THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.– Cal Lutheran earned an at-large berth in the 2019 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship and will host UC Santa Cruz in the opening round of the tournament. Despite falling in the SCIAC Championship game to No. 8 Pomona-Pitzer, the Regals posted an impressive 12-3-3 record (9-2-3 SCIAC) while boasting a strong strength-of-schedule.
Regal Report
CLU has enjoyed a very successful 2019 season, finishing second in the conference to a very talented Pomona-Pitzer side. The Regals managed to edge the Sagehens on Oct. 16 by a score line of 3-1. Winning four of their last five matches, Cal Lutheran comes into this match playing some of their best soccer. The Regals will be a tough team to match up against in this stage of the tournament as they are currently unbeaten at William Rolland Stadium (8-0-1) this season. Defense will be a key for CLU due to their impressive record (11-1-3) when allowing one goal or fewer.
About UC Santa Cruz
The Banana Slugs of UC Santa Cruz earned the highly-coveted Pool B bid to the NCAA Tournament, a bid reserved for a team not affiliated with an intercollegiate conference. UCSC has posted a very good record to this point (13-3-2). However, the Banana Slugs do not have a strong strength-of-schedule due to their lack of conference opponents. UC Santa Cruz should not be taken lightly as they pulled out a 1-1 draw against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Sept. 8.
About Emory (Ga.)
Making the long journey from the southern United States to California, Emory (Ga.) has an impressive resumé that got them a spot as another at-large team in the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles are 13-4 and spent a great deal of time in the top-25 this season. Emory does not have any like-opponents to Cal Lutheran, but will likely be a tough matchup this weekend.
About CMS
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps snuck into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection after their solid strength-of-schedule and results against highly-ranked teams in the region. Coming into the tournament with a record of 10-4-3 (6-4-2 SCIAC), the Athenas have been a difficult team to play all season long. The Regals have struggled against their conference foes, narrowly earning a point on their home grounds on Sept. 28, equalizing with less than 10 minutes to play. This was Cal Lutheran's only game at William Rolland Stadium this season in which they did not notch a victory. On Oct. 23, the Athenas edged the Regals 1-0.
TOURNAMENT INFO
Place: Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Site: William Rolland Stadium
Price: $10 general admission, $5 students (with student ID)
Game 1: 11/16 - CLU vs. UCSC – 5 p.m.
Game 2: 11/16 - Emory (Ga.) vs CMS - 7:30 p.m.
Game 3: 11/17 – Winner G1 vs. Winner G2 – 7 p.m.
The winner of Game 3 on Sunday night will advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
NCAA Tournament: Tournament Bracket
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Release by Jeff Rebello, Assistant Sports Information Director