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Illini to Face Memphis in NCAA Opening Round
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Head coach Janet Rayfield and the Illinois soccer team are poised for their sixth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
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Nov. 10, 2008
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois soccer team had to wait until the final bracket was announced Monday evening, but the wait was well worth it as the Illini (11-8-1) will face the Memphis Tigers (15-4-2) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The two teams will meet for the first time in history at 4 p.m. (CT) on Friday, Nov. 14, as fourth-seeded Missouri will host the regional in Columbia, Mo.
Evansville (13-4-2) and Missouri (15-5-1) will round out the opening games at 7 p.m. The winner of each game will meet on Sunday, Nov. 16 for the right to advance to the Round of 16.
"Our team getting in was an acknowledgement of type of schedule we played this year," head coach Janet Rayfield said. " Our non-conference slate and some of the wins we had balanced out some tough conference losses, and the committee acknowledged that we belong. Now we have to prove that's the case."
The Orange and Blue earned their sixth-straight tournament berth and the eighth in the last nine years. The Illini are one of four Big Ten teams in the field of 64, along with Penn State, Minnesota and Michigan State, marking the 13th year in a row that the Big Ten has had at least three representatives in the tournament. In addition, nine of Illinois' 2008 opponents are making NCAA postseason appearances.
Memphis qualified for the tournament for the second consecutive season, earning an automatic bid thanks to back-to-back Conference USA tournament titles. The Tigers are led by forward Lizzy Simonin with nine goals and four assists on the season. Illinois went 1-1 against C-USA this season, falling to UCF while knocking off Colorado College.
North Carolina (19-1-2) claimed the top seed in Illinois' bracket, with Florida (17-3-1) earning the No. 2 seed and Texas A&M (15-4-1) seeded third.
