Five ACC Teams Bound for NCAA Field Hockey Championship

GREENSBORO, NC (theACC.com)Five ACC teams earned bids to the 2022 NCAA Field Hockey Championship, announced Sunday night by the NCAA Field Hockey Committee.

The league claimed four of the eight at-large spots in the 18-team tournament field, along with the automatic Qualifier awarded to ACC Champion North Carolina. Louisville, Syracuse, Virginia and Wake Forest will join the Tar Heels in opening play this Friday.

The ACC Landed multiple teams in the NCAA field for the 28th consecutive year. This marks the ninth time in the last 10 seasons that at least four conference teams have earned NCAA bids. The ACCs five selections this season tie for the most of any conference

Top-seeded North Carolina (17-0), making its national-best 39th tournament appearance and 20th in a row, will open play at home on Friday at noon against the Winner of Wednesdays match-up between Delaware (9-11) and Lehigh (13-7) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

The Tar Heels, under the watch of head Coach Karen Shelton, own nine NCAA Field Hockey Championships, including three in a row from 2018-20. UNC enters this years postseason as the nation’s only remaining unbeaten NCAA Division I team. UNC holds the NCAA records for tournament Appearances (39), tournament games played (102) and tournament victories (73).

Wake Forest (15-5) is NCAA bound for the 18th time overall and the first time since advancing to the national semifinals in 2018. The Demon Deacons postseason history includes three consecutive NCAA titles under head Coach Jennifer Averill (2002-04).

The Deacons will open play Friday at 2:30 pm versus St. Josephs (15-4) in Chapel Hill, with the Winner advancing to face the North Carolina-Delaware/Lehigh Winner on Sunday.

Louisville (12-7) will face Penn State (15-3) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at 2:30 pm Friday. The Cardinals will take part in postseason play for the eighth time in nine years and 11th time overall. The Winner of the Louisville-PSU game moves on to Sunday and will face the Winner of the Friday Matchup between Albany (15-4) and fourth -seeded host Michigan (14-5).

Syracuse (15-5) is set for its 16th NCAA Tournament and will travel to College Park, Maryland, to face Ivy League Champion Princeton (13-4) on Friday at 2:30 pm The Winner of that game Advances to Sunday to face the Winner of the first-round game between No. 3 seed Maryland (17-3) and Liberty (12-7).

The Orange is 18-14 all-time in NCAA play and has made the Final Four four times, most recently in 2015 when it claimed the first national championship by a women’s team at Syracuse. The Orange made 10 consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2008-2017 and will make its 13th postseason appearance since head Coach Ange Bradleybegan her tenure at Syracuse.

Virginia (13-7) will make its 26th appearance in the tournament and 14th under current head Coach Michele Madison when it faces Iowa (11-7) in Evanston, Illinois, on Friday. The Winner of that contest moves on to Sunday to face second-seeded and Defending NCAA Champion Northwestern (17-4), Miami, Ohio (13-7) or Rider (15-5).

The Cavaliers, who reached the ACC title game for the second consecutive year, enter NCAA play with the nations No. 5 RPI and the nations No. 1-ranked schedule.

The five ACC teams in the NCAA Championship were all ranked in the nations top 15 in the most recent NFHCA Poll. Following no. 1 UNC is No. 5 Virginia, No. 8 Wake Forest, No. 10 Syracuse and No. 12 Louisville.

The ACC has placed at least one team in the NCAA semifinals 32 of the last 33 years. Forty-three of the last 76 teams to reach the national semifinals have come from the ACC. Conference teams have won 21 NCAA Field Hockey Championships, including 14 of the last 20.

The complete 2022 NCAA Field Hockey Championship bracket can be found here.

Opening-round games will be played on Nov. 9 at two of the first- and second-round sites. First- and second-round games will be played on four campus sites Nov. 11 and 13. UConn will host the national semifinals on Friday, Nov. 18 and the Championship final on Sunday, Nov. 20 at the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex in Storrs, Connecticut. The semifinals will be available on ESPN+ at Noon and 3 pm Eastern time and the Championship game will be broadcast at 1:30 pm Eastern time on ESPNU.

2022 NCAA FIELD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

(All times Eastern)
Friday, Nov. 11 Chapel Hill, NC

Noon – #1 North Carolina (17-0) vs. Delaware (9-11) or Lehigh (13-7)
2:30 pm Wake Forest (15-5) vs. St. Josephs (15-4)

First Round Ann Arbor, Mich.

Noon – #4 Michigan (14-5) vs. Albany (15-4)
2:30 pm Penn State (15-3) vs. Louisville (12-7)

First Round – College Park, Md.

Noon – #3 Maryland (17-3) vs. Liberty (12-7)
2:30 pm Syracuse (15-5) vs. Princeton (13-4)

First Round Evanston, Illinois

1 pm – #2 Northwestern (17-4) vs. Miami, Ohio (13-7) or Rider (15-5)
3:30 pm – Virginia (13-7) vs. Iowa (11-7)

Sunday, Nov. 13
Quarterfinals

Friday’s winners meet at each of the above sites. Game time is 1 pm at Chapel Hill, Ann Arbor and College Park. Starting time at Evanston is set for 2 pm ET.

Friday, Nov. 18
Semifinal Storrs, Conn.

Noon and 3 pm
Chapel Hill bracket Winner vs. Ann Arbor bracket Winner
Evanston bracket Winner vs. College Park bracket Winner

Sunday, Nov. 20
Final Storrs, Conn.

1:30 pm – Friday’s semifinal winners (ESPNU)