Louisville, Ky. | Behind a three-goal effort by leading scorer Emily Miller, the top-seeded LIU Post field hockey team defeated the fifth-seeded Millersville Marauders, 3-0, to advance to the NCAA Championship Final for the fourth time in five years.
The Pioneers (19-3) advance to the championship game for the second-straight year where they'll meet Shippensburg University in a rematch of last year's title game.
Miller opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, when Sammy Bell delivered a pass from the left end line and Miller finished in the back of the cage.
The junior would later score her 39th goal of the season in the 51st minute to give LIU Post a 2-0 lead when she pounced on a redirected shot by Arantxa Rosainz.
Continuing to pressure the Marauders defense, the Pioneers went up 3-0 two minutes later with Miller's sixth hat trick of the year that came via a rebounded shot from Kaycee Zelkovsky.
Freshman keeper Rachel Vellis (19-3) made three saves in the match and posted her seventh shutout of the season.
In a contest that saw LIU Post outshoot its opponent 14-5, the top-seeded Pioneers forced Millersville's starting keeper Kylee Bair into making seven saves.
The championship match – which features Shippensburg and LIU Post for the second-consecutive year – is set for Sunday, November 17 at 11:00 am at Trager Stadium on the campus of the University of Louisville. Follow the action live here.