Top-Seed Toledo Hosts No. 8 Seed Ohio in MAC Tournament Quarterfinals on Sunday
10/29/2010 2:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
TOLEDO, OH - Toledo (14-3-2, 10-1-0 MAC) opens the 2010 Mid-American Conference Tournament on Sunday, Oct. 31 with a quarterfinal matchup against Ohio (6-8-4, 3-5-3 MAC). The opening whistle from Scott Park is slated for 1:00 p.m. and the match will be carried live on the Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN).
For the fourth time in the last five seasons, the University of Toledo Division of External Affairs has agreed to pay the admission fee for the first 200 UT students with their University ID. Admission to the conference tourney is $2.00 for students and children and $5.00 for adults.
The 2010 MAC regular-season co-champions are seeded No. 1 in the post-season event for the second time in school history and enter Sunday's action on the heels of a 1-0 setback at Ball State on Thursday, Oct. 28. The loss snapped UT's 11-match win streak and ended its attempt to become the first team in league history to end the year without a blemish in conference play.
The top-four seeds will each host a quarterfinal match, with the four survivors of Sunday's contests converging upon the home of the highest remaining seed for the semifinal and championship rounds. The semifinals will be held on Friday, Nov. 5, with the championship match scheduled for two days later. The winner of the 14th-annual post-season tourney receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. If the Rockets defeat Ohio on Sunday, they would host the final three contests next weekend.
This weekend's other quarterfinal action includes No. 5 Western Michigan heading to No. 4 Eastern Michigan, No. 6 Northern Illinois taking on No. 3 Central Michigan and No. 7 Akron meeting No. 2 Miami. The UT-Ohio winner will face the victor of the Broncos-Eagles match.
The three-time (2006, '07, '08) MAC tourney champions have been nearly unbeatable on its home turf, posting an 8-0-2 mark this fall and a 46-8-5 mark at the corner of Hill Ave. and Parkside Blvd. since the start of the 2005 campaign. The Bobcats are the last team to defeat the Rockets at home, though, claiming a 1-0 victory during the regular season last fall.
The Rockets will be making their sixth-consecutive MAC Tournament appearance under Head Coach Brad Evans and eighth overall in the history of the program. UT is unbeaten in conference tourney action under Coach Evans at 8-0-4, including a perfect 6-0-0 at home. Last fall, Toledo was seeded No. 5 and downed No. 4 seed Ohio on the road in the quarterfinal round, 3-1, then battled No. 1 seed Central Michigan to a 0-0 double-overtime draw, before falling 4-2 on penalty kicks in the semifinals, ending its three-year reign as tourney champions.
The Bobcats, who lost their final two regular-season matches, are paced offensively by Cathryn Rogers with eight points (two goals, four assists). In goal, Mattie Liston has played every minute between the pipes and tallied six shutouts with a 1.03 GAA. Ohio leads the all-time series with Toledo, 8-7-0, but the Rockets claimed a 2-0 victory on the road earlier this fall.
2010 MAC Women's Soccer Tournament
Quarterfinals -- Sunday, Oct. 31 (at campus sites/higher seed)
Match 1: No. 8 Ohio at No. 1 TOLEDO, 1:00 p.m.
Match 2: No. 5 Western Michigan at No. 4 Eastern Michigan, 1:00 p.m.
Match 3: No. 6 Northern Illinois at No. 3 Central Michigan, 1:00 p.m.
Match 4: No. 7 Akron at No. 2 Miami, 1:00 p.m.
Semifinals -- Friday, Nov. 5 (at Highest Remaining Seed)
Match 5: Match 1 Winner vs. Match 2 Winner
Match 6: Match 3 Winner vs. Match 4 Winner
Finals -- Sunday, Nov. 7 (at Highest Remaining Seed)
Match 7: Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner
