NCAA Sets Times For Soccer Final Four Matches
Franklin Pierce men and women prepare for semifinal matches December 1 and 2
RINDGE, N.H. (November 21, 2005) - The NCAA Championship committee has announced the match times for the Division II Men's and Women's Soccer Final Four, hosted by Midwestern State University, in Wichita Falls, Texas, next week.
First up in Texas will be the No. 4-ranked Franklin Pierce (19-1-2) women's soccer team who will meet No. 7 University of Nebraska-Omaha (18-2-0) in the first semifinal match of the event on Thursday, December 1, at 3 p.m. (EST). The contest will be a rematch of the 2002 semifinals in Virginia Beach, Va., with the Mavericks posting a 3-1 victory.
The winner of that match will face the winner of Thursday's second semifinal between #12 Carson-Newman (Tenn.) University (17-4-0) and #2 Seattle Pacific University (19-1-2) for the National Championship on Saturday, December 3, at 2 p.m. (EST).
The men take center stage on Friday, December 2, with No. 15 Franklin Pierce (15-5-5) taking on #4 SIU-Edwardsville (16-2-2) at 3 p.m. (EST). SIUE reached the championship match in 2004 before falling to Seattle University, 2-1.
The winner will face the winner Friday's second semifinal between #9 Lynn (Fla.) University (16-2-0) and #1 Fort Lewis (Colo.) College (20-0-1) for the National Championship on Sunday, December 4, at 1 p.m. (EST).
While the Franklin Pierce women are making their record 13th Final Four appearance in 14 years and the men are making their second trip, the two programs have advanced to the semifinals in the same year for the first time. The women are returning after a one-year hiatus, that snapped a record streak of 12-straight appearances, after posting a 2-1 victory over No. 5 West Chester (Pa.) University on Saturday. The men are making their first trip since 1991 after posting a 3-2 decision over No. 12 New York Institute of Technology in a penalty shootout after the two sides played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
The women are led by senior All-Americans Laura Hislop (Belfast, Northern Ireland) and Sonya Hughes (Balbriggan, Ireland), teammates for the Republic of Ireland women's national team. Hislop leads the team with 23 goals and 12 assists for 58 points, while Hughes has registered 13 goals and eight assists for 34 points. In postseason play, Hughes has netted seven goals (three match-winners) for 14 points, while Hislop has added three goals and four assists for ten points, including a goal and assist in Saturday's win.
For the men, All-America forward Christopher Joyce (Jarrow, England) leads Division II with 64 points and 28 goals to go with a team-best eight assists. His 28 goals are just one shy of former two-time All-American Bojan Vuckovic's single-season program record of 29 goals set in 1992, while Joyce has already set a school-record with eight match-winning strikes.
Sophomore goalkeeper James Thorpe (East Longmeadow, Mass./Bridgton Academy) backbones the Ravens defense. He leads the Northeast-10 Conference with a 0.80 goals against average and ten shutouts to go with a .791 save percentage (3rd NE-10).
Single-session tickets for the weekend are $9 for adults and $5 for students. All-Tournament passes are $32 for adults, $18 for students. Franklin Pierce matches will be broadcast live by the College's radio station, WFPC-LP 105.3 FM, and simulcast through the athletics website at www.franklinpierce.edu /athletics. Both the men's and women's championship matches will also be televised live on College Sports Television (CSTV), located on Channel 610 for DirecTV subscribers and Channel 152 on The Dish Network.
NCAA Division II Women's
Soccer Championship
hosted by Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, Texas
Semifinals
Thursday, December 1 (All Times Eastern)
#7 University of Nebraska-Omaha (18-2-0) vs. #4 Franklin
Pierce (19-1-2), 3 p.m.
#12 Carson-Newman Univ. (17-4-0) vs. #2 Seattle Pacific University
(19-0-4), 6 p.m.
Championship
Saturday, December 3
Semifinal winners, 2 p.m. (EST)
NCAA Division II Men's
Soccer Championship
hosted by Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, Texas
Semifinals
Friday, December 2 (All Times Eastern)
#15 Franklin Pierce (15-5-5) vs. #4 SIU-Edwardsville
(16-2-2), 3 p.m.
#9 Lynn University (16-2-0) vs. #1 Fort Lewis (Colo.) College
(20-0-1), 6 p.m.
Championship
Sunday, December 4
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m. (EST)