Big Ten Sends Six Schools To NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament
Five teams will host first-round matches; Rutgers is Big Ten’s first No. 1 seed since 2015
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference will have six schools participating in the 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship, it was announced Monday afternoon. Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers and Wisconsin earned berths to this year’s 64-team NCAA Tournament, which kicks off Nov. 12-14 at campus sites around the country (exact dates and times to be announced in the coming days). The tournament culminates with the NCAA College Cup Dec. 3 and 5 at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Rutgers earned a No. 1 seed and Michigan was a No. 2 seed for this year’s NCAA Tournament, marking the first time since 2015 that the Big Ten had a team on the top line of the bracket and two programs earn top-two seeds. That year, Penn State was a No. 1 seed and Rutgers was a No. 2 seed and both schools went on to reach the NCAA College Cup, with PSU winning not only its first national championship, but the first by a Big Ten school.
The six Big Ten teams selected for this year’s NCAA Tournament are the most for the conference since 2018, when it also had six schools chosen. With Monday’s announcement, the Big Ten has now had at least four of its current women’s soccer programs advance to the NCAA Tournament for 27 consecutive seasons.
Michigan (15-3-3) earned the Big Ten’s automatic qualifying berth into the NCAA Tournament by virtue of its 1-0 win at Rutgers in Sunday’s Big Ten Tournament title game. The Wolverines will be making their 15th NCAA Tournament appearance and second in the past three years. As a No. 2 national seed, Michigan open NCAA Tournament play by welcoming Bowling Green to town. With a victory, the Wolverines would remain at home to play Wake Forest or Harvard in the round of 32.
Ohio State (9-8-2) also will be making its 15th NCAA Tournament appearance and 12th in the past 15 seasons. The Buckeyes, who played the nation’s fifth-toughest schedule this season, will kick off NCAA Tournament play against Virginia Tech at Thompson Field in Blacksburg, Va. The winner of that contest will move on to meet second-seeded Arkansas or Northwestern State in the second round.
Penn State (11-7-0) will be appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the 27th consecutive season, having won the national championship in 2015. The Nittany Lions, who battled through a myriad of injuries as well as the country’s No. 4-ranked schedule this season, will play at home at Jeffrey Field in an opening-round match against Monmouth. A victory would send the Nittany Lions into a round-of-32 contest against either No. 3 seed USC or Grand Canyon.
Purdue (14-4-2) is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009 and the seventh time in program history. The Boilermakers, who finished second in the Big Ten standings and advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the second time in three years, earned their first home NCAA Tournament match since 2007 and will play host to Loyola-Chicago. Should Purdue prevail, the Boilermakers would meet either No. 3 seed Notre Dame or SIU Edwardsville in the second round.
Big Ten Champion Rutgers (17-3-0) received its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and the 16th in program history, a resume highlighted by a trip to the NCAA College Cup in 2015. The Scarlet Knights, who earned a No. 1 national seed for the first time in school history and were the first Big Ten program to go undefeated and untied (10-0-0) in conference play since 2005, will start their postseason by playing host to Bucknell at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J. The Scarlet Knights would remain at home through to the College Cup, with a win over Bucknell setting up a second-round contest against either Ole Miss or Saint Louis.
Wisconsin (8-5-6) captured its 23rd NCAA Tournament bid and returns to the event after a one-year absence. The Badgers, who have competed in more NCAA Tournaments than any other Big Ten program except Penn State, will kick off this year’s tournament with a home contest against Butler at the McClimon Soccer Complex in Madison, Wis. The winner of that match is ticketed for a trip to the round of 32 and a meeting with either No. 2 seed UCLA or UC Irvine.
Television coverage for NCAA Tournament matches prior to the semifinals will be announced at a later date. The NCAA College Cup semifinals and national championship match will be televised live on ESPNU.
Recent Comments