Men's Soccer to Host First/Second Rounds of NCAA Tournament; Will Face DeSales in Opener
INDIANAPOLIS - The Centennial Conference champion Swarthmore College men's soccer team (15-1-3) will serve as hosts for First and Second round action of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament and face Freedom Conference champion DeSales (15-4-2) in its first-round game, the NCAA Division III Selection Committee announced on Monday afternoon.
In the other half of the bracket, the University of Rochester (10-2-5), an at-large selection from the UAA, will face off against AMCC champion Medaille College (15-4-2).
The first-round games will take place on Saturday, November 13, with the second-round contest taking place on Sunday, November 14. The times will be determined on Tuesday afternoon.
This marks the third-consecutive season that Swarthmore College will serve as host of the First and Second Round NCAA Tournament play.
Swarthmore is in the NCAA Tournament for a program-record third consecutive season and sixth time in program history. The Garnet earned the Centennial Conference's automatic bid after a thrilling 2-1 (2OT) victory over Muhlenberg on Sunday from Clothier Field. Led by senior Morgan Langley - the NCAA leader in assists (13), assists-per-game (0.76) and second in points-per-game (2.41) - and captains Gage Newman and Micah Rose, Swarthmore will attempt to reach the Sweet 16 for a third-consecutive season.
DeSales earned its fourth program appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the first since the 2007 season after defeating Eastern 3-0 to win the Freedom Conference. The Bulldogs are riding an eight-game winning streak entering the post-season tournament and are unbeaten in their last nine games.
Rochester is making its sixth consecutive appearance and 13th overall after receiving an at-large bid out of the UAA. In its season finale, the Yellowjackets defeated Case Western 4-0. Last season, Rochester advanced to the Elite Eight last year before losing, 2-1, to eventual national champion Messiah.
Medaille is in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in six seasons. In 2009, Medaille beat Denison (3-0) in the opening round before falling at Carnegie Mellon. The Mavericks earned the automatic bid by outlasting Penn State-Behrend (5-4) in penalty kicks in the AMCC Championship game after a double-overtime scoreless tie.
Swarthmore is one of three Centennial Conference teams to make the NCAA field, accompanied by Muhlenberg and Johns Hopkins.
