Amherst, Trinity, and Wesleyan Earn NCAA Men's Soccer Invitation
HADLEY, Mass. – Three NESCAC squads have been invited to participate in the 2011 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament. Conference champion Amherst, which earned an automatic bid to the annual event, will be joined by Trinity and Wesleyan in the field of 61.
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 (14-1-2) has been selected to host a set of first and second round contests. The NESCAC champion Lord Jeffs will take on Husson (13-6-1) in the first round. The Eagles earned an automatic bid out of the North Atlantic Conference. Amherst will also host two other conference champions when Springfield (10-4-4) out of the NEWMAC takes on Eastern Conn. St. (14-5-1) from the Little East.
The Lord Jeffs are making their 11th overall appearance and sixth consecutive. Last fall, Amherst played Bowdoin to a 1-1 draw before failing to advance on penalty kicks in the sectional semifinals. The Polar Bears went on to reach the national semifinals. The Lord Jeffs have advanced as far as the national semifinals twice, most recently appearing in the 2008 final four in which Amherst suffered a 4-1 setback to Stevens.
Trinity and Wesleyan are on the other side of the bracket from Amherst. The Bantams (10-5-2) are making only their second NCAA Tournament appearance after last making the 1997 field, going 1-1. Trinity reached the final of the NESCAC Men's Soccer Championship for the first time ever this past weekend, falling to Amherst 2-0. Trinity will meet St. Joseph's (Me.) in the first round at Babson. The Monks (14-5-0) are the champions of the GNAC. Babson (15-2-3) will take on Lesley (15-4-1) in the other first round match in Babson Park, Mass.
The Cardinals earned their fourth NCAA bid, all of which have come since 2005. Wesleyan (10-2-3) will meet Misericordia (13-2-4) in the first round at Rutgers-Camden. The Cougars won the Freedom Conference title over the weekend over Eastern, 1-0. Rutgers-Camden (16-2-2) will take on the Merchant Marine Academy (11-6-1) in the other first round match.
In 2009, the last NCAA appearance for the Cardinals, Wesleyan reached the sectional semifinals but fell to the University of Rochester, 2-1.
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.
