Indianapolis, Ind.-- The University at Albany Great Danes, who will compete in their second NCAA Championship in the last three years, drew Ohio State University for the first round of the 16-team tournament. The NCAA announced the bracket this evening exclusively on NCAA.com.
Albany (16-5 record), ranked 15th nationally, won the 2010 America East Field Hockey Championship on Saturday with a 3-2 overtime victory over University of New Hampshire, then defeated the NEC's Rider this afternoon, 2-1, in an NCAA play-in game. The Great Danes are making their second-ever trip to the NCAAs.
The first and second rounds of the tournament will be held Saturday, November 13 and Sunday, November 14 at four campus sites. Albany will travel to Penn State in University Park, Penn. as one of four teams. The Great Danes and Buckeyes (16-4) will face-off in one first-round game at 2 p.m., while the host Nittany Lions (14-5) and fourth-overall seed Syracuse Orange (15-4) will square-off in the other game beginning at 11 a.m. The winners will meet on Sunday at 2 p.m., with the victor earning a bid to the Final Four in College Park, Md.
The America East Championship team is led by junior forward Christina Patrick, an All-Conference First Team forward who has 15 goals this season and six game-winning goals, including the gamewinner against Rider this afternoon to punch Albany's ticket to the tourney. America East Rookie of the Year Corrine McConville runs the field for the Great Danes at the center midfield position and was named the conference championship's Most Outstanding Player. On defense, America East Goalkeeper of the Year Kristi Troch, a sophomore, is the team's anchor. She leads the country in save percentage (.822) and has a goals-against-average of just 1.12, good for ninth in the nation.
The Buckeyes lost to Michigan in the Big Ten Conference final this weekend, but earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State, the Big Ten regular season champion, has a solid stopper in net as well in Ally Tunitis who is right behind Troch for 10th with a GAA of 1.13. Ohio State had a ten-game win streak before the conference championship loss, and has scored 3.25 goals per game this year while only giving up 1.15 goals per game. Aisling Coyle, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, leads the team with 50 points and 22 goals, while the Buckeyes also feature Big Ten Freshman of the Year Paula Pastor-Pitarque.