WILMINGTON, N.C. - The UNC Wilmington women's soccer team will face Georgia in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship after the 64-field team was announced Monday night.
The Seahawks and Bulldogs will square off Friday in a 7;30 p.m. kickoff at UNC Chapel Hill's Fetzer Field with the host Tar Heels, one of four number one seeds in the tournament, taking on High Point at 5 p.m. in the other first-round contest of the Chapel Hill Regional. The winners of the two first-round games will meet in the second round Sunday at 1 p.m. Ticket information will be announced on Tuesday.
"Georgia is a fantastic team and they play in one of the best women's soccer conferences in the country," said UNCW Head Coach Paul Cairney. "Patrick Baker is one of the finest coaches in the country, so we know it's going to be a tough game."
Winners of its last five contests, the Seahawks qualified for their first NCAA Tournament appearance by winning the 2009 Colonial Athletic Association Women's Soccer Championship Sunday with a 1-0 victory over James Madison. UNCW, who tied a program record for victories in a season with the championship game victory against the Dukes, will take a 13-7-1 overall record into Friday's matchup.
The Bulldogs, one of five Southeastern Conference schools to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, carry a 14-5-1 overall record into the postseason as it earned an at-large bid following a 3-2 setback to tournament champion South Carolina in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
Georgia is making its sixth overall appearance and its third appearance in as many seasons as it holds an all-time NCAA record of 4-6-1. The Bulldogs dropped its opening-round game in 2008 to James Madison by a 1-0 score in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Friday's contest will mark the first meeting between the two programs. The two sides shared three common opponents on the schedule this season as UNCW fell to South Carolina, 2-0, in the championship game of the Carolina's Cup, while Georgia defeated Northeastern, 1-0, to claim the Georgia Nike Invitational and defeated Georgia State, 3-0, in non-conference action.
The NCAA Tournament field was made up of the 30 conference tournament champions and 34 at-large teams, making up the field of 64. The tournament will culminate with the Final Four in College Station, Texas, on Dec. 4 and a national champion being crowned on Dec. 6.
