Bracket Set for 2005 Horizon League Women's Soccer Championship

Oct. 31, 2005

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Regular-season champion University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will be the number-one seed in the 2005 Horizon League Women's Soccer Championship, which will be held this Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 3-6, at Aldo Santaga Stadium on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the League office announced Monday (Oct. 31).


UW-Milwaukee (10-4-3, 6-0-1 Horizon League), which enters the tournament riding a nine-game unbeaten streak, will play the first match of the tournament versus eighth-seed Cleveland State University (0-17-6, 0-6-1) Thursday at 11 a.m. Central Time. The top-seed Panthers, who have now won six straight regular-season titles, outscored their League opponents 17-3 with four shutouts. The Vikings ended a 36-game losing streak with a scoreless tie Sunday against Youngstown State University in both teams' regular-season finale.


Following the opening match, fourth-seed Wright State University (11-4-3, 4-1-2) will face fifth-seed Butler University (7-9-2, 2-5-0) at 1:30 p.m. The Raiders have won a League-high five straight matches entering the tournament and have lost only once in their last 12 matches (8-1-3) while winning a League-best 11 matches during the regular season. They also provided the only blemish on UW-Milwaukee's League slate, tying the Panthers 1-1 on Oct. 9. The Bulldogs dropped their final two contests after winning three of their previous four.


Second-seed University of Detroit Mercy (8-4-4, 5-1-1), the tournament's defending champion, will battle seventh-seed Youngstown State (1-17-1, 1-5-1) at 4 p.m. in the third quarterfinal. The Titans, who defeated the University of Michigan in the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament, have lost just once in their past nine matches (5-1-3). The Penguins, meanwhile went 0-4-1 to end the regular season after beating Butler 2-0 Oct. 8.


In the nightcap, host and third-seed UW-Green Bay (9-8-1, 5-2-0) will meet sixth-seed Loyola University Chicago (7-9-1, 2-5-0) at 6:30 p.m. The Phoenix won its last four League matches -- all by shutout -- after starting 1-2 and posted a 4-3 record on its home pitch this season. The Ramblers, who claimed the 2003 tournament title, won two of their final three matches, including a 1-0 victory over Northwestern University Oct. 23.


The semifinals will be played Friday at 4 and 6:30 p.m. with the championship match scheduled for Sunday at noon.


The tournament champion receives the Horizon League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which will begin Nov. 11 at campus sites. The 2005 NCAA Women's College Cup will be held Dec. 2 and 4 at the Aggie Soccer Complex in College Station, Texas.

2005 Horizon League Women's Soccer Championship Schedule

Quarterfinals -- Thursday, Nov. 3
Quarterfinal 1 - #1 UW-Milwaukee (10-4-3, 6-0-1) vs. #8 Cleveland State (0-17-1, 0-6-1), 11 a.m.
Quarterfinal 2 - #4 Wright State (11-4-3, 4-1-2) vs. #5 Butler (7-9-2, 2-5-0), 1:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal 3 - #2 Detroit (8-4-4, 5-1-1) vs. #7 Youngstown State (1-17-1, 1-5-1), 4 p.m.
Quarterfinal 4 - #3 UW-Green Bay (9-8-1, 5-2-0) vs. #6 Loyola (7-9-1, 2-5-0), 6:30 p.m.

Semifinals -- Friday, Nov. 4
Semifinal 1 - Winner, Quarterfinal 1 vs. Winner, Quarterfinal 2, 4 p.m.
Semifinal 2 - Winner, Quarterfinal 3 vs. Winner, Quarterfinal 4, 6:30 p.m.

Championship -- Sunday, Nov. 6
Winner, Semifinal 1 vs. Winner, Semifinal 2, 12 p.m.
All times Central