After defeating Loyola in penalty kicks to win the Missouri Valley Conference Title, the University of Evansville women’s soccer team found out its NCAA Tournament on Monday afternoon as the Purple Aces will head to Tallahassee, Fla. to face the top national seed – Florida State.
The NCAA Tournament match will take place at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, November 13 in Tallahassee.
“We’re excited, obviously it will be a challenge,†Aces head coach Krista McKendree said. “The speed and physical play is something that we have not faced this season, but I think our girls will be energized enough to go out there and put their girls under some pressure as much as possible.â€
Florida State earned its third ACC Tournament Championship in a row thanks to a victory over top-seeded Virginia on Sunday. The Seminoles took down the Cavaliers by a 7-6 tally in penalty kicks to earn the win. The defending national champions went 14-2-4 in 2015 and their victory on Sunday came against a 16-1-2 Cavalier squad.
“It is not surprising to me that we are playing such a high seed,†McKendree continued. “I was expecting one of the very top teams and we’ll be ready to play.â€
Evansville earned its fifth NCAA appearance thanks to a victory over Loyola by a 5-3 tally in penalty kicks on Sunday. UE’s other appearances in the tournament came in 1998, 1999, 2001 and, most recently, 2008.
Sunday’s win gave the Aces their seventh Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship and the first since defeating Indiana State by a 2-0 final in 2008. UE won the league tournament each season from 1996 through 1999 and again in 2001.
The winner of Friday evenings match will take on either LSU or South Alabama in the second round, which will take place between Nov. 20 and 22.
