Tampa Women’s Soccer Earns Fourth Straight NCAA Bid
INDIANAPOLIS - The University of Tampa women's soccer team has earned an invitation to the 2013 NCAA Division II Tournament, and will open play against Sunshine State Conference opponent Barry University on Friday.
A total of six teams were selected from the South Region, including a total of four from the SSC. The Spartans received a No. 3 seed, setting up a matchup with No. 6 Barry. Rollins College earned the No. 2 seed and will host the winner of Friday's game on Sunday. UT and Barry will face-off at 7 p.m., Friday, with the regional semifinal slated for 1 p.m., on Sunday.
The South Regional is led by defending national champion and No. 1 seed West Florida, who will host the side of the bracket. No. 4 Valdosta State and No. 5 Florida Tech will square off for the opportunity to face the Argonauts in Pensacola on Sunday.
Tampa brings a 15-3-1 overall record and ended the regular season as the No. 14 ranked team in the nation. UT will appear in its fourth straight NCAA tournament and 10th overall, advancing to the South Region final each of the last three years.
The Spartans have met Barry twice in the NCAA tournament, winning both matchups. UT opened the 2012 tourney with a 1-0 shutout over the Bucs and also topped their SSC opponent by a 3-0 tally to open the 2005 postseason.
The teams have met twice in 2013, with Tampa taking the Sept. 18 meeting by a 3-2 overtime score in Miami Shores. The Buccaneers then defeated UT 3-0 in Tampa on Oct. 26. With a 12-4-2 overall record, the Buccaneers were the SSC regular-season champion and tournament runner-up after falling to Rollins in double overtime on Sunday.
The winner of the Rollins site will advance to play the winner of the Pensacola location on Nov. 22. The South Region champion will then advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals, with a Nov. 24 meeting against the champion of the Southeast Region. The NCAA semifinals and championship is scheduled for Dec. 5 and 7 in Evans, Ga.
Please visit TampaSpartans.com for complete information on Tampa women's soccer in the NCAA Tournament.