Three NESCAC Squads Earn NCAA Women's Soccer Bids
HADLEY, Mass. – Amherst, Middlebury, and Williams have been invited to participate in the 2011 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament. The undefeated Lord Jeffs earned an automatic bid by winning the NESCAC championship this past weekend, their first title since 2003, while the Panthers and Ephs both garnered at-large selections based on the stregth of their seasons.
Amherst and Middlebury will both host first and second round contests. Williams will travel to Stevens in Hoboken, N.J. this weekend. Match times, ticket information and live coverage for all games will be announced on institutional websites as soon as the information is known.
First round contests will be held on Saturday, Nov. 12, with second round games to take place the following day.
Amherst (17-0-0) will host North Atlantic Conference champion Castleton (17-4-0) in one of two first round contests on the Jeffs' campus. Amherst earned a spot in the field of 64 for the third time in the last four years and 11th time overall. The Lord Jeffs most recent showing came in 2009, falling to TCNJ in the second round 4-0. Amherst has been a national finalist once, in 2001, and got as far as the semifinals in 1996. The Spartans are in the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row and third time overall.
Also at Amherst this weekend will be Misericordia (13-4-2) and Farmingdale St. (15-3-3). The Lord Jeffs are hosting a first and second round set in both the men's and women's national tournaments.
Like Amherst, Middlebury (11-3-2) is in the NCAA field for the second time in three years, as the Panthers' reached the sectional semifinals in 2009 before falling to Johns Hopkins 1-0. Middlebury, which has now made the national tournament six times, will take on Great Northeast Athletic Conference champion Lasell (16-4-1) in the first round. The Lazers have won the GNAC title in each of the last two years and are making their second NCAA appearance. Also at Middlebury this weekend is TCNJ (12-3-2), which earned its 21st consecutive bid after winning the NJAC title, and Roger Williams (14-6-1), the champions of the Commonwealth Coast Conference. TCNJ has three NCAA titles to its credit, winning in 1993, 1994, and overcoming Tufts 2-1 for the 2000 title, and has finished as the runner-up four times.
Williams earned its 13th overall bid and fifth consecutive invitation to the NCAA Tournament. The Ephs will face Virginia Wesleyan (18-3-0) at Stevens while the host Ducks (14-3-3), winners of the Empire 8, will take on Westfield St. (15-3-1), the MASCAC champions. Williams has reached the national semifinals twice, in 1999 and most recently in 2008, falling to Wheaton (Ill.) 3-1. Last fall, Williams reached the national quarterfinals before falling to William Smith 1-0.
Amherst, Middlebury, and Williams are all on the same side of the bracket. Williams and Middlebury could potentially meet as early as the sectional finals, while Amherst cannot meet another NESCAC team until the national semifinals.
Winners of this weekend's play will advance to the sectionals the following weekend. Sectional winners will advance to the national semifinals in San Antonio, Texas Dec. 2-3 at Blossom Soccer Stadium. For more information on the tournament, check out the NCAA.com website.
