Copyright Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
Christopher Newport will be one of the centers of NCAA Division III postseason activity this weekend as the Captains will play host to tournament competition in field hockey — where CNU is seeded No. 1 nationally — and women’s soccer. Pairings in multiple brackets were revealed on NCAA.com Sunday night and Monday, and here’s a look at the highlights: Division III field hockey: CNU (17-0) was seeded No. 1 in the tournament for the first time in school history. The Captains, who have shut out 13 opponents and lead the nation in scoring defense, will have to get by some familiar foes to advance to the semifinals Nov. 21 in Hartford, Connecticut. The tournament includes 28 teams. CNU, often led offensively by Gloucester native Hanna Heaton, will play Saturday at its Jennings Family Stadium in the round of 16 against the winner of Wednesday’s first-round game pitting Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament champion Lynchburg (15-4) at No. 14 Rowan (16-5) in Glassboro, New Jersey. Lynchburg, ranked 18th, has several players from the 757 area code: Danielle Coon (from Menchville High), Tatum Humphries (Grafton), Allie Freeman (Tabb), Hannah Christenbury (Western Branch), Mallory Lamb (Princess Anne), Avery Watkins (Gloucester) and Abigail Junker (Gloucester). A potential CNU quarterfinal could be against No. 5 Salisbury (17-2), which will open at home against Denison (12-6). Division I field hockey: Virginia (16-2) received the fourth seed and a host role for next weekend’s NCAA Division I round of 16 and quarterfinals. The tournament includes numerous players from Hampton Roads. The Cavaliers will face Mid-American Conference tourney champ Miami of Ohio (15-4) at noon Friday. That game’s winner will play Sunday against the victor between Northwestern (18-1) and Yale (12-5), who will square off at 2:30 Friday in Charlottesville. North Carolina (19-1), whose NCAA title last season was its 10th, was seeded first, followed by Ivy League tourney champion Princeton at No. 2 and Ivy regular-season champ Harvard at No. 3. Princeton freshman Gabby Anderson, a Jamestown High graduate, has started 13 games for the Tigers (15-3). Liberty (17-2), which won the Big East regular season and tournament, includes three area reserves: goalkeeper Michaela Skinner from Western Branch, Madie Baker from Nansemond River and former Kellam player Malena Magnano. The Flames’ first opponent, Syracuse (12-6), has Kellam graduate Ellis Cannon in reserve. Wake Forest (15-4), which will face Connecticut (11-8), relies on sophomore Brooke Bettencourt from Norfolk Academy and Virginia Beach, who has started 13 games. Division III women’s soccer: For the fifth year in a row, CNU was named one of the 16 first- and second-round hosts in the 64-team bracket, which includes six teams from Virginia. Saturday, the 14th-ranked Captains (14-1-3) will meet United East champion Penn State Harrisburg (14-5-4) at 4:30 p.m., followed by No. 11 Rowan (13-1-4) versus Misericordia (15-4-1) at 7 in a clash of at-large selections. The winners will meet at 6 p.m. Sunday for a berth in the round of 16. Virginia Wesleyan (15-3-3) made the field at large and will meet Stevens at 7:30 Saturday in Baltimore, preceded by No. 19 Johns Hopkins’ match against St. John Fisher at 5. The Marlins fell to No. 9 Washington and Lee in penalty kicks Saturday in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship match. W&L will play host to Marymount at 11 a.m. in Lexington in the only all-Virginia first-rounder. Also, Mary Washington (12-3-4) will face No. 20 Vassar (16-3) in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and Bridgewater (15-5) will play No. 13 Swarthmore in Cleveland, where Case Western Reserve is hosting. Division I women’s soccer: The Virginia Cavaliers (12-3-4) captured one of the 64-team NCAA Tournament’s four top seeds, meaning they can play at home in Charlottesville’s Klöckner Stadium through the quarterfinals if they keep winning. UVA first will face Big South Tournament champion High Point (5-9-5) at 7 p.m. Friday. The Cavaliers and their counterparts across the nation will need to win four games apiece to reach the semifinals Dec. 5 at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. UVA, making its 37th appearance in the NCAA Tournament (bettered only by North Carolina) was second in the Ratings Percentage Index and is a No. 1 seed for the first time in three years. The High Point-UVA winner will take on the victor of the match pitting Army (14-5-2) at Penn State (9-7-3), one of the four No. 8 seeds. Liberty (14-3-4) was the only team from Virginia besides UVA to qualify. The Flames, who won the Conference USA Tournament and are seeking their first NCAA tourney victory ever, will play at Clemson (7-5-5), another No. 8 seed, at 6 p.m. Friday. Division III men’s soccer: After a year absence, Christopher Newport found its way back into the 64-team NCAA field. The Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference champion Captains (12-2-5), ranked 22nd nationally, made the bracket for the 15th time and will travel to Lynchburg and will face Berry (11-5-5) of Georgia in Saturday’s second game. The first will pit Transylvania (14-2-3) of Kentucky against the host Hornets (17-1-2), who are ranked 13th and are coming off the ODAC championship. Two other ODAC teams received at-large berths: Hampden-Sydney and Washington and Lee. The No. 23 Tigers, making their first NCAA appearance, will play at home against Otterbein at 3:30 Saturday, following the 1 p.m. game between No. 6 Emory and Maryville of Tennessee. W&L (11-4-5) will travel to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to meet No. 25 Denison of Ohio at 3:30 p.m. Homestanding Dickinson will play North Carolina Wesleyan at 1.
