This past weekend, a handful of local athletes were part of a variety of collegiate athletic teams which participated in the NCAA Tournament, whether it be Division 1, 2 or 3. Several teams including Tufts women’s soccer, UNH men’s soccer and Union football advanced, while, others like Endicott football and Assumption field hockey were defeated.
Here’s a look.
Women’s Soccer
The incredible season continues for Andover’s Madelyn Silveira and the Tufts soccer team. The Jumbos upset No. 6 Rochester, 1-0, Sunday evening in the NCAA Division 3 quarterfinals.
The win was the Jumbos’ (11-5-4) fourth of the NCAA Tournament, and Tufts moves into the NCAA semifinals for the third time in program history and the first since doing it in 2005. Tufts also made the NCAA Final Four in 2000.
A former Phillips Academy star, Silveira came off the bench and played 16 minutes on defense. She has played in all 20 games and has helped the Jumbos give up just 1.30 goals per game.
Tufts will now move on to battle California Lutheran University Thursday, November 30, at 3 p.m. in Salem, Virginia.
Men’s Soccer
The No. 8 seed University of New Hampshire defeated the defending national champion Syracuse, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon in front of a crowd of 2,750 at Wildcat Stadium in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
With the win, the Wildcats advance to the Round of 16 and will play No. 9 seed Clemson on Sunday at 5 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium on ESPN+. Grad student Adi Hicks of Derry, N.H., is a back/midfielder on the Wildcats (13-2-4). He didn’t see action in the win over Syracuse but has played in 13 games this season, starting one.
Football
A pick-six by junior James Gillespie gave the Union College football team a huge momentum boost going into halftime, and the Garnet Chargers never looked back in a 24-16 win over No. 25 Delaware Valley University in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
With the win, Union (10-1) reached the 10-win plateau for the sixth time. Next up is a trip to No. 7 Johns Hopkins on Saturday at noon.
Offensive tackle Kyle Webster of North Andover saw action in this game, while his teammates Ryan Grenier (Salem, N.H.), David Cooperstein (North Andover) and Steve Medeiros (Andover) did not.
The No. 14 nationally ranked Endicott football team fell to No. 11 Cortland, 23-17, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Hempstead Stadium. Lawrence’s Markys Bridgewater finished with 29 rushing yards, 16 receiving yards and had a 30-yard kick-off return. Methuen’s Michael LeFebre had six solo tackles and one assisted tackle coming from his defensive back position. Both played for Central. LeFebre was recently named a first team All-Commonwealth Conference Conference defensive back.
Field Hockey
The Assumption field hockey team’s season ended with a 3-0 loss to East Stroudsburgin the NCAA Division II semifinals.
Goalie Paige Gillette of Andover made seven saves in the loss. She finished up a terrific season, posting a 16-6 record with 8 shutouts. She gave up 38 goals on the season on 173 shots and finished with a 1.62 GAA.
Her teammate Hailey Doherty, also of Andover, played in 18 games, starting six. She registered one assist this season. She was part of both the field hockey and girls basketball state title teams at Andover High.
Men’s Cross Country
Bentley junior Sam Capobianco, a former Phillips Academy star, competed with the nation’s best Saturday, running in the NCAA Division 2 Championship. Capobianco crossed the 10K finish line with a time of 32.42.2, good for 226th out of 260 runners. Capobianco’s 2023 included an All-Northeast-10 bid, as he finished sixth in the conference championship. He qualified for the national stage after leading the Falcons to a fifth-place finish at regionals.
At the NCAA Division III championships held in Newville, Pennsylvania, sophomore Luke Brennan, of Derry, N.H., was the second runner for Tufts, clocking an 8K time of 26:02.5, which was good for 154th place out of 294 participants. Tufts finished 13th as a team.
Women’s Cross Country
Senior Kelsey Seamans of Methuen led the Southern New Hampshire University women’s cross- country team at the NCAA Division II National Championship in Joplin, Missouri. She finished 190th overall with a time of 22:25.4 (6K), which was best on the team. The Penmen finished 33rd.
Twitter: @JamiePote