AMHERST — Over the past two days, two UMass fall sports programs learned their respective fates for the NCAA Tournament after finishing as Atlantic 10 Conference tournament runners-up.

The Minutewomen field hockey team gathered together on Sunday night to eagerly watch the NCAA Division I Selection Show, and when UMass’ name was called, everyone erupted and smiles were plastered all around Amherst. Despite losing 2-1 to Saint Joseph’s in the A-10 championship, UMass’ body of work – which included six regular games against nationally-ranked opponents – was too much for the selection committee to ignore.

UMass heads to Storrs, Conn. on Friday for its first-round matchup with UConn. Earlier this season, the Minutewomen made the short trip south to play the Huskies and fell 1-0 in a hard-fought battle – a third-quarter tally the difference. They’re 3-1 this season coming off of losses, the lone defeat coming at the hands of No. 1 Northwestern.

The winner will get the winner of another Friday northeast bout between Syracuse and Harvard in the second round.

The UMass women’s soccer team didn’t receive the same good news. Despite an RPI ranked 42nd in the country, the Minutewomen were left out of the NCAA Tournament field following their 3-1 loss to Saint Louis – which won its seventh consecutive A-10 crown – in the conference title game. A Bella Recinos goal assisted by Chandler Pedolzky tied things up late in the first half, but the Billikens out-scored the Minutewomen 2-0 over the final 45 minutes en route to hoisting the trophy.

Five schools with RPIs ranked lower than UMass were selected for at-large bids – Tennessee (45th), California (49), Washington (50), LSU (51) and Colorado (55).

UMass’ final season in the league was nothing short of a success, as it finished 13-5-3 including a 6-2-2 mark in the A-10.

Amherst College women’s soccer to play SUNY-New Paltz

At the NCAA Division III level, the Amherst College women’s soccer team completed its trek through the NESCAC tournament with a win over Colby College in the championship game on Sunday. After regulation and overtime periods, the two sides were still scoreless. The Mammoths would go on to win in penalty kicks, converting all five en route to the 5-4 victory.

In the NESCAC semifinals, Amherst defeated Tufts 2-1 to avenge what was its only loss of the regular season. Tufts beat Amherst 2-1 back on Oct. 15.

Amherst’s automatic bid into the NCAA tournament has the Mammoths (11-1-6) set to play SUNY New Paltz (15-2-2) on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in a game to be played in Rochester, N.Y. The winner will meet the winner of another first-round game between Rochester and Emmanuel on Sunday at 3 p.m.