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IUP Earns Second Trip to NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament

The IUP women’s soccer team has been selected to compete in the NCAA Division II tournament for the second time in the past three years, with action taking place this Friday and Sunday at West Chester.

IUP is the second seed in the four-team Northeast Region tournament and will take its 14-6 record into an opening round game against No. 3 seed New Haven, which is 12-4-4 on the year.  The other first round game features top-seeded West Chester (20-0) against No. 4 Slippery Rock (12-6-1).

The West Chester-Slippery Rock game will get the tournament started at 11 a.m. Friday morning.  The IUP-New Haven contest follows at 1:30.  The winners play for the region title on Sunday at noon.  West Chester is the defending region champion.

This will be the first meeting in women’s soccer between IUP and New Haven.  IUP, currently ranked 17th in the National Soccer Coaches Association poll, last qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2004, losing to Adelphi by a score of 2-0 in the first round.  New Haven played in the NCAA tournament for the first time a year ago.

IUP’s 14 wins this season is tied for the second most in school history and includes a 2-1 double overtime win over Slippery Rock in the semifinals of the PSAC tournament last Friday.  IUP lost to West Chester, also by a score of 2-1, in the conference championship game on Sunday.

New Haven played Adelphi to a 1-1 tie in the semifinals of the East Coast Conference tournament but lost in penalty kicks.  The Chargers have not lost a game since October 7, going 3-0-3 in that span.

The NCAA tournament field is comprised of 32 teams, four from each of eight regions.  The winner of the Northeast Regional will host the champion of the New England Regional in the national quarterfinals on November 11.  In that regional, Franklin Pierce is playing UMass-Lowell and St. Rose faces Bryant.    

The national semifinals and championship game will take place as part of the Division II fall sports festival November 16 and 18 in Pensacola, Fla.  The University of Nebraska-Omaha is the defending national champion.

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