Field Hockey 2012 NCAA Tournament

Drexel will travel to Charlottesville, Va. to play No. 2 Princeton in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

After winning its first ever Colonial Athletic Association title, Drexel’s field hockey team will face No. 2 Princeton (17-1) in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Championship on Saturday, Nov. 10. The Dragons (15-6) earned their first automatic bid by defeating the Northeastern Huskies in the conference championship, a 2-1 overtime affair. Drexel, ranked No. 15 in the nation, enters the NCAA tournament for the second time in the program's history.

The Dragons had two exciting CAA Tournament wins at Buckley Field last weekend. Margaux Lourtie scored with less than five seconds remaining in the second half to outlast Delaware, 2-1, in the semifinal. In the championship game, sophomore Christina Conrad knocked in the game-winning goal off a pass from senior captain Amanda Fleischut after a penalty corner opportunity.

Fleischut was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the tournament, with a goal and two assists on the weekend. In addition to Fleischut's honor, Dragons Lauren Hibshman, Lindsay McArdle and Jantien Gunter were also named to the All-Tournament Team. In goal, Gunter only gave up just two goals in the tournament and made 12 saves along with a number of excellent defensive plays to break up scoring attempts.

The Dragons last NCAA appearance was in 2009, after earning an at-large bid. The squad defeated fifth-ranked Connecticut, 3-2, before dropping a 5-0 decision to the top-ranked Maryland Terrapins in the second round of the NCAA Championship.

The showdown will take place on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. at 11 a.m. with the winner advancing to play the victor of an opening-round match between Iowa (14-6) and host Virginia (15-5). Click here to view the 2012 NCAA Championship bracket.