAAs
The Tribe make their fourth trip to the NCAA Championship, as they previously appeared in 2000, 2002 and 2018. The 2018 squad snagged an opening-round, overtime win against Monmouth, 3-2, before falling to North Carolina, 4-0. The 2000 and 2002 squads both lost overtime games in the first round, to Michigan and Maryland, respectively.

UP NEXT
Wednesday's winner will advance to the first round of the NCAA Championship, where they will meet host, top overall seed, and defending national champion North Carolina. Game time is noon on Friday in Chapel Hill.