Question: what annual event features 64 of the top teams in college athletics, eliminated one-by-one as they compete for a national championship?
Okay, so it's not March Madness. It's the Division I women's soccer tournament. While it doesn't incite the passions of office pools across the country, and while it doesn't get primetime ESPN coverage, it is, unlike its basketball counterpart, a tournament in which Princeton has a chance of advancing beyond the first round.
The Tigers finished the regular season with a 13-2-1 record (6-1-0 Ivy League) and their third consecutive Ivy League title. They will travel this Friday to College Park, Md. to take on Penn State (15-3-1, 9-1-0 Big Ten) at the University of Maryland. The game will mark Princeton's fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.
The NCAA announced the bracket for the tournament on Monday, inviting 64 teams out of over 300 Div. I programs. Stanford and North Carolina took the top two seeds, and Pepperdine and Connecticut came in at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. Defending champion Santa Clara drew the No. 6 seed.
"There are so many factors that go into the pairings, from the obvious – record, strength of schedule – to travel and money considerations," Shackford said.
"I am not entirely surprised we drew Penn State. I think it will be a good challenge for our team and program and the players are really looking forward to it. The University of Maryland has a wonderful field, and the D.C. area is one of the best for soccer enthusiasts."
The first three rounds will be played at campus sites across the country, beginning with first-round play on Friday. The semifinal and final rounds – the NCAA College Cup – will be hosted by the University of Texas at Austin Dec. 6-8.
Other than Princeton, which received the Ivy League's automatic bid by winning the conference championship, two other Ivy teams were invited to the tournament. Dartmouth (12-4-1, 5-2-0) will play Rhode Island on Friday at the University of Connecticut, while Yale (11-4-2, 3-3-1) in its first-ever tournament appearance will travel to Philadelphia to play Villanova.
The Tigers started the season 12-0-0 but lost some momentum over fall break when they suffered two tough defeats, to Harvard and William and Mary. To advance beyond the first round, they will have to find some of the spark they showed in their early games, because Penn State will be a tough opponent.
"Penn State has six dangerous attackers and we will need to defend well, take care of the ball, and, obviously, finish our chances," head coach Julie Shackford said. "It is now a one-game season."
The Nittany Lions will be appearing in their eighth-straight NCAA tournament and have advanced to the fourth round the past four years. The NCAA doesn't officially seed teams after the top eight, but Penn State is ranked No. 12 in the final regular season coaches' poll.
Princeton, which had been ranked as high as No. 15, dropped off after its first loss; Dartmouth, at No. 25, is currently the only ranked Ivy school.
The winner of the Princeton-Penn State game will face the winner of the matchup between American and host Maryland in second-round action on Sunday.
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