MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - A NCAA Division II field hockey game has never been broadcast on a major sports network, but that will change tonight when the match-up between No. 1 West Chester and No. 2 Millersville will air live on ESPN3.
CLICK HERE to see the game live at 6 p.m.
The rematch of the past two PSAC Championship Games and the 2014 NCAA Division II Semifinal is a part of Division II's national media agreement. This game was selected as its game of the week. It is believed to be the first Division II field hockey game ever broadcast nationally in this format.
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. ESPN3 is available in more than 99 million homes for fans who receive a high speed Internet connection.
Calling the game for ESPN3 are two field hockey hall of famers in Leah Secondo and Kara Lentz. Secondo and Lentz have worked together broadcasting field hockey games at the highest level.
Top-ranked West Chester University and second-ranked Millersville University collide in a nationally broadcast field hockey match at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium Wednesday evening. It is the first nationally broadcast live Division II college field hockey contest in the history of the NCAA and pits two of last season's national semifinalists against one another in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference opener for both schools.
The two national powers enter the tilt undefeated and looking to gain an upper hand early on in the league standings. The regular-season champion earns the right to host the conference semifinals and finals in November. So, that is what is at stake here tonight – though it is just game 1 of a 10-game conference slate.
Tonight marks the fifth straight time that these two powerhouses have met while being ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the NFHCA Coaches' Poll. West Chester was ranked No. 1, with Millersville No. 2, in each of the last two encounters during the postseason last fall. In the two regular-season meetings, the rankings were flipped. The No. 1-ranked team is 3-1 in those four previous tilts, dating back to last year.
Tonight's affair is the first of two scheduled television appearances for West Chester University. The Golden Rams' road contest at Slippery Rock on October 24 will be broadcast on a tape-delayed basis by SportsFEVER Television (STN).
The game will begin at 6 p.m. from Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium in Millersville.
