BATON ROUGE — The 14th-ranked LSU soccer team learned Monday night that it has received an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and will make the trip to College Station, Texas, to take on Washington in the first round Friday at 4 p.m. CT.
The Tigers (14-3-2) are one of 64 teams in the field with an eye on advancing to the 2008 NCAA Women’s College Cup to be played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., from Dec. 5-7.
The Tigers and Huskies will square off against one another at the Aggie Soccer Stadium with the No. 3 seeded Texas A&M Aggies set to battle Texas State in their first-round match at 7 p.m. The winners will then meet in the second round on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
“We’re obviously very excited about the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Tournament again this year, and it’s going to be a great challenge playing a team like Washington in the first round,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “They’re a team we don’t really know much about, but we know they have a great program in the Pac-10 and are very well-coached under Lesle Gallimore.”
The Huskies are ranked as high as No. 22 in the national polls this week and are coming off of an impressive season in which they tied defending NCAA champion Southern California for the No. 3 spot in the Pac-10 standings with a 14-5-1 overall record and a 5-3-1 mark in league play.
The side enters the NCAA Tournament riding an impressive six-game unbeaten streak in the Pac-10 that includes a pair of 2-1 wins over Arizona State and Arizona this past weekend.
“It’s a challenge anytime you face a team that you’re not used to seeing from a league that you’re really not used to playing,” Lee said. “The Pac-10 is one of the strongest conferences in our sport, and Washington has certainly earned the right to be in this position with the way they have played this season. We’re looking forward to the match-up and what is sure to be a great game Friday.”
This marks the second year in a row that the Tigers have earned an at-large berth into the 64-team NCAA Tournament under Lee’s direction. The club also enters the postseason with momentum after winning its second straight SEC Western Division championship while winning more games in conference play than ever before with a 7-3-1 mark for 22 points in SEC play this season.
LSU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in its first ever appearance last year with a 1-0 double overtime win over Samford in the opening round in Tallahassee, Fla.
“We think the team is growing,” Lee said. “We’re a fairly experienced team now, and almost the whole team was in the NCAA Tournament last year and had some success in the first round. This is a program that is getting better year to year, and a big goal for us is seeing how far we can go in the tournament this season. Can we do better than what we did a year ago?”
The Tigers are not the only team from the SEC to earn a berth into the NCAA Tournament as five other programs will battle the nation’s best teams for the right to advance to the College Cup.
Joining LSU in this year’s field are Auburn, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. The Lady Vols earned an automatic berth by winning the SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Ala., on Sunday, while the remaining four teams received at-large consideration.
“We think this is one of the best conferences in the country,” Lee said. “The daily grind in the SEC is a very tough thing to overcome during the course of the season. We think it’s as tough in a lot of ways as the ACC, the Pac-10, the Big Ten or the Big 12 because it’s such a physical league. Hopefully, it prepares all of our teams mentally to compete in the NCAA Tournament.
“We wish all of the teams the best of luck. I think a lot of teams got some good draws that they’re happy with, and hopefully some of our teams can advance.”
The champion of the College Station regional will advance to the Sweet 16 next weekend to be held at a campus site yet to be determined. The NCAA quarterfinals will be held Nov. 28-30 with the last four teams advancing to the 2008 NCAA Women’s College Cup in Cary, N.C., Dec. 5-7.
LSU Head Coach Brian Lee
On if he was nervous watching the selection show…
“Whenever you’re in the last bracket that pops up and you’re an at-large, you tend to get a little nervous. We thought there would be a good chance that we would be in College Station, and since it hadn’t come up yet, we could kind of see that coming.”
On the experience of this year’s LSU team…
“We think the team is growing. We’re a fairly experienced team now, and almost the whole team was in the NCAA Tournament last year and had some success in the first round. In everything we do, we’re trying to get better year to year. That group of kids has been able to improve from No. 8 in the SEC to No. 4 and now No. 2 this year. Last year, we made it out of the first round and made the final 32. So, a big goal for us is seeing how far we can go in the tournament. Can we do better than what we’ve done? That would mean making the Sweet 16 and beyond.”
On playing Washington in the first round…
“We don’t know anything about Washington right now. We do know that they’re a good team and have a good program with a very experienced coach. I’ve met Lesle Gallimore a few times. She’s a good coach, so they’re going to be very prepared. They’ve been in the Pac-10 and have been through the rigors of that conference just like we have here in the SEC.”
On if the team is more nervous or excited about its draw…
“We’re more excited. The NCAA Tournament is gravy time. All you want to do during the regular season is put yourself in a position to make the NCAA Tournament and give yourself a chance to really accomplish some things. We think that we’ve got a good team that is as talented as anyone in the country. The question is can we be the better team on Friday night.”
On the SEC receiving six bids into the NCAA Tournament…
“We think it’s one of the best conferences in the country. The daily grind in the SEC is a very tough thing to overcome during the course of the season. We think it is as tough in many respects as the ACC, the Pac-10, the Big Ten or the Big 12 because it is such a physical conference. Hopefully, it prepares all of our teams mentally. We wish all of the teams the best of luck. I think a lot of teams got some good draws that they’re happy with, and hopefully some of our teams can advance.”
