Reading, Pa. (Nov. 5, 2024) - Alvernia University Field Hockey has earned the fourth seed in the 2024 MAC Commonwealth Championship tournament after finishing the regular season with a 5-2 record in conference play.

The Golden Wolves will head to top-seeded Messiah on Wednesday night for a 7:00 PM start. On the other side of the bracket, #3 Stevenson heads to #2 York for a 5:00 PM start.

Live options for Alvernia's game against Messiah are available at auwolves.com/live

Ticket Information:
Spectator ticket pricing is as follows: Adults - $8, Seniors (65+) - $6, Youth (7-17) - $6, MAC Students with an MAC institution  ID – Free, and children 6 and under with adult – Free. 

Alvernia's Season So Far (NPI Rank: 40)
Alvernia finished the regular season with an overall record of 12-6, and the Golden Wolves were 5-2 in MAC Commonwealth play. After a narrow overtime loss to Gettysburg to start the season, the Golden Wolves went on a four-game winning streak, including two shutout victories. After losses to tough opponents in Franklin and Marshall and Stockton, Alvernia won three of its four games heading into conference play.

Alvernia opened MAC play with a 4-3 win over Hood, but fell to Messiah, 4-0. Alvernia downed Albright, 5-1, before dropping a closely contested matchup with York, 3-1. Alvernia then won its final two games of MAC play, both in overtime fashion, to secure the fourth seed in the tournament.

Golden Wolves to Watch
Ava Michael: Michael leads the Golden Wolves and is second in the MAC Commonwealth with 14 goals on the season. With her three assists on the year, Michael has 31 points on the season. Michael has three game-winning goals and a .776 shot on goal percentage.

Kathryn Palmer: Palmer has three goals and four assists on the year, and two of her three goals were game-winners. Palmer has a .789 shot on goal percentage. One of Palmer's biggest contributions doesn't show up on the stat sheet. As the primary flyer on Alvernia's corner defense, Palmer has been one of the keys to Alvernia's defensive success on opponent's corner opportunities. 

Abbie Buck: Buck enters Wednesday with four goals and two assists on the season. Buck was crucial in Alvernia securing a spot in the MAC Commonwealth tournament, scoring both goals in Alvernia's 2-1 win over Widener last week. Buck is also solid as a defender for the Golden Wolves, leading Alvernia with four defensive saves.

Caroline Martin: Martin has ten goals and four assists on the year. She has two game-winning goals and the highest shot on goal percentage amongst players with at least 20 shots, with a .795 shot on goal percentage.

Lexi Boettcher: Boettcher is having a career year in goal for Alvernia. The senior goalie enters Wednesday with a 12-6 record and four shutouts. Boettcher has a 1.64 goals against average and a .800 save percentage with 112 saves on the year.

Alvernia Against the Field
vs. #1 Messiah: Messiah was Alvernia's second MAC Commonwealth game of the season, with the Falcons and Golden Wolves facing off back on October 16th at Messiah. Alvernia held the Falcons scoreless through the first 20 minutes, but Messiah scored two goals to close out the first half and another two in the second half. At the time of the first meeting, Messiah was ranked 20th in the nation. In the latest NFHCA poll, the Falcons have moved up to #12 in the nation.

vs. #2 York: Alvernia hosted York a week after its matchup with the Falcons back on October 23rd. The Golden Wolves held York scoreless for 22 minutes before the Spartans got on the board in the 23rd minute. A goal early in the second half made it a 2-0 game, but Alvernia cut the lead down to one on a successful penalty stroke from Abbie Buck. York scored a late insurance goal in the final five minutes for the 3-1 win. At the time of the first meeting, York was ranked 9th in the nation. In the latest NFHCA poll, the Spartans are ranked #10.

vs. #3 Stevenson: Alvernia closed out the regular season with a trip down to Stevenson on Saturday. The game was a defensive showcase for the Golden Wolves. Boettcher and the Alvernia defense made 11 saves in regulation and killed off 13 penalty corner opportunities for the Mustangs, including six in the fourth quarter. The game needed extra time to determine a winner, and Alvernia broke through in the 8th minute of overtime on a goal from Olivia Hess off an Alvernia corner opportunity. The Mustangs were ranked #22 in the nation on Saturday, and have since dropped one spot down to #23 in the latest NFHCA poll. 

Scouting the Rest of the MAC Commonwealth Field
#1 Messiah University (NFHCA Ranking: #12, NPI Ranking: #9)
Messiah Field Hockey is a historic powerhouse in the MAC. The Falcons have made 33 appearances in the MAC final, and have 29 MAC titles. The Falcons are also on a run of 16 straight MAC Commonwealth titles. 

