INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The UC San Diego women's soccer team, fresh off its record eighth California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) crown and currently ranked No. 13 in the nation, will begin the 2012 NCAA Division II Championship within the friendly confines of Triton Soccer Stadium this Saturday, Nov. 10.
The NCAA announced Monday evening that the Tritons are the No. 2 seed in the six-team, double-site West Regional. UCSD had earned the CCAA's automatic NCAA berth on Sunday after outlasting Sonoma State via penalty-kick tiebreaker in the CCAA Championship final in Carson.
As the second seed, UCSD receives a bye into the Second Round. Triton Soccer Stadium will play host to third-seeded Seattle Pacific (14-3-2) against sixth-seeded BYU-Hawaii (10-4-3) this Thursday afternoon, Nov. 8, at 1 p.m.
The winner of Thursday's First Round affair matches up with UCSD on Saturday, Nov. 10. Kickoff under the lights at Triton Soccer Stadium is set for 6 p.m.
Ticket prices for the 2012 NCAA Division II West Regional are $8 for general admission and $5 for seniors and students. Children under seven years of age are admitted free of charge. Both matches will feature live stats.
UCSD and BYU-Hawaii were among 20 automatic qualifiers for the tournament. The Tritons embark on their eighth consecutive NCAA Division II Championship with a 14-2-3 overall record. They have now made it into 12 of the last 13 tournament fields since moving from Division III up to Division II.
Seattle Pacific is a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) and is 14-3-2 on the year. The Falcons are an at-large NCAA entrant, as they were edged 1-0 in the semifinals of the GNAC Championship by Montana State Billings last Thursday in Tukwila, Wash. BYU-Hawaii is the automatic qualifier from the Pacific West Conference as its regular-season champion. The Seasiders are 10-4-3.
Sonoma State is the top seed in the West Regional and will host the other side of the bracket in Rohnert Park, to include fourth-seeded Cal Poly Pomona and fifth seed Western Washington.
The 2012 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship begins this Thursday, Nov. 8, with a 48-team field. The semifinals and championship game will be held at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Ga., with the Peach Belt Conference serving as host. Saint Rose edged Grand Valley State, 2-1, to win the 2011 national championship.
-- UCSDtritons.com --
Courtesy: Ken Grosse/UCSD Athletics
