St. Peter, Minn. – The NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Committee has announced the field of 61 teams for the 2014 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship, which begins Thursday and concludes with the national championship Dec. 6. Earning the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s automatic berth into the tournament, the Gustavus Adophus men’s soccer team will travel to Dubuque, Iowa for its opening match. The Gusties will face Dominican University (Ill.) in the first round on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Loras College (Iowa) has been selected as one of the sites that will host first and second round matches. The other first round match will feature host Loras taking on Westminster College (Mo.) on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.
The Gustavus men’s soccer team is making its third straight and 11th total appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Gusties are 9-7-6 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. In last season’s tournament, Gustavus defeated St. Scholastica 2-1 in overtime in the opening round and then saw its season come to an end with a 1-0 loss to Westminster in the second round.
Forty-two conferences were awarded automatic qualification for the championship. One team was selected from Pool B, which consists of independent institutions, as well as members of conferences that do not meet the requirements for automatic qualification. The final 18 berths were reserved for Pool C, 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 competing institutions. Three first-round games will be conducted Nov. 13 with the winners advancing to play Nov. 16 against three teams that earned first-round byes. Thirteen sites will host four teams for first-and second-round competition Nov. 15-16. Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites Nov. 22-23
SCHEDULE
Saturday, November 15
5:00 p.m. – Westminster College vs. Loras College
7:30 p.m. – Dominican University vs. Gustavus Adolphus College
Sunday, November 16
5:00 p.m. – Winners of first round matches.
LIVE COVERAGE
Live video/stats for all this weekend’s games will be produced by the Loras Sports Information Department.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the games will be $6 for adults, $3 for seniors (55+), military personnel, and students. Gates will open at 4 p.m. on Saturday.