GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College field hockey team will make its ninth Centennial Conference tournament appearance in last 10 years when it travels to Franklin & Marshall College on Saturday.

The third-seeded Bullets (12-4, 7-3 CC) will take on the second-seeded and 15th-ranked Haverford College Fords (13-4, 8-2 CC) starting at approximately 2:30 p.m.

Fourth-ranked Franklin & Marshall (16-1, 10-0 CC) went undefeated in Centennial Conference play to finish first in the conference standings and earn the right to host the tournament semifinals and final. In Saturday's first semifinal, which starts at noon, F&M will face the winner of the first-round game between fourth-seeded Ursinus College (10-7, 6-4 CC) and fifth-seeded Washington College (9-9, 5-5 CC). Ursinus and Washington will play on Thursday at Ursinus.

The winner of the two semifinals will meet back at F&M in the championship game at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The tournament winner receives an automatic bid in the NCAA Division III tournament.

The Bullets, who received votes in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III national poll, enter the playoffs having won five of their last six games, including a crucial 2-0 victory over Johns Hopkins University in their regular season finale. The win allowed Gettysburg to clinch the No. 3 seed in the playoffs and avoid playing in the first-round game.

“Our conference is so competitive from top to bottom with so much parity,” said head coach Barb Jordan, who with the team's victory over Johns Hopkins tied the program record for coaching wins (121). “So having that bye just gives us a chance to get refreshed and healthy and really focus on Haverford. It's a relief to not have to worry about making it through the first round game to get to the weekend.”

According to Jordan, the Bullets have received contributions from both ends of the field during their late-season push.

“I think our defensive and offensive units have each been playing very consistently, and they are meshing together extremely well at this point in the season,” said Jordan. “We are playing really well as a team right now, and that's what has helped us get to this point.”

Saturday's game will mark the first time Gettysburg and Haverford will meet in the Centennial Conference tournament. The Bullets are 5-7 all-time in the CC playoffs while Haverford is 3-3.

When the two teams met in Gettysburg during the regular season, the Fords claimed a 2-1 overtime decision back on Sept. 29. Mary Hobbs scored just 1:17 into the extra session for Haverford, which tied the game with 15:33 left and finished with a 20-16 shot advantage. Senior goalie Megan Feeg made 10 saves for Gettysburg.

“Haverford is a strong, aggressive team with a lot of speed,” said Jordan “I think we need to slow them down and try to keep them outside the offensive circle, and then create opportunities for ourselves and execute on the other end of the field.”

Feeg has played every minute in goal for the Bullets, posting a 1.62 goals-against average, a .800 save percentage, and three shutouts. Offensively, junior Liz Baron leads the team with 10 goals while senior Hayward Sawers has dished out nine assists – tied for fourth-most in school history.

The Bullets are looking for their first Centennial Conference tournament win since topping McDaniel College 3-2 in overtime in 2005. Since the conference instituted a playoff tournament in 2000, the Bullets have reached the championship game three times, with their lone victory coming in 2001. Gettysburg has also won or shared Centennial titles in 1994, 1997, 1998, and 1999 and is second in the league for the most overall conference championships with five.