Final Four FH Preview
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No. 1 Field Hockey Final Four Preview

By Heath Barringer

The Rundown

The No. 1 ranked Salisbury University field hockey team is back in the NCAA Division III Final Four for the first time since 2019. The Sea Gulls will take on the the six-time defending champions, No. 2 Middlebury College, in Lexington, Va. on Nov. 22nd at 3 p.m. on the campus of Washington & Lee University. The winner earns a place in the NCAA Title bout on Sunday, taking on the winner of No. 3 Tufts and No. 4 Williams.

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  • Salisbury earned the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 2-1 victory (4-3 in penalty strokes) over #5 Christopher Newport in the championship.
  • The Gulls defeated #13 Lynchburg 3-0 in the second round before slipping past the Captains in the regional final to secure a spot in the final four.
  • Salisbury is making its 39th overall and 29th-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Gulls have posted 59 all-time victories, which is tied for third with the Panthers.
  • Salisbury is playing in the semifinals for the 16th time in team history. Friday's game will be the program's first appearance since falling to Middlebury 1-0 in 2019.
  • The Gulls enter the weekend 17-2 overall and winners of 11 out of the last 12 contests with the lone loss coming in overtime to Rowan on October 25.
  • Salisbury ranks in the top-10 spots in Division III in goals against average (0.76 - fourth) and save percentage (.837 - ninth).
  • The Panthers secured a bye in the opening round of the tournament. The squad shut out #15 Bryn Mawr 9-0, before defeating #5 Johns Hopkins 3-1 in the NCAA Regional Final to punch their ticket to the final site.
  • The six-time defending champions secured an at-large bid and are seeking their seventh-consecutive NCAA Title (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023) and ninth overall. The program's nine titles are second in Division III behind The College of New Jersey's (TCNJ) 11.
  • Middlebury is making its 24th NCAA Tournament appearance and owns a 59-16 overall mark. The 59 victories are tied for third among DIII field hockey programs.
  • The Panthers sits among the country's leaders in numerous statistical team categories. The squad ranks first in points per game (14.95), goals per game (5.32), assists per game (4.32) and scoring margin (+4.47). The team is also fourth in penalty corners per contest (11.89).
  • The program comes into the national semifinals riding a 55-game winning streak against non-conference opponents dating back to 2017.
  • Middlebury has put forward impressive efforts both at home and on the road. The team has won 38 of its last 39 games away from Peter Kohn Field and is 80-2 in their last 82 games on home turf.
  • The Panthers have tallied 100 or more goals in three consecutive seasons, including 101 this fall. That metric ranks third in the program record books.
  • Defensive has been a focal point for the program, allowing 20 goals or less in six consecutive campaigns.
  • Middlebury has allowed just one goal in 720 minutes of NCAA postseason action dating back to the second round of the 2022 tournament.
  • Middlebury and Salisbury meet for the fifth time with the previous four coming in NCAA Tournament action. The all-time series is tied at 2-2, but the Panthers have won each the last two, including a 1-0 triumph in the 2019 semifinals in Pennsylvania.
We're really excited, I want them to enjoy the experience but not forget why we are here. This is a great group of young women and there is something very special about this team. They are gritty, never give up, and we are ready for the opportunity.
Dawn Chamberlin, Sea Gull Field Hockey Head Coach

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