CENTER VALLEY, Pa. (November 6, 2019) – After earning the #3 seed in the MAC Freedom Tournament with a thrilling 3-2 victory over FDU-Florham, the Stevens Institute of Technology field hockey team will travel to Center Valley, Pennsylvania, tonight at 6:00 to take on the #2 seed DeSales University with a spot in the MAC Freedom Championship game on the line.

On the other side of the bracket, the top overall seed FDU-Florham will welcome #4 Misericordia University to Robert T. Shields Field tonight at 7:00 p.m.

The winners of the two contests will then meet in the MAC Freedom Tournament Finals Saturday, hosted by the highest remaining seed in the tournament.

The Ducks have now clinched a spot in the conference tournament in back-to-back seasons and in 11 of the past 12 years dating back to their time in the Empire 8 Conference. Stevens will be looking to win their first conference championship since 2015.

See below for a quick preview of the MAC Freedom Tournament field.

#1 FDU-Florham Devils | 15-4; 6-1
Schedule | Roster | Stats

• The defending MAC Freedom champions, FDU-Florham heads into the conference tournament with just one loss in regular conference season play this season and received votes in the NFHCA Coaches Poll prior to the last week of the regular season.
• The Devils have lost back-to-back contests going into the tournament after rattling off 11 consecutive victories before their 3-2 loss to the Ducks on Oct. 30.
• They also closed the regular season with a conference-leading 3.2 goals per game average and are second in the MAC Freedom with just 1.26 goals allowed per contest.

Players to Watch:

• Haleigh Flukey – Sophomore – Forward – Leads the MAC Freedom and is tied for fourth in NCAA Division III with 24 total goals on the season
• Maggie Sohns – Senior – Midfielder – Has assisted on 15 goals and taken a total of 83 shots this season to lead the conference in both categories
• Marissa Colvin – Junior – Midfielder – Ranks inside the top-10 in the conference in shots, goals, game-winning goals and points
• Megan March – Junior – Goalkeeper – Has registered five total shutouts and is allowing just 1.21 goals per game this season, both ranking second in the MAC Freedom

When We Last Met:
Needing a victory to clinch a spot in the MAC Freedom Tournament, the Ducks handed the Devils their first conference loss of the season in penalty shootout fashion. Allison Buffenbarger found the back of the net twice in the shootout and Emily Franco stopped five of seven penalty strokes to clinch the win for Stevens.

#2 DeSales University Bulldogs | 12-8, 6-1
Schedule | Roster | Stats
DeSales comes into the conference tournament with their lone MAC Freedom loss of the season being against the regular season champion Devils in overtime.
After starting the year 3-7, the Bulldogs won nine of their final 10 contests of the regular season, six of which have come by one score.
They currently rank second in the conference with 2.5 goals per contest while allowing 2.2 goals per game, which ranks fourth.
Players to Watch

• Catie McGrath – Freshman – Forward – Leads the MAC Freedom with 48 total shots on goal and ranks third in the conference with 14 total goals this season
• Tyre Wingle – Freshman – Forward – Ranks inside the top-10 in the conference in shots, goals, assists, game-winning goals and points
• Hannah Williams – Junior – Midfielder – Currently sits tied second in the MAC Freedom with eight assists on the year
• Katarina Polyviou – Senior – Goalkeeper – Has played every minute of every contest for the Bulldogs this season and ranks third in the conference with three shutouts

When We Last Met
DeSales was able to edge Stevens 3-2 in the last matchup between the two teams at DeBaun Athletic Complex. Tied 1-1 at halftime, the Bulldogs got a pair of goals in the third quarter from McGrath and held on for the one-score victory.

#3 Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks | 11-7, 4-3
Schedule | Roster | Stats
After starting the year 2-3, Stevens went on a seven-game winning streak, following it up by dropping four straight, and closed the year by winning back-to-back contests to clinch a spot in the MAC Freedom Tournament.
The Ducks played a ton of close games all season, going 8-5 in one-score contests on the year.
Stevens ranks third in the conference in goals per game (2.28) as well as goals allowed (1.72) per contest.
Players to Watch

• Michaela Thompson – Senior – Midfielder – Tied for second in the MAC Freedom with eight assists on the season and leads the team with 16 points
• Skylar Migliaccio – Junior – Forward – Leads the Ducks with seven goals on the year and ranks second on the team with 15 points this season
• Anna Cooper – Junior – Defender – Has started all 18 games on the year and anchors the back line for the Ducks
• Emily Franco – Sophomore – Goalkeeper – Ranks third in the conference with 1.64 goals allowed per game and fourth with 98 total saves on the year

#4 Misericordia University Cougars | 9-10, 3-4
Schedule | Roster | Stats
Needing a win to clinch a spot in the MAC Freedom Tournament in the last game of the year, Misericordia grabbed a 1-0 victory over Wilkes to clinch the fourth and final spot.
The Cougars have played in 13 one-goal contests, going 5-8 in such games this season. They also lead the conference with a 1.16 goals against average.
After starting conference play 2-1, Misericordia dropped three straight MAC Freedom competitions before their thrilling win on the final day of the regular season.
Players to Watch

• Madisyn Granoski – Junior – Forward – Holds the team lead with five assists while also being tied for the team lead with four goals this season
• Kyleigh Knell – Senior – Forward – Currently tied for the team lead with four goals and has scored twice in the past four contests for Misericordia
• Kortney McEwen – Senior – Defender – Anchors the backline of the defensive unit and has started every contest for the Cougars while also adding a goal and an assist
• Katelyn Campbell – Senior – Goalkeeper – Has played every minute in goal for the Cougars this season and leads the MAC Freedom with a 1.16 goals against average this season

Last Time We Met
The Ducks and Cougars played a double-overtime thriller in Hoboken last time out, with the Cougars taking home a 2-1 victory thanks to a goal from Mikayla Cavenas in the 75th minute.

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