MONARCHS SEEDED 12TH IN NCAA SOCCER TOURNEY
The Old Dominion men's soccer team received a No.-12 seed in the NCAA Tournament -- the first in program history -- Monday, and received a first-round bye.
The Monarchs, 13-5-2 this season, will host the winner of the Coastal Carolina-Duke game Tuesday, Nov. 23, in the second round. The time of the game will be announced. Duke hosts the first-round game against Coastal Carolina. The Monarchs are in the same bracket as No.-5 seed Notre Dame.
"We're very happy with the seeding," Head Coach Alan Dawson said. "We obviously have the respect of the committee and the country because we play a tough schedule and we win big games."
ODU is one of three CAA teams to make the NCAA Tournament. Hofstra, the CAA Tournament winner, will play at Seton Hall in the first round, while VCU, the 16th seed, will face the winner of the George Washington-North Carolina game.
The Monarchs are 0-1 all-time against Coastal Carolina, suffering a 4-0 loss in the 2002 Stihl Soccer Classic. That loss is the last time the Monarchs have not won at home. ODU currently sports a 26 game home unbeaten streak and a 21 game home winning streak, which ranks No. 9 all-time in NCAA history. ODU is also 0-1 all-time against the Duke Blue Devils, losing 2-0 in 1984.
Notre Dame, the 5th seed, will face the winner of the Ohio State-Memphis game Tuesday night. The game is in Columbus, Ohio. Should ODU advance, the Monarchs will face the winner of that second round game. ODU is 1-0 against Notre Dame, winning 4-1 in 1993 in Norfolk. The Monarchs have never faced Ohio State or Memphis.
"I'm in shock we got the No.-12 seed," Senior Midfielder Kevon Harris said. "I try to play every game with a lot of passion, so it doesn't matter who we face in the second round. We'll be ready."
Two of Coach Dawson's mentors will also be coaching teams in this year's NCAA Tournament. Dawson's high school coach, Barry Gorman, will lead the #10 seeded Penn State Nittany Lions, while Michael Parker will lead the #8 seeded UNC-Greensboro Spartans. Dawson worked as a graduate assistant under Parker in the mid-80s.