JWU To Meet Nationally Ranked York In First Round Of NCAA DIII Field Hockey Tournament

JWU To Meet Nationally Ranked York In First Round Of NCAA DIII Field Hockey Tournament
November 11, 2024

Release courtesy of the Johnson & Wales Athletic Communications Department 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The JWU (Providence) field hockey team will head to York, Pennsylvania to face York (PA) College in the First Round of the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament this Wednesday, November 12 at 4 p.m.

The Wildcats won their fourth-consecutive Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship on Saturday with a 4-2 win over Simmons University in front of their home fans at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex. Graduate student Megan Salsinha picked up her fourth hat trick of the season and second of the playoffs to help JWU rally from an early 2-0 deficit to extend their win streak to 17. Salsinha was named Tournament MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by senior Haley Budenas, and sophomores Rayne Millett and Sophia Brea.

Salsinha – who began her collegiate career as UMass Lowell – leads the Wildcats in both goals (18) and points (45); her 45 points is the fourth-highest single-season mark in program history, trailing only Jillian Miele (2018-22), who racked up 69 in 2021, 66 in 2022, and 51 in 2019. Junior Zofia Bangs has established a career-high with 14 goals thus far in 2024 and is second on the Wildcats with 31 points, followed by Millett with 20 points (8-4-20) and Budenas with 19 points (4-11-19).

Brea, meanwhile, owns a 14-4 record with a 0.98 goals against average (GAA), a .737 save pct. and three solo shutouts. Defensively, the Wildcats have allowed just 19 goals and 79 penalty corners, compared to 77 goals for and 260 penalty corners taken.

The Spartans boast a 16-5 record and earned the Middle Atlantic Conference's (MAC) automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament by virtue of a 1-0 win over top-seeded and national-ranked No. 12 Messiah on Saturday in Grantham, Pa. Riley Buschert – who leads the team with 10 goals and 30 points – scored the game-winner 5:36 into overtime. York (PA) owns five wins over nationally-ranked opponents this season.

JWU is making its fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and is seeking its first win. The Wildcats have faced a trio of New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) schools in the Tournament, drawing Tufts in 2021 (L, 1-0), Williams in 2022 (L, 8-0), and Bates in 2023 (L, 7-0).