The Gustavus men’s soccer team, which earned an automatic berth into the 2006 NCAA National Tournament by winning the MIAC Playoff Tournament this past Saturday, has been chosen to host a four-team regional tournament this Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 11 and 12. The other three teams coming to St. Peter for the weekend are Wartburg College, Loras College, and North Park University.
Saturday’s game schedule has Gustavus playing Loras at 11:00 am and then Wartburg will face North Park 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Gustavus/Loras match.
The two winners will play on Sunday at 1:00 pm. The winner of Sunday’s regional final will advance to NCAA Tournament Sectional play the following weekend (Nov. 17, 18, or 19) at a site to be determined.
Quick Team Summaries
Gustavus tied for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title with a record of 9-1-0 and then won the MIAC Playoff Tournament with a 2-0 win over Hamline last Saturday. The Gusties, who advanced to the NCAA Championship match last year before falling to Messiah 1-0, will be making their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament and seventh all-time. Gustavus enters the tournament with a record of 17-2-1 overall.
Wartburg shared the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season title with Loras with a record of 7-1-0 and then won the IIAC Playoff Touranment with a 2-1 win over Loras in overtime. The Knights, who will be making their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA, advanced to the NCAA Sectionals last year before losing to Whitworth 3-0. Wartburg enters the tournament with a a record of 17-2-1 overall.
Loras share the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season title with Wartburg with a mark of 7-1-0 and then lost to the Knights in the IIAC Playoff Tournament Championship game 2-1 in overtime. Loras, which received an at-large bid into this year’s tournament, will be making its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Duhawks advanced to the NCAA Sectionals last year before losing to Gustavus 3-0 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Loras enters the tournament with a record of 13-4-2.
North Park won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin regular season title with a record of 6-0-1, however the Vikings were upset in the CCIW Playoff Tournament semifinals 1-0 by Augustana. North Park received an at-large bid to this year’s tournament. The Vikings will be making their second appearance in NCAA Tournament. Last year, North Park lost a first round match to Macalester 1-0. The Vikings enter this year’s tournament with a record of 14-2-2.
The Gustavus Athletic Department will be video streaming each match of the regional tournament. You can access the broadcast through this link.
Ticket prices for the tournament will be $6 for adults, $3 for students with an ID, $2 for children ages 3-12.