HARRISONBURG, Va. – The 2025 MAC Field Hockey Championship begins today with a pair of quarterfinal matchups on the campus of James Madison University at JMU Field Hockey Complex.
Postseason play pushes back at 11:30 a.m. ET between No. 4 James Madison and No. 5 Central Michigan before No. 3 App State and No. 6 Ohio wraps up quarterfinal competition at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Both matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The winner of the Dukes and Chippewas will move on to Thursday’s semifinals to face the No. 1 Miami RedHawks, while the winner of the Mountaineers and Bobcats advances to face No. 2 Massachusetts.
Below is a team-by-team preview ahead of Saturday’s postseason competition courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments.
GAME 1: 11:30 AM ET | QUARTERFINALS | JMU FIELD HOCKEY COMPLEX
(HARRISONBURG, VA)
No. 4 James Madison vs. No. 5 Central Michigan
ESPN+ | Live Stats
Team-By-Team Previews
No. 4 James Madison Dukes
The field is set for the 2025 Mid-American Conference Field Hockey Championship, as fourth-seeded James Madison gets set to host the six-team, single-elimination tournament on Nov. 5-8 at the JMU Field Hockey Complex.
The Dukes wrapped up the regular season with an 11-7 overall record and a 6-3 mark in MAC play to finish fourth in the league standings. JMU opens up the postseason on Wednesday, Nov. 5 in the quarterfinals against fifth-seeded Central Michigan (9-8, 4-5 MAC) at 11:30 a.m.
No. 5 Central Michigan Chippewas
Central Michigan Field Hockey kick off the Mid-American Conference Tournament as the fourth seed against fifth seeded James Madison Wednesday, Nov. 5. At 11:30 a.m.
Central Michigan aims to avenge a 2-5 loss to the Dukes, from Sep. 19, in Mount Pleasant, and earn CMU's first postseason victory since 2013.
The Chippewas logged 10 wins on the regular season, the most by the program since 2006. In the final season of regular season play, the Chippewas went 2-0 with a 3-2 win over Bellarmine, and a 2-1 win over Michigan State.
Central Michigan has won the tournament twice (1990, 2005) and stands at a 24-29 record in tournament play.
The winner between the Dukes and the Chippewas will take on top seeded Miami (OH) in the semifinals, Thursday, Nov. 6 at 11 am.
GAME 2: 2:30 PM ET | QUARTERFINALS | JMU FIELD HOCKEY COMPLEX
(HARRISONBURG, VA)
No. 3 App State vs. No. 6 Ohio
ESPN+ | Live Stats
Team-By-Team Previews
No. 2 App State Mountaineers
To close out the regular season, the Mountaineers are second in the MAC in assists per game (2.78), goals per game (3.61), points per game (10), scoring average (3.60) and penalty corners per game (7.33), while also ranking top 10 nationally in goals per game, scoring average and points per game.
Lise Boekaar has been on a tear this season, leading the MAC in assists (19), total points (45) and game-winning goals (5), while also tied for third in goals (13) with Sophia Baxter. She is fourth in the nation in assists per game (1.06) and 11th in points per game (2.50). Her performance during the opening weekend earned her the MAC Offensive Player of the Week honor after she was responsible for the team's first 10 goals of the season.
Boekaar currently holds the App State record for the most assists in a single season (19), along with the most career assists in App State field hockey history, breaking the record with her 32nd career assist against Central Michigan on Oct. 10. She currently has 34 for her career, continuing to add to her total.
On the defensive end, Baxter has been a force, earning four Defensive Player of the Week awards this season, the most ever in one season by a player, most recently coming after performances against Ball State and No. 6 Wake Forest. Baxter is currently tied with Boekaar for the most goals scored, with 13 from the center back position.
No. 6 Ohio Bobcats
The Bobcats enter the 2025 MAC Tournament as the sixth seed with a 3-6 conference mark and 11 total points. This season, the Bobcats picked up wins over UMass, Kent State and Ball State.
Earlier the day on Tuesday (Nov. 4), Senior Sasha Dikotla (Johannesburg, South Africa), senior Anouk Plaehn (Hanover, Germany), and Freshman Tiana Nhamoinesu (Thrisk, North Yorkshire) were all named to the All-MAC second team. In addition, Nhamoinesu was named to the MAC all-freshman team, capping a strong first season in green and white.
Nhamoinesu made an instant impact in her first year with the Bobcats, logging 672 minutes across 16 games. Nhamoinesu lead the team in goals (6), shots (33), and shots on goal (23).
Dikotla logged 745 minutes across 16 games while leading the Bobcat attack. Dikotla is tied for the team lead in assists second on the team in goals with four and tied for the team lead in assists.
Senior captain Anouk Plaehn logged 895 across 16 games this season, anchoring a Bobcat back line that ranked fourth in the conference in goals against and fifth in opponent scoring average.
