Nov. 10, 2008

Complete Release from the NCAA in PDF Format

STANFORD, Calif. - The sixth-ranked Stanford women's soccer team was one of 34 teams to be awarded an at-large bid into the 64-team field of the 2008 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, as announced today by the NCAA.

Stanford received one of the four top seeds, and was one of six teams from the Pac-10 to qualify for the tournament. Second-ranked UCLA, who won the conference's automatic bid with a perfect conference record, also received a No. 1 seed.  California, Washington, Washington State, and USC were the four other Pac-10 teams to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

The road to the College Cup in Cary, N.C. will begin at home for the Cardinal, as it is privileged to host the first and second rounds, and will welcome UC Santa Barbara, Denver, and Kansas to The Farm. First round action will begin Friday, Nov. 14 at 4:30 p.m., when Kansas will take on Denver. Following that match, Stanford will take to the field for a 7 p.m. kickoff, matching up with UC Santa Barbara.

This is the 11th straight season that the Cardinal has advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and it has advanced to the third round the past two seasons. Stanford has only faced the Gauchos one other time in NCAA play, 18 years ago in the first round of 1990's bracket, a game that the Cardinal lost 1-0 in Santa Barbara.  Stanford has only advanced to the College Cup once in the program's history, back in 1993, and has never won a title.

"Santa Barbara is a good team, and we'll need to bring everything we have to defeat them," said head coach Paul Ratcliffe.  "We're happy that we have the chance to play at home in front our fans, and we're happy to have the top seed. Friday's match should be excellent and we're looking forward to it."

Should the Cardinal win Friday's game, they will play the winner of Kansas and Denver Sunday at 1 p.m., also at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.

Tickets are available for both days of competition, and can be purchased at Stanford's ticket office adjacent to the football stadium this week, or at the soccer box office on game day. Purchasing one ticket on Friday will be good for admittance to both first round games, but fans will have to purchase another ticket for Sunday's second round match.  All seats are general admission and the first 1,500 fans to arrive will have access to seating, while any late arriving fans will be directed to standing room only.

For more information on the 27th annual NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship and the 2008 College Cup, please visit the NCAA site or NC State's Tournament Central Page. Another tournament central page hosted by gostanford.com will be available tomorrow.  The complete 64-team bracket can be viewed here.