DANBURY, Conn. – Rutgers University-Newark has earned the second ECAC Metro/Upstate Championship berth in the program's 15-year history and will host Lehman College Wednesday night at 7:30 in the opening round on Alumni Field.
 
The second-seeded Scarlet Raiders (12-7-2) have a chance to host the semifinal and final rounds of the 8-team playoff on Saturday and Sunday if they can get past the Lightning (8-7-1) on Wednesday.
 
Rutgers-Newark, which has set program records for victories and best record in New Jersey Athletic Conference play with a 4-4-1 finish, was last in the ECAC field in 2008 under head coach Wojtek Krakowiak.  That team finished 9-9-2 following a 3-0 loss to NYU in the tournament.
 
On Wednesday, top-seeded Richard Stockton (14-8-0) hosts No. 8 Elmira (7-6-3), sixth-seeded Staten Island (9-8-2) visits No. 3 Sage Colleges (10-5-2) and No. 5 Kean (19-6-2) hosts fourth-seeded Stevens (11-7-0).
 
The four surviving teams advance to the semifinals and championship match.  Rutgers-Newark is the highest seed to declare hosting responsibilities, so a win Wednesday would bring the championship to Alumni Field this weekend.