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BYU, Utah and UNLV to Represent MWC in 2005 Women's Soccer Championship
Three teams advance for first time in conference history
Nov. 7, 2005 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - BYU, Utah and UNLV will represent the Mountain West Conference in the 2005 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship. The 2005 tournament marks the first time in conference history that three teams will advance to NCAA postseason play. UNLV earned the conference's automatic bid to the tournament after defeating New Mexico, 1-0, in the MWC Soccer Championship, Nov. 5, in Las Vegas, Nev. Utah earned an at-large bid from the NCAA committee after winning the MWC regular-season title with a 6-0-1 record, while BYU's impressive 15-2-3 overall record earned them a berth. UNLV, with a 13-6-3 record, travels to Fullerton, Calif., to take on third-seeded and 17th ranked Cal State Fullerton in first-round action, Friday, Nov. 11. USC and Gonzaga face each other in the second opening round game. The winner of the UNLV/Cal State Fullerton game will play the winner of the USC/Gonzaga game on Sunday, Nov. 13. No. 14 BYU (15-2-3) and No. 22 Utah (14-6-1) will both see first-round action in Salt Lake City, Utah. BYU will face-off against Weber State on Thursday, Nov. 10, while Utah hosts Arizona. Both pairs of teams have already met this season, as BYU defeated Weber State at home 5-1, Sept. 2, and Utah fell to Arizona 1-0 (OT), Sept. 16. The first-round winners will play Saturday, Nov. 12. BYU is making its eighth appearance in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship (1997, 98, 99, 2000, 01, 02, 03, 05). In BYU's last appearance, the Cougars defeated Colorado, Idaho State and Villanova before falling to Connecticut in the Elite Eight. Utah is making its fourth straight appearance in the championship (2002, 03, 04, 05). The Utes fell in the first round to Colorado, 3-0, last year. UNLV will be making its second trip (2004, 05), following last year's first-round loss to San Diego in overtime. With BYU, Utah and UNLV in the 2005 field, the Mountain West Conference now has 16 appearances all-time in the NCAA Soccer Championship. Overall, the conference holds a 9-12-2 record in the tournament. All first and second round matches in the 64-team tournament will take place at campus sites on either Thursday, Nov. 10 and Saturday, Nov. 12, or Friday, Nov. 11 and Sunday, Nov. 13. Third-round matches will be played on campus sites Nov. 18, 19 or 20, while quarterfinal matches will be Nov. 25, 26 or 27. The 24th annual NCAA Division I Women's College Cup will be played December 2 and 4 at the Aggie Soccer Complex in College Station, Texas. Texas A&M University is the host of the championship. The four No. 1 seeds in the 2005 NCAA Championship are Penn State, Portland, North Carolina and UCLA. In the tournament, 29 teams received automatic bids, while 35 teams received an at-large berth. The ACC received the most selections with seven. For more information or the complete NCAA Women's Soccer Championship bracket, please log on to www.ncaasports.com.
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