Five Minnesota D3 College Soccer Programs Make NCAA Post Season Tournament

Three Minnesota Division 3 women’s soccer programs and 2 men’s programs were selected to participate in the NCAA post season tournament for 2011.

On the women’s side two teams will represent the MIAC Conference while one team represents the UMAC Conference in the 63-team national tournament.

Saint Benedict, the women’s winner of the MIAC Championship, gets an automatic bid to the tournament and go on the road to face Carroll College (Wisc.)  (11-9-0) at Rock Bowl Stadium in Dubuque, Iowa on Saturday with kickoff at 11:00 a.m. If St. Ben’s advances they would play the winner of the Loras vs. Hanover match on Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16.

Regular season co-champ Carleton College (11-6-2) did not receive an at-large bid but Concordia (12-3-5), who went to the post-season tournament but was defeated in the final by St. Benedict, did get an invitation to the tournament. The Cobbers will travel west for their first round game with Puget Sound (14-3-2) on Saturday, at William Rolland Stadium in Thousand Oaks, Calif. That match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. The winner of that match will move on to Sunday’s matchup with the winner of Cal Lutheran and UC-Santa Cruz, with that winner also advancing to the Sweet 16.

UMAC women’s soccer champions St. Scholastica (16-4-1) get an automatic bid and have the difficult task of playing undefeated Trinity (Texas) (16-4-1) in San Antonio on Saturday. The Saints are in search of their program’s second NCAA Tournament victory. Kickoff is 5:00 pm.

2011 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championships bracket 

On the men’s side, St. Olaf College (16-3-1) - the MIAC’s regular season co-champ and Playoff champion – received the league’s automatic bid. Like the women’s side, the other regular season co-champ Carleton (12-6-2) were not included in the tournament nor were nationally-ranked Gustavus Adolphus College (14-2-3). The Oles will meet Carroll College (Wis.) (11-7-1) in Decorah, Iowa, on Saturday with a 6:00 pm kickoff. The winner will face the winner of Luther College and North Park University for a spot in the Sweet 16 on Sunday.

The University of Minn.-Morris (11-4-4) also won an automatic bid to the tournament by capturing the UMAC Championship title last weekend over St. Scholastica. They will travel to Rock Bowl Stadium in Dubuque, Iowa to play Loras College (16-3-2) on Friday with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.  The winner of that game will take on the victor of the Carth vs. Calvin game played before the U of M Morris game.

2011 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championships bracket