ITHACA, N.Y. – Fresh off the program's first-ever Liberty League title, the nationally ranked No. 22 Ithaca College (15-5) field hockey team earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship and will travel to Middletown, Conn. to play No. 11 Wesleyan University (11-5) on Wednesday, November 13 at 4 p.m. in a first round game.
GAME COVERAGE: WATCH | LIVE STATS
TICKETS: $5 – adults, students | children under 2 are free
Fans should plan to bring chairs or blankets to sit on as there are currently no bleachers at Hicks Field due to construction.
ITHACA IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: The Bombers will be making their second straight trip, and 18th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Ithaca owns an overall record of 13-16 in the tournament and won the 1982 national championship. The Bombers also finished as the national runner-up in 1983. Last year, IC defeated Endicott in the first round and lost to national runner-up Johns Hopkins in the second round.
MORE ABOUT THE BOMBERS: Ithaca enters the tournament as one of the hottest teams in the nation as the Bombers have won nine straight games and have outscored their opposition, 25-3, during that time. IC also has six shutouts during the winning streak.
Ithaca ranks 12th nationally in goals against average (0.82) and 14th in shutout with 10.
Natalie Descalso leads IC with 20 points on the season with seven goals and six assists, while
Juliana Valli – the Liberty League Championship Most Outstanding Performer – paces the team with eight goals, to go along with three assists for 19 points.
Meara Bury and
Catherine Papa each have tallied five goals on the year, while
Emma Garver is a strong presence on both ends of the field with eight points on four assists and two goals, as well as four defensive saves.
The defense is anchored by 2023 All-American
Bella McCollister, along with
Madeleine Goodman,
Reese Abrahamson and
Eliza Ballaro. This unit, along with goalie
Maeve Clark make it difficult for opponents to find success inside the circle. IC has allowed just 23 shots over eight of the past nine contests.
Clark is 12-4 in goal with a 0.75 GAA and .800 save percentage in 966 minutes played. All six of her shutouts have come during IC's winning streak.
SCOUTING WESLEYAN: The Cardinals earned an at-large bid out of the NESCAC, which is recognized as the toughest conference in Division III. Wesleyan is 11-5 on the season with nationally ranked wins over Bates and the top overall seed Tufts.
Wesleyan boasts a high-powered offense that averages over three goals a game to rank 21st nationally. The Cardinals also rank 29th in scoring margin at over three goals a game.
Georgia Adams is the top offensive player for Wesleyan with 12 goals and six assists, while Kenzie Kelly ranks second on the team with 16 points on seven goals and two assists. Helen Deretchin and Kenzie Mauro are other players to watch offensively with 13 and 11 points on the year.
Audrey Pace has started all 16 games in goals for the Cardinals and has a 1.57 GAA and 0.775 save percentage.
THE 2024 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP: The field hockey championship is made up of 28 teams consisting of 18 automatic bids and 10 at-large selections. There are 12 first round games that all begin on Wednesday and four teams receive byes to the second round. The second and third rounds take place on Nov. 16-17. The remaining four teams will meet at W& L Turf Field in Lexington, Virginia on Nov. 22 and 24 for the semifinals and national championship game.
ITHACA VS. THE NCAA FIELD: Ithaca went 2-2 this season against teams that qualified for the NCAA Championship. IC beat No. 16 Ursinus (2-1 in a shootout) and No. 10 York (1-0) this season and lost to No. 9 Cortland (2-1) and No. 18 Geneseo (3-0). The Bombers also posted three nationally ranked victories over teams who did not qualify for the tournament (No. 12 Kean – 4-0 in the season opener and two over No. 20 Rochester – both 2-0 scores).
Ithaca and Wesleyan have never played each other.
