HARTFORD, Conn. - The No. 4-seeded Trinity College field hockey team topped the No. 5-seeded Williams College Ephs, 2-1, on Saturday in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Quarterfinals to advance to the NESCAC Championship Final Four this weekend at top-seeded Middlebury.  In the semifinals, the Bantams drew the host Panthers and will play in the first semifinal game on Saturday, November 6 at 11 a.m., followed by the other semifinal match between the No. 2-seeded Tufts University Jumbos and the No. 3-seeded Bowdoin College Polar Bears.  Middlebury won its quarterfinal game, 4-0 against No. 8-seeded Bates last weekend.  Saturday's winners will play in the NESCAC Finals on Sunday, November 7 at noon.  The winner of the NESCAC Championship Tournament will determine the league's automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.

Trinity, coached by Anne Parmenter (21st Season), is playing in its eighth overall NESCAC Semifinals and seeks a third appearance in the conference finals in four seasons but also its first league crown.  The Bantams, ranked No. 8 in the nation, got off to 6-0 start to the year and of its four losses, two came on a shootout and the other two came against Middlebury and Tufts, both ranked among the nation's top three schools.  Senior captains Caelin Flaherty (Upton, Mass.) and India Shay (Southborough, Mass.) scored back-to-back goals in the third quarter to lead Trinity past Williams.  Bantam sophomore Jackie Frank (Longmeadow, Mass.) assisted on Shay's game-winner, and Trinity sophomore goalkeeper Olivia McMichael (Glenside, Pa.) finished with six saves.  McMichael, who was also stellar in a win at Amherst last week, was named both the NESCAC Co-Player of the Week and the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Defensive Player of the Week.

Flaherty has emerged as one of the top finishers in the conference, ranking second in the NESCAC with 1.13 goals per game and 2.56 ppg (18g, 5a, 41 points).  Frank is fifth in goals in the league with 0.81 per game and seventh in overall scoring with 1.75 ppg (13g, 2a, 28 pts). Sophomore midfielder Katrina Winfield (Wilmington, Del.) is tied with Flaherty for the team lead in assists with five, while Frank leads the Bantams with four game-winning tallies.  McMichael has 39 saves for an .81 save percentage and a 0.95 GAA in the cage, playing behind Trinity's steady defense that includes junior Elle Fair (Westport, Conn.), sophomore Molly King (Canton, Mass.), and first-year Isabella Deveney (Westport, Conn.), who have yielded just 110 shots this fall.  

Middlebury, ranked No. 1 in the nation, is 16-0 this fall.  Coached by Katharine Lorenzo (21st Season), the Panthers are 5-1 against Trinity in the NESCAC postseason series. Middlebury defeated Trinity, 3-1, in the 2019 quarterfinal and posted a 1-0 victory over the Bantams in Trinity's last semifinal appearance in 2018. Sophomore Katie George scored twice to lead the Panthers past Trinity, 4-2, in the regular-season meeting on October 23.  Erin Nicholas paces Middlebury in scoring with 19 goals and seven assists, while Grace Harlan has a .730 save percentage and a 0.68 GAA in the cage.  Middlebury is also ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Region, while the Bantams are No. 4.