U-M Earns No. 11 Seed in NCAA Tournament
11/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The NCAA announced today (Monday, Nov. 17) that the University of Michigan men's soccer team has received an at-large bid into the 2008 NCAA Championship. The NCAA bid is Michigan's third overall and first since the 2004 campaign. The Wolverines, who entered last week ranked No. 10 in the nation,hold a current record of 12-5-3 to earn the 11th seed in the tournament -- the program's highest national-tournament seeding -- and have earned a first-round bye. U-M will host the winner of theDenver vs. UC Davisfirst-round contest on Tuesday, Nov.25, at 2 p.m. at the U-M Soccer Complex. Denver and UC Davis will meet in Sacramento, Calif., on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 1 p.m.
The Wolverines have played Denver once all-time, a 1-0 Michigan victory on Sept. 4, 2005, in East Lansing, Mich., but have never played UC Davis. The No. 11 seed betters the No. 12 seed U-M earned in 2003. Michigan reached the 2004 national tournament unseeded.
Fiveof the seven Big Ten Conference squads made the 48-team NCAA field. Indiana and Michigan State also received first-round byes, while Ohio State will travel to Oakland (Mich.)in the first round and Northwestern will host Loyola (Ill.) in the first round.
The NCAA third and quarterfinal rounds will be held at campus sites. Third-round matchups will be played Nov. 29-30 and quarterfinals will be held Dec. 5-7. The four semifinalists will descend on Frisco, Texas, Dec. 10-12, for the NCAA College Cup, hosted by Southern Methodist University and FC Dallas of Major League Soccer.
Complete Bracket
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Steve Burns
On his feeling watching the team react to the seeding... "These are moments, where all of the work and the long nights and the time away family and all that you sacrifice as a coach, that make you feel absolutely fulfilled. When you see these kinds of moments, the way the guys light up. I think some of them were a little surprised that we had the number 11 seed, but overall it is a good seed for us and it is a draw against two good teams."
On earning a first-round bye... "The bye really removes any lingering doubt that the players may have had in their heads on whether or not they felt that outside of our team people had respect for the University of Michigan men's soccer team. I think that is just an important piece because when you are a seeded team you have to act like a seeded team and play like a seeded team, which means play well. It puts a little pressure on them, which is good."
Contact: Ryan Sosin, Jeremy Reid (734) 763-4423
