ANNVILLE, Pa. – The third-seeded Lebanon Valley College field hockey team will take on second-seeded DeSales University in the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Semifinals on Wednesday in Center Valley.
 
The Dutchmen qualified for the conference tournament for the fourth consecutive season with an 11-6 overall record and a 5-3 mark in conference games. LVC is looking to avenge a 4-2 defeat to DeSales last Wednesday, in which the Bulldogs rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Dutchmen. The teams last played in a MAC Freedom Semifinal game back in 2023 as the second-seeded Bulldogs defeated the third-seeded Dutchmen 1-0 in Center Valley.
 
Top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology has won four of the last five conference titles, with DeSales winning in 2022. LVC and DeSales will face off on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Center Valley, while Stevens will face fourth-seeded Misericordia University at 4 p.m. at the DeBaun Athletic Complex in Hoboken, New Jersey at 4 p.m. in the other semifinal pairing. Misericordia knocked off fifth-seeded Arcadia University 4-0 in the play-in game on Monday.
 
DeSales is 10-7 overall this year and went 7-1 in conference play, with their lone conference loss coming at the hands of Stevens by a 3-0 score on October 7. Stevens is 14-4 and went 8-0 in conference play, allowing just two goals. Misericordia is 10-7 with a 5-3 mark in conference games, dropping overtime games to Stevens and DeSales and a 1-0 decision at LVC. The winners of Wednesday's semifinal games will meet at the site of the higher seed on Saturday for the Championship.
 
LVC won its first five conference games outscoring opponents 19-1. The team is outscoring the opposition 50-24 on the season and has posted eight shutouts. Claire Weidenhammer is having an outstanding year as she leads the conference with 44 points on 19 goals, including six game-winning goals, and six assists. Jillian Tait has 26 points on 10 goals, including one game-winning goal, and six assists. Alexis Nasuta has anchored the defense and been the team's primary inserter on penalty corners, resulting in 13 points on six goals, including two game-winning goals, and one assist.
 
Lauren Foster and Maggie McAteer have each scored three goals, including one game-winning goal, and two assists for eight points. Lilah Shaub has scored four goals for eight points, while Isabella Gonnion has come off the bench to record seven points on three goals and one assist. Abby Rodenberger has recorded four points on one goal and two assists, while Danika Setlock has four assists out of the midfield. Kaitlyn Honig has one goal to round out the scoring.
 
Reese Arnold has been a strong force in the midfield while Keira Small is having an excellent rookie season on defense. Danica Zurenko, Vivien Miller, Jayliannne Ortiz-Lillo, Kelly Aydelotte, and Aubrey Gahman have also given the Dutchmen significant minutes on the field. Ella Weidenhammer has been excellent in goal, recording a 1.41 goals-against average with 117 saves and an .830 save percentage.

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