INDIANAPOLIS – Fresh off the program's fifth consecutive Atlantic 10 Championship and eighth in nine seasons, the Saint Joseph's field hockey team will take on local rival Drexel in the Opening Round of the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship on Wednesday.
 
The game is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Karen Shelton Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  The winner will move on to face overall top seed North Carolina on Friday.
 
Saint Joseph's (11-9) punched its ticket via a 2-0 win over top-seeded Richmond in the A-10 title game on Saturday afternoon at Richmond's Crenshaw Field.  Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and the Championship's Most Outstanding Player Milou Kluyt scored on a penalty corner less than five minutes into the game and a dominant defensive performance stifled the Spiders all day, limiting the hosts to a single shot on goal.  Ava Smith tallied an empty-netter with 63 seconds to go to seal the deal and send the Hawks back to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth year in a row.
 
Drexel (13-9) secured its first berth since 20212 with a 3-2 win over Monmouth in the CAA championship game on Sunday afternoon.  The Dragons and Hawks met earlier this season, with Drexel coming away with a 3-2 shootout victory at Ellen Ryan Field on October 12.
 
A total of four teams in this year's bracket were on the Hawks' schedule this season; Saint Joseph's opened the season with wins over UConn and New Hampshire while later falling to Drexel and Liberty.
 
Opening round games will be held Wednesday before the First and Second Rounds take place on Friday and Sunday, respectively, at campus sites.  The Final Four is set for November 21 and 23 on the campus of Duke University in Durham, N.C.