COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus Field Hockey earned an at-large bid to the 2026 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament and will host Stevens for a First Round contest on Wednesday, November 11^th at 4:00 p.m.
 
 
2026 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament First Round
 
Stevens (16-4) at Ursinus (14-5)
 
Wednesday, November 11th- 7:00 pm – Snell Alumnae Field, Collegeville, Pa.
 

COVERAGE: Live Stats | Video
 
 
Ticket Information
 
Tickets will be only available at the field and are $15, with discounted $5 tickets available for students.
 
 
The Field
Ursinus qualified for the NCAA Tournament by gaining one of the 10 at-large bids to the 28-team field. Stevens earned the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom automatic berth by winning their Conference Championship. The winner of this game will advance to face Christopher Newport in the second round in Newport News, Virginia.


 
 
Records
Ursinus holds a 14-5 overall record and finished third in the Centennial Conference Standings. Ursinus qualified for the Centennial Conference Championship Semifinals. Meanwhile, the Ducks currently hold a 11-game winning streak and a 16-4 overall record.  Stevens topped the regular season MAC Freedom standings with an unblemished record in league play and won their fourth straight MAC Freedom title.  
 
Scouting the Bears
The Bears are coming off a setback to Swarthmore in the Centennial Conference Semifinals. However, the Bears learned earlier today that they saw four players earn All-Centennial Conference honors and senior defender Rachel Fosbenner was named the Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Year. The Ursinus coaching staff also earned Co-Coaching Staff of the Year honors with Swarthmore which was the second time in the last three seasons the staff earned that accolade. Senior Marie Brainard co-headlined the Bears selections with Fosbenner on the first team and recently became 15^th player in program history to record 100 points for her career. Brainard is up to 19 goals this season after netting two in the Centennial Conference First Round against Dickinson and 41 points overall. Senior Kirsten Johnson garnered Honorable Mention despite missing a month of the season with an injury and ranks second on the team with 18 points behind six goals and six assists. Sophomore Kylie Moore garnered Second Team honors behind 12 points with a tying for the team lead in six assists along with three goals. Junior Katie Studzinski has scored in four straight for the Bears which included a penalty stroke against Swarthmore.
 
 
Bears in the NCAA Tournament
The Bears will be making their 15th overall appearance in the Division III Tournament and second in the last three seasons. Ursinus was defeated 2-1 by Rowan during the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Ursinus won the 2006 National Championship and holds a 21-13 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament. This will be the second NCAA Tournament game hosted by the Bears in the last three seasons.  
 
 
Scouting the Ducks
 The Ducks completed their fourth straight MAC Freedom Championship on Saturday afternoon with a dominant 4-0 win over DeSales. Stevens scored their first goal of the game in the first quarter before putting the game away with a three-goal third quarter. Stevens features a loaded scoring lineup as senior Jess Kopernick led the team and ranked third in the MAC Freedom with 12 goals along with a team-leading seven assists while ranking fifth in the league with 31 points. Seniors Taylor Brooks and Jenna Piantieri rank second on the team with nine goals apiece while Brooks has a slight edge in points between the two at 23 compared to 20 for Piantieri. Senior defender Lauren Flynn repeated as MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Year and has 16 points behind six goals and four assists with seven defensive saves. Stevens had four All-MAC Freedom First Team Selections that included seniors Sophia Cozza who ranks second on the team with six assists, Molly DiCampili, and Aleah Dinmore. Junior goalkeeper Natalie Ward holds a strong 0.92 GAA and a .758 save percentage to go along with eight shutouts.
 
 
 
Ducks in the NCAA Tournament
 The Ducks are making their 12th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and fourth straight overall appearance. Stevens holds a 3-8 all-time NCAA Tournament record with their most recent win coming in the 2015 First Round against Mount Holyoke.
 
 
 
Series History/Last Meeting
 The Bears have one all-time meeting against Stevens and that came in the Second Round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Ursinus routed the Ducks 10-0 which helped ultimately propel the Bears to an appearance in the 2015 NCAA Semifinals.
 
 
 
 Ursinus Head Coach: Jannelle Benner
Janelle Benner is in her 15th season as the head coach of Ursinus. Benner started as an associate head coach in 2010 before being promoted the following season in 2011. Benner has compiled a 199-91 overall record and an 113-37 Centennial Conference mark, including a perfect 10-0 standing in the conference in 2014. Benner has led the Bears to five CC championships, including four in a row from 2013 to 2016, and to seven NCAA Tournament appearances. Ursinus reached the national semifinals in 2011 and 2015
 
 
 
Stevens Head Coach: Meredith York
Meredith York is in her 10th season as the head coach at Stevens. York, the program's all-time leader in wins, has guided Stevens to nine postseason appearances, two in the Empire 8 Conference and six in the MAC Freedom, winning four straight MAC Freedom Championships (2023 - Present). York has led the Ducks to eight straight winning seasons and the team reeled off a program record 14-game winning streak in 2023.
 
 
Up Next
The winner of the first round matchup will travel to face Christopher Newport in a second round game on Saturday, November 14th at 11:00 a.m. Christopher Newport will host both the second and third round games of the pod.