Press release written by sports information graduate intern Mary Kate Rumbaugh
NEWARK, Del. – For the third time in five years, the Wilmington University men's soccer team has earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Division II Super Region 1 Tournament, earning the No. 5 seed in the 2019 bracket.
Wilmington (17-2-1) will head to the National Tournament for the second consecutive year as the No. 5 seed. Last year, the Wildcats defeated No. 4 Le Moyne, 4-1, before falling to No. 9 Adelphi, 2-1. This year, the men will head to Rindge, New Hampshire to take on No. 4 Franklin Pierce on Saturday, November 23 for a 3:00 p.m. matchup. The winner of the first round of No. 8 Millersville and No. 9 Post on Thursday will take on top seeded Adelphi in the second round, before taking on the winner of Wilmington and Franklin Pierce.
Franklin Pierce will host the game at Sodexo Field on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.
This is the first year using the new bracket format, as the NCAA combined two regions to form four Super Regions. The East is combined with the Atlantic Region for the Super Region 1 title.
The other half of the bracket will be hosted by No. 2 Gannon, who will face the winner of No. 7 West Chester and No. 10 Assumption, and No. 3 Charleston (WV), who will face off with No. 6 Mercy on Saturday afternoon.
Franklin Pierce finished 13-3-2 overall this season, and second in the NE10 Conference. The Ravens defeated Bentley in the quarterfinals of the NE10 Tournament, 5-1, but fell in the semifinal to Saint Rose in penalty kicks.
This is the fifth time in program history for Wilmington's men's soccer team to reach the NCAA DII East Regional Tournament. They also went to the dance in 2009, 2013, 2015, and 2018, advancing to the Second Round in each year.
Link to the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament Bracket.
More information regarding the NCAA Tournament will be published on athletics.wilmu.edu later this week.
Super Region 1
1. Adelphi (15-2-1)
2. Gannon (17-2-1)
3. Charleston (WV) (17-2-1)
4. Franklin Pierce (13-3-2)
5. Wilmington (17-2-1)
6. Mercy (14-3-3)
7. West Chester (14-4-1)
8. Millersville (13-5-2)
9. Post (14-3-3)
10. Assumption (12-7)