Championship Website | Game Notes

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Of the four teams that advanced to the 2010 NCAA Division III Championships, Gettysburg College may not have been at the top of most people's lists for returning to the final four in 2011. But the Bullets have done what they do best, and a national title is now within reach.

Last season, a veteran-loaded lineup led Gettysburg into the semifinals where the team lost to eventual champion Salisbury University. Hamilton College and Franklin & Marshall College also advanced to the national semifinals a year ago, but you won't find any Sea Gulls, Continentals, or Diplomats at this year's championship round. Instead, it will be the Bullets reigning as the elder statesmen, a title that doesn't match the team's make up this season.

“It feels great to be going back to the final four,” said Head Coach Carol Cantele, who has led her team to the national semifinals in five of the last six seasons. “It is going to be the first experience for 13 members of the team and I hope the rest of the team looks on the weekend with the same set of fresh eyes.”

More than half of the team had never played in an NCAA playoff game prior to May 11, but that hasn't stopped the Bullets from putting up big numbers. In its first two games, Gettysburg totaled 43 goals in landslide wins over Adrian College (25-10) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (18-11).

It wasn't a free trip to the finals, however, as the team had to face off with defending national champion Salisbury on its home field in the regional championship on May 15. The host Sea Gulls jumped out to a four-goal lead on the usurpers, but the Bullets never wavered in their game plan and roared back with a seven-goal run to take the lead. Gettysburg held off a late run by the defending champs to win 14-13 and earn another chance to play this weekend.

“Our competitive game with Salisbury has given us all the preparation that we need going into the weekend,” noted Cantele. “We are battle-tested against the defending national champions. I can't think of a better way to prepare going into this weekend.”

It's a new crop of teams joining Gettysburg at the national championships hosted by Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y. this weekend. Undefeated College of New Jersey (20-0) is searching for its 13th championship, while Bowdoin College (17-3) and SUNY Cortland (21-1) join the Bullets in seeking title No. 1.

TCNJ faces Bowdoin in Saturday's first Division III semifinal at 5 p.m. with Gettysburg and Cortland taking the field at 8 p.m. The Division III title game is set for 3 p.m. on Sunday.

If there is one thing Cantele has preached to her team throughout the season, it's living in the moment. She doesn't want her team thinking about who is at the championships and who isn't, only to concentrate on the task at hand.

“We are ready now, so we are just fine tuning a few things and just having fun playing hard,” said the coach. “They are so grateful that they are still playing and most importantly, they are so grateful for one another. They do not want this to end because they all want to be together playing the game they love.”

Ticket information for this weekend's national championships can be found by visiting Adelphi's athletics website. A live webcast of all the games will be available at NCAA.com and in-game updates will be sent out via Twitter (@gburgbullets).