Semifinal Saturday

It's one of the best days of the fall ... "Semifinal Saturday" in the Centennial Conference. Four teams from field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball meet in Collegeville, Lancaster, Baltimore and Haverford for the right to play for the Centennial championship on Sunday and the automatic berth to the NCAA championship that goes along with it. If that's not enough for you ... there could be a football championship decided on Saturday as well - but that's for another post.

Field Hockey at Ursinus
The fourth-ranked Bears of Ursinus host the final four at Eleanor Frost Snell Alumnae Field looking for their fourth consecutive Centennial title. Since an Oct. 6 loss, Ursinus has taken no prisoners, defeating its seven opponents by a combined score of 48-2. Ordinarily, that wouldn't bode well for the Bears' semifinal opponent ... but it was Franklin & Marshall that handed UC its last defeat by a 3-2 count. Ursinus downed the Dips, 4-3, in overtime to win its first CC crown in 2004. The other semifinal pits Johns Hopkins and Muhlenberg. The Blue Jays won the 2003 championship, while the Mules are making their second straight semifinal appearance, looking for their first berth into the finals. Championship Page

Men's Soccer at Franklin & Marshall
The Centennial may have the best final four in Division III, featuring the #11 and #18 teams in the country along with two other sides with at least 11 victories. Franklin & Marshall comes in at No. 11 looking for its first Centennial title. The other three semifinalists have combined for 14 Conference championships - Johns Hopkins (6), Muhlenberg (5) and Gettysburg (3). The Blue Jays, ranked 18th, are looking to end their streak of only winning CC titles in even-numbered years (1996-98-00-02-04-06) and will meet the Mules, who have won the last two odd-numbered year titles, in the second semifinal. The Diplomats will take on the Bullets, winners of the championship in 1993-99-01, in the first semi. Championship Page / Live Stats

Women's Soccer at Johns Hopkins
It's the old guard and the new guard in the semifinals Saturday night at Homewood Field. Johns Hopkins and Gettysburg meet in the first semifinal, each looking for an unprecedented sixth Centennial championship. Ursinus and Swarthmore meet in the nightcap with the Bears looking for their first championship game appearance and the Garnet looking to return to the final after a loss to Hopkins last season. The Jays have the opportunity to become the first team to win three straight CC championships. Championship Page / Gametracker

Volleyball at Haverford
The volleyball final four goes away from its traditional home at Gettysburg and heads to the Main Line, courtesy of #15 ranked Haverford. The defending champion Fords take on the Bullets, winners of 11 Centennial championships, in the second semifinal, preceded by traditional rivals Johns Hopkins and McDaniel. The Green Terror has not won a Conference championship since 1999, while the Blue Jays are looking for title #1 after losing in the CC title game three times. Championship Page / Live Streaming Video / Live Stats