INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (November 7, 2021)  – The Stevens Institute of Technology field hockey team will head to Grantham, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Nov. 10 to take on ninth-ranked Messiah University in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship, the NCAA announced in a release late Sunday.

Making its first appearance in the national tournament since 2015, and fifth overall, the first-round matchup with the Falcons will be the third all-time meeting between the programs, but the first since 2014. The Ducks have recorded a first-round victory in three of their five NCAA appearances.

"What a fun MAC matchup!" said head coach Meredith Spencer-Blaetz. "We are so excited about the opportunity to compete against such a historically strong program and get the chance to make a name for ourselves on the national stage. The Ducks are ready to dance!"

Stevens arrives at the NCAA Tournament with a 15-4 record, marking the fourth-most wins in any single season in program history. The Ducks, who set a program record with an 11-game winning streak earlier in the year, defeated Misericordia 2-0 on Nov. 6 to capture their first MAC Freedom championship. Fifth-year Allison Buffenbarger was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Awaiting Stevens will be Messiah (16-2). Winners of 14 consecutive MAC Commonwealth titles, the Falcons are making their 20th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Winners of nine straight, the Falcons posted a 7-3 victory over Widener in the MAC Commonwealth title game. Makayla Malcolm was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. 

The winner of Wednesday's first-round contest will head to Massachusetts to take on No. 3 Babson College on Nov. 13. Babson will also serve as the host site for a second-round matchup between No. 5 Kean University and the winner of the first-round game between No. 8 Trinity (Conn.) and St. John Fisher.

Twenty teams will compete in ten first-round games on campus sites Wednesday, Nov. 10. The ten first-round winners, along with the six teams that received a first-round bye, will compete at four campus sites during second/third-round play, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 13 and 14.

A game time for the Ducks' first-round game has yet to be determined. Links for live stats and video will be posted to StevensDucks.com when available. 

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