MEDFORD, MA (November 9, 2023) – For the 11
th time in program history, the Tufts University field hockey team is one of the last 16 teams standing in the NCAA Division III Tournament. By the end of the weekend, head coach
Tina Mattera's Jumbos hope to be planning a trip to the team's sixth "Final Four".
Game Details
2023 NCAA Tournament Babson Regional
Opponent: Rowan University (12-7)
Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Babson Park, MA - MacDowell Field (
Directions)
Live Coverage:
LIVE STATS –
LIVE VIDEO
Following last night's 5-0 win over the University of Southern Maine in the NCAA first round at Ounjian Field, the Jumbos travel to Babson College for the "Sweet 16" on Saturday (Nov. 11). Tufts (12-5) will face Rowan University (12-7) at 2 PM. The Profs are the New Jersey Athletic Conference champions who also won 5-0 in the NCAA first round Wednesday versus Hartwick College.
Host Babson (20-1) and Bates College (13-5) will meet in Saturday's first second-round game at 11 AM. The "Sweet 16" winners will then play on Sunday at 1 PM in the "Elite 8" with a berth into the Final Four on the line.
Tufts and Rowan will face each other for just the second time. The first came back in 1998 when the Jumbos were in their second NCAA Tournament appearance. Rowan won that first-round game 1-0 in overtime. The Jumbos traveled to Rowan for the Sweet 16 last year but did not play the Profs.
Tufts is in their 14
th NCAA Tournament overall. Wednesday night's victory lifted their NCAA mark to 23-12. Rowan is making its 23
rd NCAA appearance with a 23-21 record. The Profs were NCAA champions in 2002 and the Jumbos won the national title in 2012.
New England Men's and Women's Athletic Conference champion Babson College will look to use its home-field advantage this weekend to advance to its second Final Four. The Beavers, who are 8-7 in their eighth NCAA run, were semifinalists in 2011. Bates College, a New England Small College Athletic Conference semifinalist this fall, is in the tournament for the first time. They won their inaugural NCAA game 7-0 against Johnson & Wales on Wednesday.
Babson averages 5.05 goals per game to rank third nationally, while their 0.74 goals against mark is currently 15
th in Division III. Tufts at a 1.31 goals against average is 35
th nationally, while a 2.28 scoring average for the Jumbos is 65
th. Bates is the second-highest scoring team entering this weekend (3.42/26th) and has a 1.41 scoring defense (39
th). Rowan comes in averaging 2.79 goals scored and 1.74 goals allowed, 43
rd and 63
rd in the NCAA statistics, respectively.
The ultimate goal for all four teams this weekend is to get to the Final Four on November 17 at Jennings Family Stadium in Newport News, Virginia.
--JUMBOS--
