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Duke Receives NCAA Tournament Bid; Will Battle VCU On Friday In Charlottesville, Va.
11/8/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Nov. 8, 2004
NCAA Bracket in PDF Format
DURHAM, N.C. - For the 11th time in school history, the Duke women's soccer team received an at-large invitation to play in the NCAA Tournament on Monday and will travel to Charlottesville, Va., on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. match against Virginia Commonwealth. The contest will be played at Klockner Stadium.
"We are not disappointed as you are always excited to be in the NCAA Tournament," said Duke Head Coach Robbie Church. "The tournament is a great reward for a season well done. There are a lot of really good teams that are not in this tournament. We thought we would have been at home [for the first two rounds] and thought we did enough, on the field, to warrant to be able to stay home. The way [the bracket] is set up regarding locations, it takes away from some of the best teams to stay at home."
Virginia Commonwealth enters the NCAA Tournament with a 15-6 record and is coming off winning its first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title on Sunday with a 3-1 victory over William & Mary. The Rams will be making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Devils own a 13-7-0 overall record and finished fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with a 5-4 mark. Duke advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Championship over the weekend before falling to North Carolina, 4-2.
"I think we got a really tough draw and there is no question about it," said Church. "We are a very good team also and will be will ready to match-up with anyone who is out there."
On the season Duke has been led by senior Casey McCluskey who has collected 16 goals and seven assists for 39 points, as well as a stellar defense that has registered 11 shutouts on the year. The Blue Devils own 13 different players who have scored one or more goals this season. Junior Carolyn Riggs is coming off a week where she scored three goals in two matches to lead Duke to the ACC Tournament semifinals. Both McCluskey and Riggs were named to the All-ACC Tournament team on Sunday for their efforts.
Virginia (16-2-2) received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history after defeating top-ranked North Carolina on penalty kicks on Sunday, while James Madison (11-7-3) is making their seventh appearance over the last 10 years.
The winner of the Duke/VCU contest will take on the third-seeded Virginia (16-2-2) and James Madison (17-3-1) winner on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The Cavaliers and Dukes will play on Friday at 5:00 p.m.
On not hosting the first two rounds, "I am surprised and excited at the same time," said Duke junior co-captain Carolyn Ford. "There is nothing that we can do to change it. All we can do is go there and play. I am excited."
Overall, the ACC received eight invitations to play in the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Devils have not advanced past the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 1994, which Duke reached the elite eight. The 2004 Women's College Cup will be played at the SAS Soccer Complex in Cary, N.C. on Dec. 3rd and 5th.
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