Florida Soccer Plays Host to Western Michigan Saturday for NCAA Opening Round
Saturday, November 14, 2015 | Soccer
GAINESVILLE, Florida – No. 2 region seed Florida and Western Michigan meet for the first time this Saturday for NCAA Opening Round play. Start time is set for 7 p.m. ET at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
Both teams earned their conference's NCAA automatic berth by winning their league tournament title last weekend.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for children (12 and under), senior citizen and students. The first 200 UF students showing a Gator1 identification are admitted free.
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| NCAA Championships Opening Round No. 2 regional seed Florida (17-3-1, 8-2-1 SEC) versus Western Michigan (14-3-4, 8-1-2 MAC)
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| @UFGatorSoccer (Becky Burleigh) |
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NCAA Play at Dizney Stadium
NCAA soccer action will again be played at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium in 2015. The Gators also played three rounds of 2014 NCAA action at Dizney Stadium.
The Gator soccer team played two 2015 regular-season matches at the Dizney Stadium to make the venue available if the Gators received a NCAA bid.
NCAA Action Starts This Weekend:
UF is one of 32 programs playing host to 2015 NCAA First Round action this weekend. The tournament schedule for the next four weeks is 1-2-1-2. First round play will be Nov. 13, 14 or 15. The second and third rounds of play will be conducted next weekend (Nov. 20 and 22) at eight campus sites. NCAA Quarterfinal action will be held Nov. 27, 28 or 29 on four campus sites with the Women's College Cup set for Dec. 4 & 6 at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. This is the seventh time the NCAA Women's College Cup will be played in Cary.
Here's how to follow the Gators
Can't be in Gainesville for Saturday's match? Here's how to follow the action:
· Follow the stream of the Florida-WMU match on SEC Network +. Adam Schick and Matthew Stubbington will call the action for SEC Network +.
· Hear former Gator goalkeeper Taylor Burke and Joel Sebastianelli's call of the match on ESPN 95.3FM/850AM or GatorZone.com.
Gators Win SEC Tournament:
Florida claimed its 11th Southeastern Conference Tournament title on Nov. 8 in Orange Beach, Alabama, with a 2-1 win over Texas A&M. Florida also posted wins versus Vanderbilt (Nov. 4 / 2-1) and then No. 19 Auburn (Nov. 6 / 2-0) to advance to the SEC Tournament final. Florida placed the same four players who earned 2015 All-SEC honors on the SEC All-Tournament team. Senior Christen Westphal was named the SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player. She provided Florida with the game-winning goals in the semifinal and final matches as well as an assist in each of Florida's three tournament matches. Westphal, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, is the 13th Gator to earn SEC Tournament MVP honors and only the second UF defender to claim the honor. Joining her on the All-Tournament team was SEC Offensive Player of the Year Savannah Jordan who scored goals in UF's first two tournament wins. Midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard and defender Claire Falknor also earned SEC All-Tournament honors.
Jordan's goal pushed her career total to 62 – which stands fourth on Florida's and SEC career charts. Jordan is the first Gator to move into the program's top four for career goals in 14 seasons as Florida's two leaders – Abby Wambach (96) and Andi Sellers (71) - both finished their collegiate careers in 2001.
Two Gators are among the NCAA and SEC offensive leaders. Jordan leads in goals (21) and points (48) while Westphal tops the assist list (13). Sharp also checks in tied for sixth for goals (11) and tied for seventh in points (26). Jordan is No. 2 nationally for goals and points. Westphal is among nation's top four with her 13 assists.
About the Western Michigan Broncos:
Western Michigan earned a NCAA Championship automatic bid by winning the 2015 Mid-American Conference Tournament title with a 2-0 win over Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 8 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is the second MAC Tournament title for the Broncos in the last three seasons. WMU finished second in the MAC regular-season standings with its 8-1-2 league record.
Western Michigan is making its third NCAA appearance in 2015 as the Broncos advanced to NCAA Second Round action in 2003 and 2013.
Sophomore Emma Kahn, a 2015 All-MAC second-team selection, leads the Broncos with 26 points and 12 goals. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Stephanie Heber has started 21 matches in 2015, owns a GAA of 0.63 and has turned in 11 shutouts.
The Broncos are led by 2015 MAC Coach of the Year Nate Norman, who is in his fourth season at WMU.
Team Records:
Florida: 17-3-1, 8-2-1 SEC
WMU: 14-3-4, 8-1-2 MAC
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 5 on the November 10 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
