Football | 11/14/2021 7:02:00 PM
The Cortland football team will host Springfield College in the opening round of the 2021 NCAA Division III playoffs on Saturday, November 20 at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex. Game time is scheduled for noon.
Cortland (10-0) is one of 32 teams competing in the tournament field. The Red Dragons earned an automatic bid into the playoffs after winning the Empire 8 conference title with a 6-0 mark. The Red Dragons finished with a 10-0 regular-season record for only the second time in school history and the first since 1988.
The winner of Saturday's game advances to the second round on Saturday, Nov. 27, and will face either Endicott (8-2) or RPI (9-1) at a site to be determined. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Saturday, December 4 and the semifinals on Saturday, Dec. 11. The Division III national championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, is Friday, Dec. 17 in Canton, Ohio.
Cortland is led by head coach
Curt Fitzpatrick, who is in his second year with the Red Dragons but coaching in his first season as the 2020 season was canceled.
Cortland is making its 10th NCAA playoff appearance and first since 2015. The Red Dragons advanced to the NCAA second round in 2015, defeating Salisbury in the opening round at home before losing at Linfield in Oregon.
The Red Dragons have advanced to the national quarterfinals twice - as part of a 16-team playoff field in 1988 and as part of a 32-team field in 2008. The Red Dragons are 6-9 in NCAA play, but have won their last four first-round games in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015, all at home.
Springfield (7-3) won the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship with a 6-0 league record. The Pride will be making their seventh national tournament appearance and first since 2017. Springfield is 3-6 in NCAA play, including two wins to advance to the quarterfinals in 2000.
Cortland and Springfield have played 33 times, but not since the 2000 season at Springfield and 1999 at Davis Field in Cortland. The series is tied 16-16-1, including Springfield's 49-26 home win over Cortland in the 1995 ECAC Northeast Bowl. The teams played every year from 1946-53, 1969-79, and 1987-2000.
Ticket prices for Saturday's game will be announced at a later time.
NCAA Release
NCAA Interactive Bracket
NCAA Printable Bracket