MEDFORD, MA (November 18, 2025) - For the second straight year and seventh time overall, Tufts University Field Hockey is one of the last four teams standing in Division III and will play in the NCAA "Final Four" this week at Trinity College.
NCAA Final Four Details:
Dates: November 21 & 23, 2025 -Â
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Location: Trinity College's Robin Sheppard Field (Hartford, CT) |
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Tufts (17-3), the only NESCAC squad in this year's Final Four, will face Christopher Newport University (19-0) in the first national semifinal on Friday at noon. Johns Hopkins University (21-1) and Babson College (22-1) play in the other national semifinal on Friday at 3:30 PM. The winners will meet in the national championship game on Sunday at 12:00 Noon.
Head coach
Tina Mattera's Jumbos advanced to the final weekend with wins over NESCAC foes Williams College in the "Sweet 16" (2-1 in OT) and host Bates College in the "Elite 8" (3-1). The Jumbos are the only team of the four that did not receive a first-round bye in the tournament, having earned an 11-0 win against Dean College in the opening round where they tied the NCAA record for goals in a tournament game.
"This year has been extra special because we graduated six starters, so we weren't really sure what to expect," Coach Mattera said after the win over Bates. "I'm just so proud of where we started to where we are now. We've had huge improvements across the entire team and it's been a really, really fun season."
The Captains of Christopher Newport won 2-1 in overtime against the University of Lynchburg and 1-0 versus Salisbury University to punch their Final Four ticket. Hopkins topped WPI 6-0 and Middlebury College 3-0 in their second and third round games. Babson advanced past Bowdoin College 2-1 and Wesleyan University 1-0 this past weekend.
Tufts is the most experienced Final Four team with its seven appearances, and they are the only squad of the four to have emerged out of the final weekend with a national championship that they won in 2012. JHU is in its sixth Final Four, while CNU and Babson will both be there for the second time.
The Jumbos have seen the Captains twice before, winning regular-season games between the teams 3-0 in 2014 and 2-1 in 2015. Should Tufts advance to the NCAA final, they are annual opponents of Babson, who topped Tufts 2-1 in overtime this year, and have played the Blue Jays twice around this time of year, splitting a pair of games in 2018 (3-1 win) and 2019 (2-1 loss).
In their 16th NCAA appearance overall, Tufts' three wins this year have improved their NCAA record to 30-14. They are eighth all-time in DIII Tournament wins. The Jumbos will be attempting to reach their sixth national championship game this weekend. Tufts was the national runner-up last year, losing to Middlebury College 2-1 in the final in Lexington, Virginia.
CNU is seeking its first NCAA Final berth, now in their 14th tournament overall with a 12-13 mark. Hopkins played in three straight NCAA Championship games from 2021-23, losing to Middlebury each time. The Blue Jays are 19-14 in their 15th NCAA run this year. The Beavers are also looking to advance to the final for the first time and have a 12-9 record in 10 years of NCAA Tournament play.
The Jumbos are the top offensive team of the four, scoring 3.50 goals per game which ranks eighth nationally. Senior
Hannah Biccard continued her outstanding goal-scoring season with one against Bates in the Elite 8 for her 16th of the year. It's the most by a Tufts player since 2013. The Jumbos rank 21st in Division III with their 1.03 goals against average, backed by 2024 All-American
Lydia Eastburn (.759 save percentage) in goal.
Christopher Newport, the #1 team in the NFHCA national poll, is also #1 in defense nationally. Their 0.36 GAA is led by senior goalie Lily Kerr, whose .880 save percentage is second-best in the nation. The Captains score 3.26 goals per game, 23rd nationally, and are led by junior Lindsey Loar with 14 goals and four assists for 32 points. The Captains have one common opponent with the Jumbos this year, having defeated Williams 2-0 on October 12.
JHU is sixth-best defensively in DIII with a 0.74 goals against average, with junior goalie Aubrey Kilgore posting a .860 save percentage which is also sixth in the nation. Senior Megan Chang's 28 points (10 goals, eight assists) lead a Blue Jay team that scores 2.77Â goals per game to rank 42nd in DIII.
Babson senior Caroline DiGiovanni is the top scorer at the Final Four site with 25 goals this season to rank 13th nationally with a 1.09 per game average. The team scores at a 2.83 goals per game rate for 38th in DIII. Another good defensive team, Babson's 0.86 GAA mark is 11th in the nation with freshman Madison Tibbals (.795 save percentage) in goal.
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--JUMBOS--
