Horizon League Announces Bracket for Men's Soccer Championship Tournament
Oct. 31, 2005
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INDIANAPOLIS -- An automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament is on the line as eight teams compete for the 2005 Horizon League Men's Soccer Championship, which begins with quarterfinal-round action at campus sites Saturday (Nov. 5).
Regular-season champion University of Detroit Mercy enters the League summit as the top seed, based on a 6-1-0 League ledger as part of its 10-5-2 overall mark. UDM has won eight of its last ten matches, and begins the quest for its first NCAA appearance since 1996 when the Titans host eighth seed Cleveland State University at 1 p.m. (EST). Cleveland State opens the tourney at 0-16-1 overall and 0-7-0 in League play.
Defending League titlist University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee holds the second seed and hosts No. 7 seed Butler University at noon (CST / 1 p.m. EST). UW-Milwaukee has played in the last four NCAA Tournaments and carries a 4-2-1 League ledger. The Panthers conclude regular-season action Monday night (Oct. 31) versus Marquette University, trying to improve upon a 9-4-4 overall record. Butler started the season at 9-2-0 but has dropped seven matches in a row to fall to 9-9-0 on the season and 2-5-0 in League play.
The University of Illinois at Chicago earned the third seed, based on a 4-2-1 League mark as part of the Flames' 10-3-2 overall ledger. UIC and UW-Milwaukee shared second place in the regular season but UWM compiled a better goal differential in League play to claim the No. 2 seed. That leaves the Flames to host sixth-seeded University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on Saturday, with action beginning at 1 p.m. (CST / 2 p.m. EST) on the UIC campus. UIC went undefeated (7-0-1) in October and faces local rival Bradley University in its regular-season finale Tuesday night (Nov. 1) while UWGB finished 3-4-0 in League play and brings an 8-8-0 overall mark into Wednesday's (Nov. 2) contest at the University of Wisconsin.
The last quarterfinal pairing has fifth-seeded Loyola University Chicago visiting fourth seed Wright State University for the second consecutive week. Both schools finished 4-3-0 in League play, but WSU earned the tie-breaker advantage with a 2-1 victory over Loyola on Friday (Oct. 28). Wright State had its four-match winning streak end Sunday (Oct. 30) at UIC but the Raiders are 9-9-0 overall with Loyola bringing a 7-8-2 overall ledger into Saturday's match.
The highest seed remaining after the quarterfinal round earns the right to host the remainder of the tournament next weekend. Semifinals are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 11, with the League champion crowned on Sunday, Nov. 13. That team receives the League's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, which begins Nov. 18 at campus sites. The 2005 NCAA Men's College Cup is slated for Dec. 9 and 11 at the SAS Soccer Stadium in Cary, N.C.
For more information regarding the Horizon League Men's Soccer Championship, log on to the Horizon League web site at www.horizonleague.org.
2005 Horizon League Men's Soccer Championship Schedule
Quarterfinals -- Saturday, Nov. 5#8 seed Cleveland State (0-16-1, 0-7-0)at#1 seed Detroit (10-5-2, 6-1-0),1:00 p.m. (EST)#7 seed Butler (9-9-0, 2-5-0)at#2 seed UW-Milwaukee (9-4-4, 4-2-1),1:00 p.m. (EST)#6 seed UW-Green Bay (8-8-0, 3-4-0)at#3 seed UIC (10-3-2, 4-2-1),2:00 p.m. (EST)#5 seed Loyola (7-8-2, 4-3-0)at#4 seed Wright State (9-9-0, 4-3-0),7:00 p.m. (EST)
Semifinals -- Friday, Nov. 11(hosted by top seed remaining after quarterfinal round)Detroit / Cleveland Statevs.Wright State / Loyola winner, Time TBAUIC / UW-Green Bay winnervs.UW-Milwaukee / Butler winner, Time TBA
Championship -- Sunday, Nov. 13Semifinal winners, Time TBA
