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NCAA Releases Tournament Pairings, Schedules

Grantham, PA — National tournament brackets for fall sports were released by the NCAA Monday, detailing post-season information for men’s and women’s soccer and field hockey.

Receiving automatic bids via conference championships in each of the three sports, Messiah will host both field hockey and women’s soccer contests this weekend, while the Falcons’ men’s soccer team will take to the road for first- and second-round play.

Messiah’s field hockey program — ranked number one in the latest STX/NFHCA Top 25 Poll — will host second- and third-round action at Anderson Field both Saturday and Sunday. Messiah (14-1) will play Eastern University (15-6) at 10 a.m. Saturday while Rowan University (14-4) will face Trinity College (13-3) at 1 p.m. The winners of those two games will then meet Sunday at 1 p.m. for the right to advance to the Final Four.

Receiving a bye in first-round play this year, Messiah makes its 22nd consecutive national tournament appearance, and is looking for its first national championship after claiming runner-up finishes in 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001, 1995 and 1984. Rowan, meanwhile, makes its 16th trip to the Big Dance and fourth consecutive.

Both the Eastern-Skidmore contest and Trinity-Neumann game will be played Wednesday evening at Skidmore and Trinity, respectively.

Head coach Scott Frey guides his women’s soccer program to its ninth straight NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend, also receiving a bye in the first round en route to hosting a single game Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m. Messiah — ranked second in the latest NSCAA/Adidas Top 25 Poll — will face NCAA Tournament first-timer Washington & Jefferson College (15-5-2).

Messiah (19-0-2) has advanced to five of the last six Final Fours, winning the 2005 national championship while advancing to last season’s title contest before falling to Wheaton College by a 1-0 score.

The Falcons’ men’s soccer side will have to do its damage on the road if it wants to add to its collection of five national championships, as Messiah (16-2-2) will travel to the University of Rochester this weekend for first- and second-round play. The Falcons will face off against Medaille College (13-5-2) Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. The host Yellowjackets will play Castleton State University (11-8-1) at 5 p.m. Saturday. The winners of those two tilts will then meet at 6 p.m. Sunday for a right to advance to sectional competition.

Head coach Dave Brandt has led Messiah — ranked eighth in the latest NSCAA/Adidas Top 25 Poll — to 12 straight NCAA Tournament appearances with this berth, winning the national title in 2006, 2005, 2004, 2002 and 2000. The Falcons have made it to the Final Four in seven of the last eight years for nine appearances overall.

Tickets for all NCAA post-season events are $6 for adults, $3 for students with I.D. and senior citizens and $2 for children ages three to 12. Children under three years of age are admitted free.

Fans can find direct links to opposing teams’ websites through GoMessiah.com’s schedule pages. WVMM will broadcast the men’s soccer games from the University of Rochester live on 90.7 FM and via streaming audio on the World Wide Web. The Falcons’ women’s soccer game Sunday night would be aired pending a men’s soccer loss Saturday.