Delaware Begins NCAA Tournament with Lehigh on Wednesday
Hunter Peters
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Nov. 8, 2022) – Delaware begins play in the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday afternoon against Lehigh. The Blue Hens (9-11, 5-1 CAA) and Mountain Hawks (13-7, 4-2 Patriot League) will meet in the Opening Round of the NCAA Tournament at 2 p.m. from Karen Shelton Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. on the campus of the University of North Carolina.
Delaware is coming off its fourth straight CAA Field Hockey Championship and its best weekend of field hockey this season. After playing five one-goal contests and one two-goal match during conference play, the Blue Hens earned back-to-back 6-1 victories in the conference tournament to claim their ninth CAA Championship in the past decade.
CAA Defensive Player of the Year Julia Duffhuis tallied four goals and two assists in the conference tournament, including her first career hat trick in the semifinals. Duffhuis leads Delaware in points and goals this season, ranking second in the CAA with 28 points and 12 goals.
Berber Bakermans and Ashlyn Carr rank first and second in the CAA in assists this season. Bakermans is second on the team with 22 points, recording 14 assists and four goals. Carr was named the CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Performer, contributing eight points on two goals and four assists, including single-game career-highs in points (5) and assists (3) in the semifinals. On the Season, Carr has 20 points on 12 assists and four goals. Bakermans, Carr and Duffhuis were all First Team All-CAA selections this fall.
Lehigh upset the top two seeds in the Patriot League tournament to win its first Patriot League title since 1994. The Mountain Hawks defeated second-seeded American 2-1 in a shootout before a 2-1 overtime victory over top-seeded Boston University.
Sarah Bonthuis leads Lehigh in points, goals and assists this season. The First Team All-Patriot League selection has 33 points on 11 goals and 11 assists, while she is one of six Division I players with double-digit goals and assists this season.
Defensively, Julia Gatelein joined Bonthuis on the First Team All-Patriot League, while goalkeeper Maddie Kahn was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection. Kahn posted a goals against average of 1.85 while leading the Patriot League with 126 saves.
Delaware is 15-7 all-time against Lehigh, including seven straight victories over the Mountain Hawks; however, it will be the first matchup between the teams since 1998.
The winner of the opening round matchup advances to face the top overall seed North Carolina on Friday, November 11 at 12 p.m.
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