And there were two. The 2025 DII Field Hockey State Championship is here. A relative newcomer to the big stage midway through a historic season, Newberry, which has won four of its last eight national championships, will host one of the sport’s all-time great programs in Shippensburg. It’s a matchup of polar opposites, one that pits their tournament experience against a program filled with fear and determination to add something missing to their program’s history.
Here’s what you need to know.
🏑 Division-by-period updates, scores and brackets for the DII Field Hockey Championship
DII Field Hockey Championship: How to Watch
No wonder these two teams are here. Unbeaten Newberry takes on No. 3 Shippensburg at Steph Pettit Stadium in Bloomsburg, Pa. on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 12:30 p.m. ET, live on NCAA.com.
Shippensburg vs. Newberry: By numbers
| Team | THE RECORD | Average score | Conservation savings | Help | Save % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shippensburg | 20-0 | 2.91 | 82 | 35 | 0.833 |
| Newberry | 19-3 | 5.15 | 62 | 68 | 0.809 |
On Sept. 23, Newberry was one of three teams with a chance to win its first national championship in 2025. Exactly two months later, the Wolves are playing for their first title and are riding a 20-game winning streak in Bloomsburg. It was a great run; The Wolves are averaging 5.15 goals per game and have the highest scoring offense in DII field hockey (next closest is Kutztown at 4.77). However, they’re not just scoring a lot of goals, they’re allowing a DII-best 4.54 goals against behind a defense that can limit opponents and allow just 0.65 goals per game. We saw just that during the tournament as Newberry beat Bentley 4-1 and then West Chester 3-0. The Wolves have a trio of top-10 DII field hockey scorers Emma Westbrook (23), SAC Offensive Player of the Year Parker Keeler (19) and Vibien Damen (16). Keeler’s twin sister, Payton, also scored 12 goals.
Shippensburg had the best defense in DII, so this will be a good chess matchup. The Raiders allowed 0.77 goals per game, while goalkeeper Emma Albee helped Shippensburg lead DII with a .833 save percentage. The Raiders just held off DII’s second-highest scoring team, Kutztown, by one goal in a 3-1 semifinal victory over defending national champion St. Anselm in the first round. Shippensburg lacks the depth of explosive scorers like Newberry, but the Raiders have some very talented players who put the ball in the net; Lilly Cantabene led the team with 10 goals, Kelly Naude had nine, and McKenna Boyle and Elaine Fragassi had eight. While Shippensburg has plenty of experience, winning five state titles since 2013, this team is a stark contrast to those champions. Head coach Ryell Wallace is in his first year and looks to add his name to the Shippensburg lore along with legendary coaches Bertie Landes and Tara Zollinger.
2025 DII Field Hockey Championship Predictions
Here’s what we know about DII field hockey. 20 of the last 24 national champions have long been the party of the conference’s most popular party. However, last year I went out and predicted St. Anselm’s first non-PSAC state title (which proved correct with a win over defending state champion Kutztown) – and will do the same this year.
We saw something special in the Wolves when they said they could win a national title for the first time. Since a 3-2 win over Lander on Oct. 11, they’ve really hammered the opposition, winning all 10 games by three goals or more. The Wolves are also 3-0 in Pennsylvania this year with a win over West Chester and one win over Mansfield. It’s not often you see DII field hockey with as many strong goaltenders as Newberry, so even with Shippensburg’s elite defense, there seems to be too much firepower to shut out DII’s second-best scoring team in the semifinals. Combined with a stifling defense led by goaltender Ayanda Manjena, this year looks like the year Newberry will bring its first DII field hockey championship to the SAC.
Prediction: Newberry 4, Shippensburg 2
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