UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State women’s soccer team (17-3-1) earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, as the bracket was announced late Monday (Nov. 5) afternoon. Penn State will open the 64-team tournament on Saturday as it hosts Long Island-Brooklyn on Saturday at 6 p.m. on Jeffrey Field.
With the No. 1 seed, Penn State is eligible to host all of its games up until the 2012 College Cup, which will be held in San Diego, Calif. Penn State is a No. 1 seed for the first time since the 2007 season.
Walsh guided the Nittany Lions to their 15th-straight Big Ten regular season title and fifth ever undefeated Big Ten season. Walsh earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for the second time in her career, last winning it in 2009. Senior Christine Nairn (Arnold, Md.) earned her first ever Midfielder of the Year honor and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team, as she leads the Nittany Lions with 36 points this season. Nairn currently sits third in the conference in points, fourth in goals and tied for third in assists and is on the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy watch list.
Junior Maya Hayes (West Orange, N.J.) is coming off her second-straight Big Ten Forward of the Year honor, as she has added offense to the Nittany Lion lineup since her return from the U-20 World Cup where she scored four goals in helping USA to a gold medal. Hayes is tied for sixth in the conference in goals, but has played seven less games than the leader.
Sophomore defender Whitney Church (Ashburn, Va.) has anchored the Nittany Lion defensive backfield as she earned All-Big Ten recognition as she picked up Defender of the Year honors. The sophomore had big shoes to fill when senior defenders Lexi Matron (Aurora, Ontario) and Jackie Molinda (Pittsburgh, Pa.) went down early in the season to ACL injuries. Acting as the center back, Church has done a stellar job anchoring a Nittany Lion defense that has posted eight shutouts this season.
The 31st annual Women’s College Cup will be played Nov. 30 and Dec. 2 at Torero Stadium in San Diego, Calif., with University of San Diego serving as host. The first national semifinal will be played at 8:30 p.m. ET and be shown live on ESPN3.com and in tape delay on ESPNU Sunday, Dec. 2 at 2:30 p.m. ET. The second semifinal will begin at approximately 11 p.m. ET live on ESPNU. The national championship match will take place Sunday, Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. ET and will also be broadcast live on ESPNU.
Fans can purchase tickets at the gate for all games. Tickets prices are $8 for adult, $5 for student/youth and $3 for groups with 15 or more in their party.
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