Senior captain Casey Crawford
On LSU’s draw in the NCAA Tournament…
“We were a little nervous watching the selection show today, but seeing where we’re placed, I think we’re all excited. We were a little nervous not knowing when we were going to come up. We have some really good teams in our bracket, and that just lets us know that we’ll have to play at our best if we hope to advance. That’s the goal.”
On LSU earning an NCAA Tournament berth for the second straight season…
“It’s good. It’s where we need to be. We keep taking steps and the program keeps moving up. It’s something we’ve all worked very hard for, and it’s something we’re obviously excited about. We can’t wait for Friday.”
On the team’s preparation this week for Friday’s match against Washington…
“We’ve been working hard all season and will probably keep our preparation pretty much the same. I think everyone is going to come out a little more excited and practice hard to get ready for this weekend. It’s exciting and I think we’re ready for the challenge.”
Junior midfielder Malorie Rutledge
On LSU’s draw in College Station…
“We had a lot of feelings going watching the selection show. We’re excited. It’s kind of new territory with Washington. We don’t really know too much about them, but we know they’re a very good team. We’ve played Texas A&M a few times and we kind of know what to expect if we’re fortunate enough to play them. It’s a tough draw, but that’s what the NCAA Tournament is all about. It should be a lot of fun playing a new team that we don’t really know much about, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
On preparing for an unfamiliar team like Washington…
“We don’t know much about them, and they probably don’t know much about us right now. I’m sure that our coaches will do a great job of scouting to get us prepared. We’re looking forward to a great week of practice and what I’m sure is going to be a fun game on Friday night.”
2008 NCAA Women’s College Cup
First/Second-Round Sites listed
Starts Nov. 16, 2008
LEFT SIDE OF BRACKET
No. 1 Notre Dame (21-0-0) vs. Toledo (16-4-1)
Michigan St. (13-6-3) vs. UW-Milwaukee (18-2-2)
HOST: Notre Dame ? Nov. 14 & 16
Minnesota (20-3-0) vs. Marquette (11-7-3)
South Dakota St. (14-4-1) vs. No. 4 Colorado (14-4-4)
HOST: Minnesota ? Nov. 14 & 16
No. 3 Boston College (13-5-2) vs. Central Connecticut St. (12-6-4)
Northeastern (13-8-1) vs. Harvard (10-3-4)
HOST: Boston College ? Nov. 14 & 16
Auburn (11-8-2) vs. Belmont (13-6-3)
Mississippi Valley St. (9-10-0) vs. No. 2 Florida St. (14-2-3)
HOST: Auburn ? Nov. 14 & 16
No. 2 Portland (17-1-0) vs. Northern Arizona (12-6-3)
Washington St. (10-5-5) vs. Texas (12-3-4)
HOST: Portland ? Nov. 14 & 16
Georgia (11-10-1) vs. James Madison (12-6-2)
Morehead St. (10-8-2) vs. No. 3 Wake Forest (12-7-0)
HOST: Wake Forest ? Nov. 14 & 16
No. 4 Oklahoma St. (17-1-3) vs. Fairfield (15-4-3)
Rutgers (12-6-1) vs. Penn St. (16-7-0)
HOST: Rutgers ? Nov. 14 & 16
Kansas (12-7-2) vs. Denver (19-2-2)
UC Santa Barbara (12-6-3) vs. No. 1 Stanford (18-1-1)
HOST: Stanford ? Nov. 14 & 16
RIGHT SIDE OF BRACKET
No. 1 UCLA (18-0-2) vs. Fresno St. (11-8-2)
San Diego (14-4-2) vs. Long Beach St. (14-3-4)
HOST: UCLA ? Nov. 14 & 16
Virginia Tech (10-8-4) vs. Brigham Young (17-5-0)
Boston U. (15-5-1) vs. No. 4 Southern California (15-4-1)
HOST: Brigham Young ? Nov. 13 & 15
No. 3 Duke (12-5-3) vs. Radford (14-1-6)
William & Mary (14-5-1) vs. South Carolina (11-6-4)
HOST: Duke ? Nov. 14 & 16
West Virginia (13-2-6) vs. Princeton (12-2-2)
Army (12-5-3) vs. No. 2 Virginia (13-4-3)
HOST: Virginia ? Nov. 14 & 16
No. 2 Florida (17-3-1) vs. California (10-8-1)
Central Florida (13-5-3) vs. Miami (10-8-3)
HOST: Florida ? Nov. 14 & 16
LSU (14-3-2) vs. Washington (14-5-1)
Texas St. (12-4-4) vs. No. 3 Texas A&M (15-4-1)
HOST: Texas A&M ? Nov. 14 & 16
No. 4 Missouri (15-5-1) vs. Evansville (13-4-2)
Memphis (15-4-2) vs. Illinois (11-8-1)
HOST: Missouri ? Nov. 14 & 16
UNC Charlotte (17-3-1) vs. Tennessee (10-10-2)
Western Carolina (16-4-3) vs. No. 1 North Carolina (19-1-2)
HOST: North Carolina ? Nov. 14 & 16