Middlebury Panthers Kick Off NCAA Postseason Run in November

Middlebury Panthers Kick Off NCAA Postseason Run in November

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Three Middlebury College fall sports squads are gearing up for NCAA tournament matches.

The field hockey, men’s soccer, and women’s soccer teams all secured postseason berths following hard-fought regular seasons and conference tournaments. Opening-round matchups are slated for Saturday, Nov. 14.

The eight-time national champion field hockey team earned the No. 2 overall seed with a 15-3 overall record. Two of those losses came against top-seeded Tufts University, which finished undefeated at 18-0 and claimed the NESCAC conference title.

“When we played them in the NESCAC and when we played them in the regular season, we knew it was going to be a tough game and we were prepared for it,” Izzy Redzic told WPTZ.

“We had fun playing the game, and we played it to the best of our ability, and you only learn from the losses that you have, which I think is super important. Sometimes you need to lose a little bit to learn,” said Redzic, a South Burlington, Vermont, native and senior goalkeeper for the Panthers.

Middlebury earned a bye straight into the second round of the Division III field hockey tournament. They will face Union College on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 11 a.m. at Peter Kohn Field in Middlebury.

The Middlebury men’s soccer team secured an at-large bid as the No. 5 overall seed. They finished their 2026 campaign with a 10-2-3 overall record, including six wins against NESCAC opponents, though Amherst College handed them a 3-2 defeat in the NESCAC quarterfinals.

“Obviously an unfortunate exit to Amherst,” Hugo Horwitz told WPTZ.

“They’re a good team, but we kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little bit during that game and made some costly mistakes. We revisited that during the course of the past couple weeks and try to nip those in the bud,” said Horwitz, a senior forward for the Panthers.

The men’s squad starts tournament play on Saturday, Nov. 14, against Saint Joseph’s College of Maine at 11 a.m. in Middlebury.

Meanwhile, the Middlebury women’s soccer team earned an at-large bid to its 15th NCAA tournament appearance. The Panthers closed October by winning five of their last seven games, including a 1-0 double-overtime victory against Colby College in the NESCAC quarterfinals before falling 2-0 to Williams College in the semifinals.

“I think staying true to ourselves, playing our game, will be key,” Olivia Irwin-Pokorny told WPTZ.

“Especially at the end of such a long regular season, really embracing this is not just a continuation but a new start. Bringing a fresh energy and some excitement and being together, I think, will be so crucial,” said Irwin-Pokorny, a senior midfielder.

The women’s soccer postseason begins on Saturday, Nov. 14, when they face the New York University Violets at 1:30 p.m.

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