Syracuse Earns NCAA Berth, Faces Cornell in Opening Round
11/12/2012 7:35:00 PM | Men's Soccer
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More: NCAA Selection Show | Championship Info
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – For the second time in school history, and the first time since 1984, the SU men's soccer team (12-6-0) has earned a berth in the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. The Orange will face Ivy League champion Cornell (15-1-0) on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at Berman Field in Ithaca.
Syracuse is one of a record eight BIG EAST teams to make the 48-team field, which was announced Monday night on NCAA.com. The Orange earned an at-large invitation following a 12-win regular season (the most victories for the team since 1988) and an appearance in the conference tournament quarterfinals. Cornell received one of the tournament's 22 automatic bids by virtue of winning the Ivy League title.
"To have the opportunity to see your name up there and be invited to the national tournament is a special moment," SU head coach Ian McIntyre said. "This is a special group and I'm very excited for them. We've said all along this is a very honest, committed group. That's why I'm delighted for them that they'll have another opportunity to go out and kick the ball around."
Thursday's opening-round match marks the 67th meeting between the Orange and Big Red. Cornell leads the overall series, 34-25-7, but Syracuse has owned the advantage recently, winning seven of the last nine meetings.
Cornell secured its spot in the tournament Friday, a day before it defeated Columbia to win the Ivy League championship outright. The Big Red won 12 consecutive contests to open the season before losing its only match, 2-0, to Brown on Oct. 20. Big Red forward Daniel Haber is one of the most dynamic players in the country. He leads the NCAA in points per game (2.69) and goals per game (1.13). He also ranks third nationally in total points (43) and goals scored (18).
"They're an outstanding team," McIntyre said of Cornell. "They've won 15 games with only one defeat. To go through the season with one defeat is remarkable. They've played some good teams and they have a number of good players."
Former Syracuse assistant Jaro Zawislan is in his fourth season as the head coach at Cornell. Prior to taking over the Big Red, Zawislan was the Orange's top aide from 2002 to 2008.
The winner of the Syracuse-Cornell match will advance to face 14th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth (12-3-5) in Richmond on Sunday, Nov. 18. The Rams received an at-large bid after reaching the finals of the Atlantic 10 Championship.
The NCAA berth is McIntyre's first at Syracuse, and second overall. In 2005, he directed Hartwick to the national tournament after the Hawks won the Atlantic Soccer Conference championship.
Three of the tournament's top four seeds are from the BIG EAST (Notre Dame, Georgetown and Connecticut). Notre Dame is the No. 1 overall seed, while Georgetown is third and Connecticut is fourth. Maryland earned the No. 2 seed.
This year's NCAA College Cup will be held at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala. The national semifinals are scheduled to be played Dec. 7 with the national championship match slated for Dec. 9.
Brackets: Interactive | Printable
More: NCAA Selection Show | Championship Info
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – For the second time in school history, and the first time since 1984, the SU men's soccer team (12-6-0) has earned a berth in the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. The Orange will face Ivy League champion Cornell (15-1-0) on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at Berman Field in Ithaca.
Syracuse is one of a record eight BIG EAST teams to make the 48-team field, which was announced Monday night on NCAA.com. The Orange earned an at-large invitation following a 12-win regular season (the most victories for the team since 1988) and an appearance in the conference tournament quarterfinals. Cornell received one of the tournament's 22 automatic bids by virtue of winning the Ivy League title.
"To have the opportunity to see your name up there and be invited to the national tournament is a special moment," SU head coach Ian McIntyre said. "This is a special group and I'm very excited for them. We've said all along this is a very honest, committed group. That's why I'm delighted for them that they'll have another opportunity to go out and kick the ball around."
Thursday's opening-round match marks the 67th meeting between the Orange and Big Red. Cornell leads the overall series, 34-25-7, but Syracuse has owned the advantage recently, winning seven of the last nine meetings.
Cornell secured its spot in the tournament Friday, a day before it defeated Columbia to win the Ivy League championship outright. The Big Red won 12 consecutive contests to open the season before losing its only match, 2-0, to Brown on Oct. 20. Big Red forward Daniel Haber is one of the most dynamic players in the country. He leads the NCAA in points per game (2.69) and goals per game (1.13). He also ranks third nationally in total points (43) and goals scored (18).
"They're an outstanding team," McIntyre said of Cornell. "They've won 15 games with only one defeat. To go through the season with one defeat is remarkable. They've played some good teams and they have a number of good players."
Former Syracuse assistant Jaro Zawislan is in his fourth season as the head coach at Cornell. Prior to taking over the Big Red, Zawislan was the Orange's top aide from 2002 to 2008.
The winner of the Syracuse-Cornell match will advance to face 14th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth (12-3-5) in Richmond on Sunday, Nov. 18. The Rams received an at-large bid after reaching the finals of the Atlantic 10 Championship.
The NCAA berth is McIntyre's first at Syracuse, and second overall. In 2005, he directed Hartwick to the national tournament after the Hawks won the Atlantic Soccer Conference championship.
Three of the tournament's top four seeds are from the BIG EAST (Notre Dame, Georgetown and Connecticut). Notre Dame is the No. 1 overall seed, while Georgetown is third and Connecticut is fourth. Maryland earned the No. 2 seed.
This year's NCAA College Cup will be held at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala. The national semifinals are scheduled to be played Dec. 7 with the national championship match slated for Dec. 9.
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