KEENE, N.H.—Saturday was a day for the age in the history of the Gordon College Field Hockey program. Underdogs to a team that had already handled them twice—the same team whom had yet to lose a game in conference play—the Scots did not back down from their goal of a conference title. Gordon was the aggressor in the championship game, shocking the top-seeded Nor'easters of UNE and punching its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001.
 
The 24-team draw was released on Monday morning, as the Scots found themselves in the Middlebury bracket. The Panthers are the third-ranked team in the tournament.
 
Gordon's road to Virginia Beach, the host of the 2013 National Championship, begins with a first round matchup at Keene State in New Hampshire. The Owls (20-3) marched through Little East play without dropping a single game and claimed the LEC tournament title on Saturday afternoon, 2-1 over Plymouth State.
 
The Scots (17-5) will have their hands full containing the Owls spread out offense. Keene State boasts a balanced, but surging offensive attack with four different players leading the team with 13 goals on the season. The Owls have seven players with at least 20 total points, but no one with more than 34.
 
Defending CCC Defensive Player of the Week, Anna Bury (Huntingtown, Md.) will be challenged in the opening game of the tournament, but her stellar play during Gordon's conference championship run gives the Scots a chance in any game. Bury stopped a penalty stroke in the CCC Championship to keep the Scots' momentum heading into halftime. Gordon will need similar play from their senior net-minder to advance deep into the tournament.
 
Keene State sophomore Meaghan Dwyer (Rutland, Mass.) will be tasked with stopping the nation's leading goal scorer Courtney Scott (Herndon, Pa.). Dwyer posted an impressive .88 goals against average over the final six games of the year after taking over the starting job.
 
The Scots have only been shutout twice all season, while the Owls have shut out seven of their opponents. Scott's 31 goals provided Gordon with consistent offense—even against the toughest of opponents—while Brittany Hawkins' (Hampstead, N.H.) tear through CCC Tournament gives the team another scoring option.
 
Gordon and Keene State tip off at 2 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon at the Owl Athletic Complex in Keene. The winner moves on to a second round date with Skidmore (17-3), the winner of the Liberty League.