ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College field hockey team earned the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Liberty League Championship with a 6-1 record and will host the University of Rochester at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 3 at Higgins Stadium. IC is 13-4 on the season and Rochester is 12-6.

The Liberty League Field Hockey Championship is a four-team tournament that takes place on November 3 and November 6. The winner of Saturday's title matchup with earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.

The other semifinal game taking place on Wednesday takes place at 4 p.m. in Poughkeepsie between No. 2 Vassar and No. 3 St. Lawrence. The highest remaining seed after Wednesday will host on Saturday.

Fans can follow Wednesday's action at Higgins Stadium via webcast and live stats.

LIBERTY LEAGUE HISTORY:

Since 2003, four different Liberty League affiliates have won the conference championship – Rochester, Skidmore, William Smith and Vassar.

Skidmore has eight titles – 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016
William Smith has won six times – 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2015
Rochester has won twice – 2017, 2019
Vassar has one championship – 2018
 

INSIDE LOOK AT ITHACA AND ROCHESTER:

Ithaca and Rochester have essentially split the all-time matchups dating back to 1992, with the Yellowjackets leading, 15-14. UR dominated the series from 2008-19, winning 11 of 13 contests – IC and UR split in 2019. IC won this year's regular season meeting, 1-0, on October 3 with less than four minutes to go.

THE BOMBERS:

IC has scored 29 goals on the season and has allowed 15. The Bombers have allowed one goal or fewer in 14 games this season, including seven shutouts.

Morgan Mullen and Samantha Horowitz lead the offensive attack with seven goals each on the year, while Grace Ziehnert has five goals. Mullen also has assisted on four more scores to give her 18 points. Four of Ziehnert's five goals have been game-winners.

Natalie Descalso paces IC with six assists, while Jacqueline Mirabile has three goals and two assists. Six other Bombers have scored a goal this season – Amberly Christiansen, Elizabeth Pillow, Emma Garver, Brianna Lennon, Avery Moses and Victoria Sestito.

Macy Brandwein has served as the main goalkeeper for IC this season, going 10-4 with five shutouts. Brandwein owns a .778 save percentage and a 0.93 goals against average with 42 saves and 12 goals allowed.

Alex Clough has also spent time in goal, appearing in five games with a 3-0 mark and two shutouts. Clough has a .667 save percentage and 0.74 GAA.

THE YELLOWJACKETS:

Rochester is 12-6 on the season and reached the tournament with a 4-3 mark in Liberty League play, earning the tiebreaker over RPI. UR has 53 on the season and has allowed 22 for the largest goal differential in the Liberty League. The potent offensive attack has registered three or more goals in 10 contests this season.

Leading the charge for the Yellowjackets is Amanda Strenk, who has notched 22 goals on the season, which ranks 10th in the nation. Nikki Mercer is second on the squad with eight goals and Juney Lee follows with six markers.

Eight different players have registered two or more assists. Mara Heppard is tops on the team with six assists, and paces UR with three defensive saves.

Abigail Walrond has started all 18 games in goal for UR and is 11-6. Walrond has made 84 saves with a .800 save percentage and owns a 1.34 GAA. Helen Schmitter has played in six contests with a win and has only allowed one goal in 165 minutes.

THE NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP:

The 2021 DIII field hockey selections will be released Sunday, Nov. 7. The selections will mark the DIII field hockey championship's return after getting canceled in 2020. You can find this year's complete field and official bracket on NCAA.com. 

Here's what you need to know.

When: The 2021 DIII field hockey championship selections will be revealed on Sunday, Nov. 7.
Where: The selections and bracket will be released on NCAA.com.

Trinity College will host the semifinal and national championship rounds at Robin Sheppard Field in Hartford, Connecticut, November 20-21. The semifinal and national championship rounds will be streamed live on NCAA.com.

Below is the schedule for the 2021 DIII field hockey championships:

First round

• Wednesday, Nov. 10 | Multiple Sites

Second round

• Saturday, Nov. 13 | Multiple Sites

Third round

• Sunday, Nov. 14 | Multiple Sites

Semifinals

• Saturday, Nov. 20 | Semifinal I: 11 a.m. ET | Robin Sheppard Field in Hartford, Conn.
• Saturday, Nov. 20 | Semifinal II: 2 p.m. ET | Robin Sheppard Field in Hartford, Conn.

National Championship

• Sunday, Nov. 21 | National Championship: 1 p.m. ET | Robin Sheppard Field in Hartford, Conn.