Men's Soccer to Play Intrastate Foe Wesleyan University in NCAA Tournament First Round
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team, which captured its second Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship in program history this past Saturday, was selected to play intrastate foe Wesleyan University (Wesleyan) in the First Round of the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament at host Babson College in Babson Park, Mass. The Blue Jays looked on in anticipation during the squad's viewing party, as each of the 64 teams in the bracket were revealed Monday afternoon in a live selection show on www.NCAA.com.
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Babson College was selected to host the first and second round games from November 16-17, with games to be played on Hartwell-Rogers Field in Babson Park, Mass. The Blue Jays will play the Cardinals in the second game on Saturday, November 16 at 1:00 p.m. Joining USJ, Babson and Wesleyan is St. John Fisher, who will play the host Beavers at 10:30 a.m. The single-elimination tournament continues on Sunday November 17, with the two winners going head-to-head at 1:00 p.m. for the right to advance to the Sectional Round the following weekend.
THE COMPETITION
The regional features the nationally-ranked Babson College Beavers and boasts three conference champions and one at-large bid. The Beavers, who were ranked No. 11 in the most recent United Soccer Coaches National Poll, won the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), while St. John Fisher won the Empire 8 conference and USJ took home its second Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship in program history this past Saturday. Wesleyan is the lone at-large team in the Babson Park Regional, as the Cardinals fell in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Quarterfinals to Williams.
BABSON
The nationally-ranked No. 11 Beavers (14-1-6) earned its way into the NCAA Tournament after defeating Salve Regina, 2-0, in the NEWMAC Championship Game this past Saturday. It will mark the fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for the Beavers and the 32nd in program history. Babson has won three national championships in its program history, and last lifted the NCAA Title in 1980.
ST. JOHN FISHER
The Cardinals (11-4-5) secured their spot in the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament after defeating Elmira College, 2-0, in the Empire 8 Championship game this past Saturday. The apperance will mark only the second time in program history that St. John Fisher will appear in the NCAA Tournament, and the first since 2016.
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WESLEYAN
The Cardinals (7-4-5) received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, after falling to Williams in the NESCAC Quarterfinals on November 2. Wesleyan will make their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament all-time, and first since 2012.
USJ
The Blue Jays (14-4-3) won their second GNAC Championship this past Saturday, taking down Johnson & Wales, 2-1. It marks the second conference championship for the Blue Jays in the past three seasons. It also marked the 16th overall GNAC title in USJ school history across all sports. The Blue Jays will be making their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2022.
THE TOURNAMENT
Forty-three conferences were awarded automatic qualification for the championship. 1 team will be selected from Pool B. The other 20 berths were reserved for Pool C with, which includes institutions from automatic-qualifying conferences that did not win their conference championship and any remaining Pool B teams.
All tournament games leading up to the national semifinals will be played on the campuses of the competing institutions. Sixteen sites will host four teams for first-and second-round competition from Nov. 16-17.
Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites that will be played from Nov. 23-24. Winners of the four sectionals will advance to the national semifinals, which take place Dec. 5 at Peter Johann Memorial Field in Las Vegas, Nev. The national championship game will be played Dec. 7.
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UP NEXT
The Blue Jays will compete in the First Round of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament against Wesleyan University on Saturday, November 16. Kickoff against the Cardinals at Hartwell-Rogers Field in Babson Park, Mass., is slated for 1:00 p.m. Ticket information for the match is coming soon.
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