ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College will open play in the Commonwealth Conference field hockey tournament with a semifinal match at Lebanon Valley College on Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.
The Blue Jays (11-6 overall, 5-2 Commonwealth) are seeded third in the playoffs and will face the second-seeded Flying Dutchmen (16-2 overall, 6-1 Commonwealth) for the second time in just over a week, after suffering a 5-2 loss last Tuesday afternoon in their regular-season finale. The teams are also meeting in the conference semifinals for the second straight season, as the Dutchmen posted a 4-0 victory in last year's contest.
Admission to Wednesday's match at the LVC Field Hockey Stadium is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students, with children under six admitted free of charge.
Leading the Blue Jay offense are a quartet of players -
Brenna Noon and
Katy Boone, each with eight goals and two assists, along with
Liz DeMatteis and
Caitlin Grimes with seven goals apiece. DeMatteis leads the team with nine assists and 23 points, while Noon, Boone and Grimes each have three game-winning goals.
Senior
Liz Hannegan has started all 17 matches in goal for the Blue Jays and has a 1.52 goals against average and a .731 save percentage while recording five shutouts.
Lebanon Valley is ranked seventh in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III poll, and is seeking its sixth consecutive trip to the Commonwealth Conference finals.
The Dutchmen are led by Jocelyn Novak who has 26 goals and 55 points on the season. Three other Dutchmen have reached double figures in goals - Allison Bicher (12), Caitlin Vasey (11) and Shelly Lobach (10), while Lobach has a team-high 14 assists for a total of 34 points.
Keeper Caitlin Baro has compiled a 1.15 goals against average and a .787 save percentage in goal for Lebanon Valley, while earning five shutouts.
Wednesday's other semifinal match is between fourth-seeded Widener University and top-seeded Messiah College, which is ranked first in the NFHCA Division III poll and is one of two undefeated squads in the rankings with a 17-0 record on the season. The winners will meet on Saturday in the championship match.