The Falcons earned the top-seed in the MAC Commonwealth tournament after going undefeated, 7-0, in conference play. Messiah also has a 13-4 overall record. Messiah started the season with a 1-4 record through its first five games, with all losses coming against ranked opponents. The Falcons got back in the win column with a 3-1 win against #14 TCNJ, and haven't lost since. In MAC Commonwealth play, shutout four of its conference opponents, and allowed just five goals across conference play. Messiah's biggest test in the conference came with a 3-2 overtime win over York.

Messiah Statistical Leaders
Leah Bryner: 17 Games Played (11 Games Started), Nine Goals, Two Game-Winning Goals
Carrie Bair: 15 Games Played (12 Games Started), Seven Goals, Three Assists, Two Game-Winning Goals
Jenna Lutz: 17 Games Played and Started, Two Goals, Five Assists, 1 Game-Winning Goal
Eva Hancock (Goalie): 13 Games Played, 18 Goals Allowed, 1.45 Goals Against Average, 32 Saves, .640 Save Percentage, 8-4 Record, 1 Shutout

Messiah Against the Field
vs. #2 York: 3-2 OT win at York
vs. #3 Stevenson: 5-2 win at Stevenson
vs. #4 Alvernia: 4-0 win vs. Alvernia

#2 York College (NHFCA Ranking: #10, NPI Ranking: #11)
York College earned the #2 seed following a 14-5 overall record and a 5-2 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Spartans came out as the #2 seed in the three-way tie at 5-2 between the Spartans, Golden Wolves, and Stevenson.

York College got out to a quick 4-0 start to begin the season before a 3-3 stretch where five of the Spartans six opponents in that stretch were ranked. A win over #9 Cortland was poised to be a momentum kick for the Spartans heading into MAC Commonwealth play, but a 1-0 loss that had to go to a shootout against Stevenson spoiled their MAC Commonwealth opener. Since then, York has gone 5-1 through the remainder of MAC play with its only blemish coming in a 3-2 overtime loss to Messiah.

York Statistical Leaders
Riley Buschert: 19 Games Played and Started, Nine Goals Nine Assists, Three Game-Winning Goals, One Defensive Save
Tori Heiserman: 19 Games Played (17 Started), Nine Goals, Two Assists, Three Game-Winning Goals
Libby Wild: 19 Games Played and Started, Six Goals, Two Assists, Three Game-Winning Goals, Nine Defensive Saves
Belle Fields (Goalie): 19 Games Played and Started, 12 Goals Allowed. 0.61 Goals Against Average, 72 Saves, 0.857 Save Percentage, 14-5 record, Seven Shutouts

York Against the Field
vs. #1 Messiah: 3-2 OT loss vs. Messiah
vs. #3 Stevenson: 1-0 (2OT-SO) loss vs. Stevenson
vs. #4 Alvernia: 3-1 win at Alvernia

#3 Stevenson University (NFHCA Ranking: #23, NPI Ranking: #23)
Stevenson University earned the #3 Seed following an overall record of 14-4-1 and a 5-2 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Mustangs came out as the #3 seed in the three-way tie at 5-2 between the Spartans, Golden Wolves, and Mustangs

The Mustangs started out the year on a 6-0 run before tying Bridgewater for the first blemish on the schedule. After three more commanding wins, the Mustangs dropped closely contested games with #2 Salisbury and #4 Johns Hopkin before entering MAC Commonwealth play. Stevenson then opened MAC Commonwealth play with a 1-0 shootout win vs. York, and were 4-0 before dropping a 5-2 decision to Messiah. Since then Stevenson edged out Albright, 1-0, and lost to Alvernia in overtime, 1-0, in the final two games of the regular season. 

Stevenson Statistical Leaders
Emma Gladstein: 19 Games Played and Started, 19 Goals, Nine Assists, Six Game-Winning Goals
Shae Bennett: 19 Games Played and Started, Four Goals, Five Assists, Two Game-Winning Goals
Lauren Schulz: 19 Games Played and Started, Two Goals, Six Assists, One Game-Winning Goal
Jordan Vradenburgh (Goalie): 18 Games Played and Started, 15 Goals Allowed, 0.93 Goals Against Average, 69 Saves, 0.821 Save Percentage, 8-2-1 Record, Four Shutouts

Stevenson Against the Field
vs. #1 Messiah: 5-2 loss vs. Messiah
vs. #2 York: 1-0 (2OT-SO) loss at York
vs. #4 Alvernia: 1-0 OT loss vs. Alvernia

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