StudentNov 13, 2019Campus News
By: Lauren Earnshaw '20

Landmark Conference Championship Teams Head to NCAA Tournament

Two University teams, Landmark Conference champions, head to the NCAA tournament this week.
Landmark Conference Championship Teams Head to NCAA Tournament

Both the women's soccer and field hockey teams won the Landmark Conference Championship this past weekend. Next up for both teams: the NCAA tournament. Women's soccer has been in the tournament the past few years, but this is the field hockey team's first appearance in it since 1997.

The teams are excited to perform on this stage with such a high level of competition. As a member of the field hockey team, I know that it is such an honor to be in the NCAA tournament bracket, and my teammates feel the same way.

"It's an honor to be playing in the tournament. It is such a cool experience, and it's so exciting to be hosting the first game on our home field," said Nicolette Keale '20, captain of the field hockey team.

Women’s Soccer

Women’s soccer has an 11-5-3 record so far this season and had a 5-2 conference record, which put them at No. 3 for the Landmark Conference playoffs. The Royals traveled to Elizabethtown for the conference semifinals, where they beat the Blue Jays 3-2. Next up was the Landmark Conference Championship at Susquehanna, which was a rematch of last year’s championship game when Susquehanna came out on top. The Royals beat the River Hawks 3-0 this year, earning them their fourth Landmark Conference Championship title in the past five years. Mazie Stiles ‘21 led the team in goals with seven, with Steph Lowrey ‘22 following closely with six goals. Callie Deola ‘22 and Grace Elliott ‘22 both had three assists apiece, which was the leading number for the squad. The Royals are now heading into the NCAA tournament. For the first round, they are heading to Ada, Ohio, to take on Centre. The game is set for this Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1:30 p.m. 

Read more about the upcoming women's soccer match, here.

Field Hockey

The Scranton field hockey team is 13-7 this season and had a 6-1 Landmark Conference record. This conference record earned the Royals their first-ever No. 1 seed for playoffs. The squad defeated Elizabethtown 3-0 at home in the semi-final game, which set them up for a Landmark Conference Championship rematch with Susquehanna. In the 2018 championship game, Susquehanna came out on top, but this year, the Royals won 4-1 at home on Weiss Field. Gracie McClatchy ‘20 had a team-leading 13 goals on the season, followed by Allie Benadon ‘22 with seven goals. Benadon led the team with six assists, and McClatchy and Brianna Witt ‘20 followed with five assists each. Goalkeeper Claire McAllister started in all 20 games for the Royals, with a Goals Allowed Average of 1.20 and five shutouts. Field hockey’s first-ever conference championship win earned them an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, which will be the Royals’ second time in the tournament (first time since losing in the first round in 1997). The Royals will host MIT for the first-round NCAA game at Weiss Field today, Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 3 p.m. This will be the first NCAA tournament game ever played at Weiss Field.

Read more about Wednesday's field hockey game, here.

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