Ciufo has led the Skyhawks to the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year as head coach. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Sixth-seeded Skyhawks will visit third-seeded Shippensburg for first round matchup on Saturday at 1 p.m.
NCAA II Field Hockey Championships Field Announcement
NCAA II Field Hockey Championships Interactive Bracket
EASTON, Mass. (November 6, 2017) – The Stonehill College field hockey team, ranked No. 6 in the most recent Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II poll, has earned its ninth trip to the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Tournament after receiving the No. 6 overall seed and the No. 3-seed from the East Region, when the selections were announced by the national committee this afternoon.
Stonehill (13-6, 10-2 NE-10) will travel to face third-seeded Shippensburg (Pa.) University (14-4, 9-1 PSAC), the defending National Champions, for a first round battle on Saturday at 1 p.m. The winner of that matchup will advance to the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship semifinal round, being hosted by Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, to battle No. 2-seeded East Stroudsburg (Pa.) University (17-4, 8-2 PSAC) on Friday, November 17, on the Bellarmine campus.
Stonehill earns an NCAA bid for the fifth straight year – its third under third-year head coach Susan Ciufo. The Skyhawks will play a first round matchup for the second-straight year and sixth time in program history, with the new NCAA Division II tournament format reseeding the East and Atlantic regions for the six-team bracket this year. Stonehill also earned NCAA Tournament bids in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, reaching the national semifinals in 2005, 2009, 2010, 2014 and 2015. Shippensburg is in the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year and 13th time in program history overall, having captured National Championships in 2013 and 2016, the latter of which was won at W.B. Mason Stadium last November, with Stonehill as the event host.
Fellow Northeast-10 Conference member LIU Post (18-3, 9-3 NE10), which captured the NE10 Tournament title yesterday, received the overall top-seed for the NCAA Championships and awaits the winner of Saturday's other first round matchup between No. 4-seed Saint Anselm College (17-2, 11-1 NE10), the NE10 regular season champions, and No. 5 Millersville (Pa.) University (14-5, 8-2 PSAC) that will be played in Manchester, New Hampshire, at 1 p.m.
Bellarmine is the predetermined host of the 2017 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championships, with the national semifinal round games being played at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium on campus on Friday, November 17, at 10 a.m., and 1 p.m. The national championship game will be played at Trager Stadium, on the campus of the University of Louisville, on Sunday, November 19, at 11 a.m.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
2017 NCAA Division II
Field Hockey Championship
First Round
Saturday, November 11
#6 Stonehill (13-6) at #3 Shippensburg (14-4), 1 p.m.
#5 Millersville (14-5) at #4 Saint Anselm (17-2), 1 p.m.
Semifinals
Friday, November 17
Hosted by Bellarmine University
Owsley B. Frazier Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky
Stonehill/Shippensburg winner vs. #2 East Stroudsburg (17-4), 10 a.m.
Millersville/Saint Anselm winner vs. #1 LIU Post (18-3), 1 p.m.
National Championship
Sunday, November 19
Hosted by Bellarmine University
Trager Stadium (Univ. of Louisville), Louisville, Kentucky
Semifinals winners, 11 a.m.
