BOSTON - Fresh off the 11th conference title in program history, 20th-ranked Boston University (13-7) hosts Fairfield (9-11) in the opening round of the 2017 NCAA Field Hockey Championship on Wednesday (Nov. 8) at New Balance Field. Game time is set for 1 p.m.

Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for youth/students. BU students will be admitted for free by showing their school ID and free pizza will be available for all fans.

The Terriers are making their 13th appearance in the NCAA tournament and third in four seasons. This is BU's fifth time in the NCAA play-in/opening round and is 3-1 in the previous four. Wednesday's game will be a rematch of a 2015 NCAA play-in round game in which the Terriers topped the Stags, 6-1.

The winner will travel to face top-seeded and undefeated UConn (19-0) in the NCAA First Round on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Defending national champion Delaware (15-4) will face Penn State (16-4) in the other first-round game in Storrs at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The two winners will meet in Sunday's quarterfinal at 2 p.m. for a berth in the national semifinals, which will be held in Louisville, Ky.

BU captured its third Patriot League championship with a 2-1 win over third-seeded Bucknell in Sunday's title game at New Balance Field. The Terriers blanked Holy Cross, 4-0, in the semifinals. Senior co-captain Kali Shumock was named the tournament MVP and joined freshman Ailsa Connolly, sophomore Kiley Gallagher and junior Ally Hammel on the All-Tournament Team.

Fairfield has two top-30 RPI wins and both came against Monmouth. The first allowed the Stags to secure the top seed for the MAAC tournament and the second came in Sunday's MAAC championship game. It marked Fairfield's second MAAC title and it was the third conference title in program history. The Stags are in the NCAA tournament for the third time. Fairfield made its first NCAA appearance in 2001 after winning the Patriot League title.

After going 3-10 in its first 13 games, Fairfield has peaked at the right time, winning six of its past seven contests. 

Graduate student Hannah Pike has a team-best 24 points (9g, 6a) and scored five goals in the MAAC tournament, including both tallies in the 2-1 win in the title game, to earn most valuable player honors. Senior Andrea Soler has 19 points on eight goals and three assists while classmate Jaclyn Gallagher has added 15 points on four goals and a team-best seven assists.

Senior Erin Buckley was named the MAAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the All-MAAC First Team while Pike, Soler, Gallagher and senior Corrine Baliga were awarded All-MAAC Second Team honors.

Junior Caitlin Gilligan is the Stags' primary netminder and sports a 1.89 goals-against average and a .677 save percentage.

This will be the ninth meeting between Boston University and Fairfield and the first since 2012. BU has won all of the previous eight, as the teams met every year from 2005-12 with the last six coming in conference play when they were in the America East.  

BU and Fairfield have had two common opponents this season. The Terriers defeated Lafayette, 5-1, in conference play at New Balance Field on Sept. 23 while Fairfield dropped a 4-0 contest at home to the Leopards on Sept. 8. Both teams visited Albany and the Great Danes won both contests.

BU posted a perfect 6-0 record in Patriot League play for the second time in three seasons. All seven of BU's losses have come against teams that are ranked in the top 25 of the RPI.

Twelve Terriers have scored at least one goal and 10 of those players have have tallied at least 11 points. Connolly has a team-best 10 goals, the most by a BU rookie in seven years, and is tied with senior Grace Boston (9g, 2a) for the lead in points with 20. Shumock has 16 points on three goals and a Patriot League-best 10 assists while junior Kara Enoch also has 16 points with four goals and eight assists, which is the most helpers by a BU striker in 10 seasons.

Freshman Millie Baker and junior Kathleen Keegan have split time in goal all season. They have combined for a .644 save percentage and a 1.60 goals-against average. Keegan leads all Patriot League netminders in goals-against average at 1.27 while Baker led the PL in goals-against average (0.33) and save percentage (.875) during conference play.

Freshmen have scored 21 of BU's 56 goals this season (37.5 percent) and Connolly's 10 goals have come on just 24 shots.

In the final Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll that came out on Tuesday, BU was slotted No. 20 for the second straight week. The Terriers have now finished in the top 20 in the final NFHCA poll in 25 of the past 33 seasons.