Salisbury to face Dickinson in NCAA men's soccer tournament first round
INDIANAPOLIS - Fresh off its second consecutive Capital Athletic Conference championship the Salisbury University men's soccer team learned of its NCAA Division III tournament fate on Monday. The Sea Gulls will travel to Swarthmore, Pa., for the first and second rounds of the tournament this weekend.
No. 19 Salisbury (15-3-3) will face Dickinson College (12-3-3) in the first round on Saturday, November 15, with the winner advancing to Sunday's second round. The other first round game pits the host No. 11 Swarthmore College (15-2-2) against Rutgers-Camden (16-4-2).
The Sea Gulls will make their eighth NCAA tournament appearance in 10 years. SU is ranked third in the South region rankings. Salisbury tied a NCAA record with 10 goals against Old Westbury in last year's 10-0 first round win at home. SU then lost in a penalty kick shootout, 4-2, to Virginia Wesleyan College in the second round. Salisbury was a national semifinalist five seasons ago in 2004. SU has also reached the national quarterfinals in 1999 and 2003. In the previous seven appearances in the NCAA tournament, SU has posted a 6-6-4 record.
Dickinson received a Pool C at-large bid. Salisbury and Dickinson have two common opponents in Washington (Md.) College and Randolph-Macon College. Both teams record wins against Washington and RMC. Salisbury is 2-1-0 all-time against Dickinson since their first meeting in 1993. SU defeated the Red Devils 6-0 in 2000 in the last meeting between the two. Dickinson is ranked seventh in the Middle Atlantic region rankings.
Rutgers-Camden is making it's first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. The Scarlet Raptors received a Pool C at-large bid after being defeated by No. 3 Montclair State in the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship on November 7. The Scarlet Raptors are ranked fourth in the Metro Region rankings. Salisbury is 14-9-1 all-time against Rutgers-Camden since their first meeting in 1964. The Sea Gulls won their last match against the Scarlet Raptors, a 3-1 decision, in 2001.
Swarthmore received an automatic bid after they were named champions of the Centennial Athletic Conference. This is their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1991. The Sea Gulls have never played Swarthmore. The Garnet is ranked second in the Middle Atlantic region rankings.
The winner of the second round game will advance to the NCAA sectionals the following weekend. The 34th Annual Division III Men's Soccer Championship will be played in Greensboro, N.C., at Macpherson Stadium at Bryan Park hosted by Greensboro College on December 5-6. The national semifinals take place on December 5 and national championship follows on December 6.
2008 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship
