Shippensburg wins the 2021 DII field hockey championship

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After an explosive first 10 minutes by the Shippensburg offense, West Chester and the Raiders have played scoreless field hockey. No team scores in the third period.

Shippensburg is one period away from another national championship.

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Both teams failed to score a goal in the second 15 minutes. We head to the half with Shippensburg ahead by three.

Goals:

• Jenna Sluymer (2:00)
• Jazmin Petrantonio (7:00)
• Valu Paul (8:00)

Stay tuned for second half action coming up shortly.

West Chester Athletics

Today is the day. PSAC powers Shippensburg and West Chester battle for the 2021 DII field hockey championship. The action starts at 1 p.m. ET and you can watch it live on krikya18.com.

Since 2011, Shippensburg or West Chester has one seven of the nine championship matches played (2020 was canceled due to COVID-19). While Shippensburg is the winningest team of the past decade, West Chester is trying to repeat as national champions. ;

Big-time field hockey goal scorers in action

Shippensburg is the top scoring offense in DII field hockey, dropping a whopping 5.02 goals per game, one goal better than the next best team. The Raiders have been blowing out opponents by a 4.40 average scoring margin, also best in the division. Jazmin Petrantonio (1.89 goals per game) and Jenna Sluymer (1.21 gpp) are Nos. 1 and 2 in DII in scoring, respectively. 

West Chester is no slouch on the offensive. The Golden Rams score 3.57 goals per game. The offense is led by Valerie van Kuijck, who's 21 goals were second in DII this season. While West Chester has allowed its fair share of goals this season, the Golden Rams are winning games by more than two goals per outing. This should be a fun shootout.

How we got here

Shippensburg is a perfect 19-0 and defeated East Stroudsburg 2-1 after earning a first-round bye. West Chester, sitting at 17-4, had to play both rounds to advance, defeating Adelphi and Assumption quite handedly. 

You can see the complete interactive bracket by clicking here.

Stay tuned. We will be bringing you updates as the championship game progresses from Biemesderfer Stadium in Millersville, Pennsylvania beginning at 1 p.m.

Shippensburg and West Chester have combined to win the last four NCAA DII field hockey championships – West Chester won in 2019 and Shippensburg won from 2016 through 2018 – and they'll make it five in a row on Sunday, as the two powerhouses will meet in the 2021 national championship at 1 p.m. ET.

Click or tap here to view the score and live stats from the match.

West Chester Athletics

The first finalist in the DII field hockey tournament is set after No. 3 West Chester rolled through No. 2 Assumption 3-0 to open semifinals play on Friday.

After both teams went scoreless in the first quarter, West Chester scored one goal in each of the remaining three quarters to advance to the title match. Valerie Van Kuijck scored twice and Claudia Jaszczak also hit the back of the net.

West Chester will play the winner of No. 1 Shippensburg vs. East Stroudsburg in the final. That semifinal will begin at 5 p.m. ET, and you can stream it live on krikya18.com right here.

The final will be on Sunday afternoon.

Click or tap here to view the full 2021 DII field hockey bracket.

Four teams will take the field on Friday, Nov. 19 in the 2021 DII field hockey semifinals. Here's the schedule:

• Final | No. 3 West Chester 3, No. 2 Assumption 0: NCAA stats |
• 5 p.m. | No. 1 Shippensburg vs. No. 4 East Stroudsburg: NCAA stats |

First-round action kicks off Saturday: What to know

West Chester Athletics West Chester looks to repeat as DII field hockey national champions.

Saturday, Nov. 13, marks the first DII field hockey championship action since the fall of 2019. There are two first-round games, with both beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Here's a quick look at each matchup.

No. 6 Adelphi vs. No. 3 West Chester 

West Chester was the last champion DII field hockey saw, defeating Saint Anselm in the 2019 championship game by a score of 2-1. It was the Golden Rams third national championship of the decade. West Chester finished 15-4 in 2021, falling to No. 1 Shippensburg in the PSAC championship game.

Adelphi finished 14-6 this season. The Panthers narrowly lost to Assumption in the NE10 championship, 3-2. This team has some big-time goal scorers as Giana McKeough, Kaylee Deleva and Amanda Lee all scored in double-digits this season. Adelphi has never made it to the DII field hockey championship game. 

No. 5 Bentley at No. 4 East Stroudsburg

Bentley was a DII field hockey championship game staple in the late 90s and early 2000s. The Falcons reached the title match six times between 1999-2006, winning it all in 2001. That 2006 season was the last title game in which the Falcons played. This season, they finished 14-6, falling 1-0 to New Haven in the NE10 quarterfinals. 

East Stroudsburg is much more familiar with the championship game in recent field hockey yore. The Warriors won the national championship in 2015 and finished as national runners-up to PSAC-rival Shippensburg in 2018. They are currently 15-4 and looking to rebound from a loss to West Chester in the PSAC tournament. 

On Monday, Nov. 8, the 2021 Division II Field Hockey Championship selections were announced. Click or tap here to view the complete championship field.

The six-team field includes three teams from both the Atlantic and East regions. Shippensburg and Assumption will receive first-round byes, and two preliminary round games will be at campus sites Saturday, Nov. 13.

Click or tap here to view the interactive bracket.

West Chester downed Saint Anselm 2-1 in the 2019 field hockey national championship, as West Chester was nearly perfect with a 20-1 record on the season. The 2020 championship was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Below is the year-by-year national championship history, since 1981.