Four SAC schools make NCAA DII Men’s Soccer Tournament

ROCK HILL, SC -- The NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Committee announced today the field of 32 teams for the 2006 Division II Men's Soccer Championship, with four South Atlantic Conference teams making the field.

Lenoir-Rhyne College (18-1), fresh off its Food Lion SAC Tournament title, will host the four-team Appalachian Region, which will be made up of SAC representatives. The Bears will play Catawba (11-8) in the opening round.

Conference regular-season champion Carson-Newman (14-1-2) is the region's second seed and will face Lincoln Memorial University (13-1-2) in the other region semifinal.

Four teams were selected from each of the eight regions. Teams from the same region will be paired for first- and second-round competition, which will be conducted November 2-5 on campus sites. Quarterfinals will be held on campus sites and completed by November 12. The semifinals and final will be played November 16 and 18 at the Brosnaham Park in Pensacola, Florida. The championship will be part of the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival, which also features national championships for women's soccer, field hockey, men's and women's cross country, and women's volleyball. The host institution for the festival will be the University of West Florida. For ticket information call 850/434-2800 or go to www.goargos.com/NCAAfestival. In the 2005 championship, Fort Lewis College claimed its first championship title with a 3-1 victory over Franklin Pierce College.

Championship bracket

The first- and second-round dates, sites and team match-ups are as follows:

Appalachian Region
Site: Lenoir-Rhyne College, November 2 and 4
Hickory, North Carolina

Teams:
1. Lenoir-Rhyne (18-1-0)
2. Carson-Newman (14-1-2)
3. Lincoln Memorial (13-1-2)
4. Catawba (11-8-0)

Thursday November 2
Game No. 1 - Carson-Newman vs. Lincoln Memorial, 10 a.m.
Game No. 2 - Lenoir-Rhyne vs. Catawba, 1 p.m.

Saturday, November 4
Winner of Game No. 1 vs. Winner of Game No. 2, 1 p.m.