Just two teams remain in the 2024 DII field hockey season. Kutztown and Saint Anselm are set to battle for the national championship. The Golden Bears are looking to repeat, while the Hawks are looking to make program history and win their first title.
Here's what you need to know.
🏑 Updates, scores and bracket from every round of the DII field hockey championship
The DII field hockey championship: How to watch
The defending national champion, No. 4 Kutztown, and No. 7 Saint Anselm are set to go head-to-head from Saints Field in Gaffney, South Carolina at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 24. You can stream the game live right here on krikya18.com.
Kutztown vs. St. Anselm: By the numbers
| Team | Scoring average | Defensive saves | Assists | Save percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kutztown | 3.00 | 50 | 42 | 0.629 |
| Saint Anselm | 3.14 | 89 | 46 | 0.739 |
The DII field hockey season opened on Sept. 5 as Kutztown defeated Saint Anselm, 4-0, in a game the Golden Bears dominated. The season will end with the two teams facing off once more.
Looking at the bracket seeding at the beginning of the tournament, we have a finals showdown of two underdogs. Despite coming in at the No. 4 seed, the Golden Bears likely take it to heart being called an underdog, coming in as the defending national champions. Kutztown had a bumpy road back to the finals for a chance to repeat: The Golden Bears hit a three-game skid in October and then were bumped from the PSAC tournament in the semifinals. Still, Kutztown regrouped and took down No. 5 Southern New Hampshire and then bumped off No. 1 Shippensburg — which it lost to twice this season — to advance to the final.
Forward Erin Gonzalez — who scored twice in the upset of Shippensburg — is one to watch for the Golden Bears, leading the team in points with 31, the fifth-most in the stacked PSAC. Midfielder Juliana Donato — who scored what ultimately was the game-winner in Friday's upset — and back Sarah Gatehouse each earned First Team All-PSAC honors, each scoring six goals and assisting on six others. Mia Kepler has started 19 games in net, going 14-3 with a 0.632 save percentage. Both of Kutztown's tournament wins have been by one goal, a situation it has found itself in 11 times this year, going 8-3 in one-goal decisions.
St. Anselm came in as the No. 7 seed, the first time the DII field hockey championship had a seventh and eighth seed since expanding the field. The Hawks went on to avenge their loss to Assumption a week earlier in the NE10 championship game, upsetting the No. 2 Greyhounds, 3-2, before upsetting No. 3 East Stroudsburg to reach their first championship game since 2019.
Both Amanda Lewandowski and Maddie Davis led the offensive charge for the Hawks, combining for 23 goals. The dynamic scoring duo joined back Grace Michael in earning All-NE10 First Team honors. Sidney Falterer started every game in goal for the Hawks, posting a 15-5 record and coming off that impressive shutout against East Stroudsburg, making four saves.
DII field hockey championship prediction
Last year we saw DII field hockey history as Kutztown won its first-ever national championship. While there is a strong history of repeat national champions in the sport, this seems to feel like destiny may be calling for St. Anselm.
First of all, the PSAC has won 12 DII field hockey national championships in a row. Sometimes you throw logic out the window and wonder if going for No. 13 in a row may be a little unlucky and further enhance St. Anselm's fate. Secondly, a simple look at the stats shows St. Anselm is (again, statistically) stronger across the board, leading Kutztown in just about every category.
The Hawks were in the championship game in 2019 but lack the experience Kutztown is bringing to the table. Still, the Hawks just shut out the seventh-best scoring team in DII — and they should be riding a ton of momentum. Give me St. Anselm to take home the program's first title.
Prediction: St. Anselm 3, Kutztown 1
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