Saint Joseph's University

EVANSTON, Ill. – The Saint Joseph's field hockey team rallied late to force overtime before coming out on top, 2-1, in a shootout win over Vermont in the Opening Round of the 2026 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship at Northwestern's Lakeside Field on Wednesday afternoon.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Neither team could break through in the opening quarter, despite early chances.  The Catamounts won a corner inside the first minute and put one over the bar before the Hawks earned their first corner of the day and put a couple of shots toward the cage.  In the closing seconds, the Hawks had a golden chance on the doorstep but a defensive save from the Catamounts' Maddy Weaver kept the game scoreless.
 
• Vermont (14-6) opened the scoring midway through the second as Emily Enden inserted a corner and then received a return pass, slotting home for a 1-0 lead with 7:49 to go in the first half.
 
• Saint Joseph's (12-9) took control in the third quarter, but it wasn't until the fourth that it would pay off.  With 9:25 to go, Milou Kluyt fired home on a corner, assisted by Alison Buffington and Monica Piccioli, to draw the Hawks level.  Vermont would send multiple attempts wide, while the Hawks had one saved late as well, and the game would go to overtime.
 
• The Catamounts forced a pair of tough saves from Avianna Wagner early in the extra frame, but the junior turned them aside to keep things level.  The Hawks then controlled much of the overtime but could not find the back of the cage, meaning that two teams that had clinched their tournament berths via the shootout would contest another one to see who would advance.
 
• Wagner made the save on Gabby Santini to start the shootout before Buffington gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead.  A make from Enden was canceled out by one from Lily DeWan, but Jaime Lewis converted to tie things for Vermont through three rounds.
 
• Wagner stopped Fiona McMahon's fourth-round attempt before Monica Piccioli put the Hawks on top.  Consu de Castro tied the shootout for the Catamounts, leaving Amy Noonan with a chance to win it for the Hawks.  She scored her attempt to give the Hawks the 4-3 shootout win and a spot in the First Round of the Championship.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Wagner made two saves for the Hawks, both coming in the overtime, while Ila Gunner made five for the Catamounts.
 
• The Hawks outshout Vermont 15-10, while earning six corners to just three for Vermont.  None of the Catamounts' corners came after the midpoint of the second quarter, while the Hawks had four in overtime.
 
• The win is the sixth NCAA Tournament victory for the Hawks; Saint Joseph's has collected wins in each of the last three seasons and in four of the last five.
 
• The win is also the third shootout win of the season for the Hawks, and third in their last six games.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will take on top-ranked and overall number-one seed Northwestern, the two-time defending national champions, on Friday.  Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. Eastern.