Hobart soccer will open the NCAA tournament against Wheaton of Massachusetts at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in Middlebury, Vermont, after earning an at-large bid to the national field.
The Statesmen enter the tournament at 10-3-4. Their Liberty League tournament run ended against Skidmore on penalty kicks, but the at-large selection gives Hobart an opportunity to continue its season on the national stage.
Hobart is making its 11th NCAA tournament appearance. The Statesmen compiled a 5-9-2 record across their previous 10 trips to the tournament.
Wheaton brings an 11-2-6 record into Saturday’s matchup. It secured its place in the NCAA field by winning the NEWMAC championship Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Coast Guard.
This will be Wheaton’s 12th NCAA appearance. In its previous 11 tournament trips, Wheaton posted a combined record of 12-9-3.
The opening-weekend field and schedule
Middlebury will host the four-team opening-weekend group. The Panthers face Saint Joseph’s College of Maine at 11 a.m. Saturday, before Hobart and Wheaton take the field for the day’s second game.
Middlebury earned an at-large bid with a 10-2-3 record. The Panthers are making their 18th NCAA tournament appearance and have a 22-13-8 record in tournament play. Middlebury won the national championship in 2007.
Saint Joseph’s enters at 9-2-8 after securing the Great Northeast Athletic Conference’s automatic bid. The Monks beat Norwich 2-0 on Saturday to earn that berth.
The Monks are making their seventh NCAA appearance and have a 2-5-2 all-time tournament record. Saturday’s two advancing teams will meet at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15.
Tickets cost $15 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Children 2 and younger are admitted free, and an all-sessions pass costs $25.
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