#4 Franklin Pierce Named Top-Seed and Host of NCAA New England Men’s Regional
Ravens earn fourth-straight NCAA Tournament bid, 12th overall
RINDGE, N.H. (October 30, 2006) - The Franklin Pierce men's soccer team, ranked No. 4 in the most recent NSCAA/adidas Division II poll has earned the top seed and will host the 2006 NCAA Division II New England Regional Championship on Thursday and Saturday on Sodexho Field.
Franklin Pierce (16-1-3, 11-1-1 NE-10), fresh off completing a Northeast-10 Conference double with its first NE-10 Tournament title yesterday after clinching its second-straight regular season title, is joined in the four-team regional by second-seeded and No. 13-ranked Southern Connecticut State University (15-2-3, 10-2-1 NE-10), runners up in both the NE-10 regular season and tournament, third-seeded and No. 21-ranked Dominican College (12-3-3, 8-0-0 CACC), regular season and tournament champions in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, and fourth-seeded Southern New Hampshire University (9-6-5, 6-3-4 NE-10).
Admission for each session will be $7 for adults, $4 for students and senior citizens and $2 for children aged 2-12.
Franklin Pierce, making its fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, will serve as host for the second-straight year. The Ravens are making their 12th NCAA Tournament appearance overall after capturing both the Northeast-10 regular season and tournament titles this fall. Franklin Pierce will be seeking their third-straight regional title. The Ravens edged Dominican, 1-0, in overtime in last year's regional final en route to making their second Final Four appearance and first National Championship appearance in program history.
Southern Connecticut State, winners of an NCAA Division II record six National Championships, is making its 27th NCAA Tournament appearance after being runners-up in the NE-10 regular season and tournament this fall. The Owls will be seeking their first national crown since 1999 after also claiming titles in 1987, 1990, 1992, 1995 and 1998.
Dominican is making its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Chargers were the top seed in last year's New England Regional, but were edged by Franklin Pierce in overtime, 1-0. Dominican has captured the CACC regular season and tournament titles two years running and three-straight tournament titles overall after defeating Post University, 1-0, yesterday.
Southern New Hampshire is making its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Penmen, winners of the 1989 National Championship, return to the NCAA's for the first time since they were finalists in 2002.
The winner of the regional will advance to the NCAA Quarterfinal Round on either November 11 or 12 to face the winner of the Northeast Regional being hosted by Dowling College this weekend.
The NCAA Division II Final Four is being hosted by the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Fla., as part of the 2006 Division II National Championships Festival November 15-18. National Championships in men's and women's cross-country, field hockey, men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball will conducted over that week.
2006 NCAA Division II
Men's Soccer Championship
New England Regional
hosted by Franklin Pierce
Rindge, N.H. - Sodexho Field
Thursday, November 2
#3 Dominican (12-3-3) vs. #2 Southern Connecticut State
(15-2-3), 4 p.m.
#4 Southern New Hampshire (9-6-5) at #1 Franklin Pierce (16-1-3), 7
p.m.
Saturday, November 4
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.