EASTON, Pa. - No. 15 Lafayette field hockey is NCAA Tournament bound for the second time in three years after claiming the 2026 Patriot League Championship title on Nov. 7 in a 2-1 finish over Boston U. at Rappolt Field.

The Maroon and White have sights set on No. 3 and fourth-seeded University of Connecticut (UConn) in a first-round game on Friday, Nov. 13 at noon.

The Leopards are currently on an 11-0 home win streak and an eight-game consecutive win streak, matching 2023 and 2024's eight-game stretches with a program-best overall record of 17-2 (6-0 PL).

The Huskies, who will host Friday's match-up, earned an at-large bid after falling to Old Dominion, 2-1, in the Big East Championship on Sunday. UConn is 15-2 (6-0) and are similarly undefeated at home, 6-0.

Ten teams, including Lafayette, received automatic qualification into the tournament via conference championships with the remaining eight teams selected at-large by the Division I Women's Field Hockey Committee on the evening of the NCAA Selection Show, livestreamed on NCAA.com at 10 p.m. on Nov. 8.

The tournament begins with two opening-round games on Wednesday, Nov. 11, followed by the first and second rounds on Nov. 13 and 15. The semifinals and national championship games scheduled for Nov. 20 and 22 will be played at Trager Stadium in Louisville, Ky.

A team must have an overall won-lost record of .500 or better and complete a minimum of 11 contests to be considered during the at-large selection process. The 18-team championship field runs through a single-elimination tournament.

The four lowest ranked automatic-qualification teams determined by RPI will compete in two opening round games. The remaining six automatic-qualification teams were placed in the bracket. The 2026 committee will seed the top eight teams in this year's bracket while previously only seeding the top four teams.

Lafayette field hockey maintained its No. 15 ranking with 57 points in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I Coaches Poll on Nov. 3. The Leopards are positioned in 15th place, a two-spot improvement from week nine, in the official NCAA Rating Percentage Index (RPI) for week 10.

Previously, the Leopards gained the 17th slot for week seven and eight of the 2026 NFHCA Coaches Poll. In week six, the Maroon and White earned a No. 20 ranking while positioned in 10th place for RPI. Lafayette entered the Coaches Poll during week five at No. 19 with a No. 7 RPI score.

The Leopards were the first Patriot League team to enter the postseason ranked in the NFHCA Poll since American entered the Patriot League Championship at No. 17 in 2021.
 
The following conferences and their representatives received an automatic qualification:

Conference - School
America East Conference - Vermont (14-5)
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) - Syracuse (12-6)
Atlantic 10 Conference (A10) - Saint Joseph's (11-9)
Big East Conference - Old Dominion (15-4)
Big Ten Conference - Northwestern (18-2)
Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) - Fairfield (12-7)
The Ivy League - Yale (14-3)
Mid-American Conference - Miami (OH) (15-4)
Northeast Conference - Wagner (11-7)
Patriot League - Lafayette (17-2)

The remaining eight teams that were selected at-large (listed alphabetically) include: Duke (12-5), Iowa (13-5), Harvard (15-2), Maryland (18-2), Massachusetts (18-2), North Carolina (12-7), Princeton (13-5) and UConn (15-2).
 

For the latest on the Lafayette College field hockey program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteFH and Instagram @lafayette_fh.