FIELD HOCKEY: Dean Earns Top Seed In 2025 Postseason Tournament
WINTHROP, Mass. - After a program-best 9-1 finish in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, the Dean Bulldogs collected the regular-season title and earned the right to be the top seed in this year's postseason tournament. Dean closed out its conference play in a huge 2-1 victory on the road Friday night against Simmons University. Dean and Saint Joseph's (Maine) tied at the top of the standings with the same 9-1 finish but Dean's head-to-head victory earlier in the season over the Monks gave the Bulldogs the edge.
The Bulldogs are on fire with a seven game winning streak and look to keep it rolling as they will take on eight-seed Rivier University (3-7 GNAC record) Saturday, November 1st with a time to be determined.
Saint Joseph's (Maine) earned the two seed after a 1-0 victory over New England College on Saturday, October 25, finishing conference play at 9-1. The Monks will go up against a battle-tested Simmons squad (5-5 GNAC), who look to make a run in postseason play.
At the three seed is Colby-Sawyer, who closed out their regular season with a 8-2 conference record after an 8-1 win over Albertus Magnus earlier in the week. The Chargers will look forward to a battle with #6 seed University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) (5-5 GNAC) as the Blue Jays will look to shake up the bracket. USJ earned the head-to-head tiebreaking rights over Simmons earlier this season.
The final match-up will be #4 New England College (7-3 GNAC) and #5 Lasell (6-4 GNAC) as the two look to have another thrilling match-up after the Pilgrims ended the Lasers' season in a double-OT victory in last-years postseason.
The GNAC Quarterfinals start on Saturday (Nov. 1) with the eight teams going head-to-head. The winners will advance to play in the GNAC Semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 5 with the prevailing teams competing for the GNAC Championship on Saturday, Nov. 8. The winner of the GNAC Championship match will be named the 2025 GNAC Field Hockey Champion and earn the conference's automatic qualifier into the 2025 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship.
2025 GNAC Field Hockey Tournament Schedule
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Nov. 1
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#1 Dean vs. #8 Rivier, TBA.
#2 Saint Joseph's (Maine) vs. #7 Simmons, TBA
#3 Colby-Sawyer vs. #6 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), TBA
#4 New England College vs. #5 Lasell, TBA
Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 5
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#1/8 Winner vs. #4/5 Winner, TBD
#2/7 Winner vs. #3/6 Winner, TBD
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 8
Semifinal winners, TBD
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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