COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Ursinus will host the 2016 Centennial Conference field hockey championship tournament, to be held Saturday and Sunday on the Snell Field turf.
Ursinus (14-4, 9-1) earned the top seed and will host the winner of Wednesday's first round contest between fourth-seeded Dickinson (11-6, 6-4) and fifth-seeded Haverford (10-7, 6-4) in Saturday's first semifinal at 12:00 p.m. Second-seeded Muhlenberg (15-2, 9-1) and third-seeded Franklin & Marshall (13-3, 9-1) will face off in the other semifinal, to begin 70 minutes after the completion of the first contest.
The CC championship game will be held on Sunday at 1 p.m. The winner will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, for which the field will be announced on Sunday, November 6 at 11:30 p.m.
Ursinus, ranked 6th in this week's NFHCA Division III poll, is hosting the championship tournament by virtue of its 2-0 shutout of then-No. 12 Muhlenberg on Saturday. The Bears, Mules, and F&M all finished 9-1 in the CC and each team defeated the other, so Ursinus won out on goal differential.
The Bears are seeking their fourth consecutive CC crown and are making their 14th straight conference tournament appearance. Ursinus has won 11 championships overall, and all of them have come in the last 12 years, a streak interrupted only by Franklin & Marshall in 2012. Ursinus has defeated the Diplomats in each of the last three CC title games.
The Bears' next title chase begins Saturday, but their opponent will reveal itself three days earlier, when Haverford travels to Dickinson for the first-round clash. The Red Devils went 6-2 at home this season and edged the Fords, 2-1, in Carlisle on September 17.
Ursinus handled both of its potential semifinal opponents at home during the regular season. The Bears took down Haverford, 2-0, on October 5 and routed Dickinson, 5-1, on October 22, allowing just seven total shots between the two tilts. Senior Amber Steigerwalt and sophomore Bridget Sherry scored in a three-minute segment spanning the halftime break against Haverford, while the Bears received huge efforts from junior Brooke Overly (two goals, two assists) and Steigerwalt (one goal, three assists) to cruise to a big win over the Red Devils.
Dickinson is a dynamic offensive squad, finishing second only to Ursinus in goals per game (3.3) through the end of the regular season. The Red Devils boast two of the top three scorers in the CC in Chelsea Kramer (18 goals, 6 assists) and Catherine Perlmutter (16 goals, 4 assists), while Haverford has relied on goalkeeper Danielle Rette (.770 save percentage) to overcome an offense that has averaged less than two goals a contest.
Saturday's second semifinal promises to be a nip-and-tuck affair between two nationally ranked programs in No. 14 Muhlenberg and No. 7 F&M. The Mules escaped Lancaster with a 1-0 victory during the regular season, but the Diplomats have legacy on their side, having reached the conference final five years running. Muhlenberg is making its fourth straight appearance in the championship tournament but has never advanced past the semifinals.
The Bears have displayed balanced offense and stingy defense throughout the season. Six players have recorded double-digit points – Steigerwalt leads the team in goals (13) and points (31), while Overly (11 goals, 8 assists) is first in assists and tied for second in goals with senior Colleen Leahy (11 goals, 4 assists). Senior Ann Kopera has registered eight goals and five assists for Ursinus, which leads the CC in goals (62), goals per game (3.40), and penalty corners (193).
Senior Aliki Torrence anchors a defensive unit that has surrendered just 19 goals in 18 games this season, with plenty of support from Kopera, Sherry, senior Rachel Zane, junior Emma Frees, and sophomore Mikayla Jordan. Sophomore Jules Singer has logged a 1.07 goals-against average and a .743 save percentage, posting five shutouts and combining with junior Sydney Godbey on two others.
The Bears have tested themselves against a daunting schedule that included six nationally ranked foes and the annual Snell Cup game against Division II West Chester. Ursinus went 3-1 against the rest of the CC tournament field, its only setback a 1-0 nail-biter at F&M on September 24.
Ursinus finished 8-0 at home during the regular season and has won 14 consecutive home games against Division III opponents.
Live stats and live video will be available for both semifinal contests as well as the championship game. Links will be available on the field hockey team's schedule page.