The Frontier Regional field hockey team will begin its quest for a third consecutive Western Massachusetts Division 2 title as a No. 2 seed.
The MIAA announced seeds Monday and the Red Hawks (13-1-4) will play No. 3 South Hadley (8-8-2) in West Springfield in the semifinal round.
“I have to do my homework on them,” Frontier coach Missy Mahar said. “But they’ve been competitive all year.”
The Red Hawks and the Tigers did not play during the regular season.
“We played them in the past,” Mahar said. “They have a strong program. Very feisty and smart.”
Hannah Menard and Julia Miele led the Tigers with eight goals apiece.
Frontier’s scoring comes from McKenzie Patterson and Ashley Borkowski.
On the other side of the bracket, top-seeded Greenfield (15-0-3) plays the winner of No. 4 Turners Falls (9-8-1) and No. 5 Southwick (8-8-2).
Frontier, which has a tense rivalry with Greenfield, beat the Green Wave in the finals last year.
“We are not looking ahead,” Mahar said. “We’re focused on the Tigers.”
Mahar is seeking her seventh Western Mass. title in her 15 seasons as coach of the Red Hawks.
Elsewhere, in Division 1 the fourth-seeded Northampton Blue Devils will host No. 5 West Springfield at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday.
“It’s a good space for us,” Northampton coach Sarah Williams said. “Especially with our record and the young team that we have.”
During the regular season, the Blue Devils (10-5-3) tied the Terriers (7-2-9) twice.
“It’s been a good matchup,” Williams said. “In the playoffs it will come down to who capitalize on the opportunities.”
Anna Kerwood and Megan McCarthy are Hamp’s points leaders with 15 each, including nine goals apiece.
Should the Blue Devils and Terriers tie in regulation a third time, the game will go to overtime. Field hockey has two 15-minute sudden death overtimes before the game goes to penalty strokes.
The winner gets top-seeded Longmeadow (16-2-0), which is nearly unbeatable in the Western Mass. tournament. The last time the Lancers lost in the tournament was 2010, when South Hadley won in the finals.
Northampton and Longmeadow met in the finals last season.
