DUDLEY, Mass. (Nov. 9) – The Nichols College field hockey team has been selected to the 2009 NCAA Championship Tournament for the first time in program history and will host a first round game on Wednesday, November 11, taking on MIT at 4 p.m. on Vendetti Field. The NCAA Championship game on Nichols’ campus marks the first in school history.
Tickets for Wednesday’s game will be available at the gate and will be $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. The game will be broadcast live on WNRC 97.5-FM and live online.
The Bison (18-3) defeated New England College, 4-1, Saturday to win their second TCCC championship title and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. MIT (17-4) defeated Springfield, 4-2, to win its first NEWMAC championship crown and book its first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament. The winner of Wednesday’s first round game will advance to the second round to play host Tufts (16-1), which won the NESCAC championship, 3-2, over Trinity on its home turf.
In the teams’ regular-season matchup, Nichols was a 3-0 victor, as Emily Widdison (Greenfield, Mass.) had a goal and an assist, and goalkeeper Krista-Jean Forand (Plymouth, Mass.) made four saves to keep the Bison undefeated on the year. Nichols is 9-19-1 all-time against the Engineers, and 3-6 since 2000.
NCAA Championship Bracket