INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -
The
Baylor soccer team (17-1-4) earned its second straight selection to the
NCAA Championship, and will travel to Tempe, Ariz., to face Arizona
State
(10-8-2) on Friday, Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. (CT).
"I
think this team has dealt with adversity all throughout the season,"
head coach Marci Jobson said on traveling for the first round of play.
"At
this point it is what it is. We are going to deal with it and focus on
preparation for Arizona State."
The Bears earned one of four No. 3 seeds in the field of 64 teams where only the top 16 squads are seeded.
Baylor was guaranteed a spot in the event, after winning the 2012 Big 12 Championship on Sunday. BU finished second in the regular-season portion
of Big 12 play with a 5-0-3 mark and currently is unbeaten in its last 18 matches.
"I
can't be more proud of these girls," Jobson said. "I told them to enjoy
the Big 12 Championship for one more hour and then it is time to move
forward."
Last season, Baylor knocked off Texas State in the NCAA first round, before falling to North Carolina, 5-0, in Gainesville, Fla.
The Sun
Devils have won four straight matches and tied for fourth place in the
Pac-12 with a 6-4-1 record, giving ASU its best conference finish
since 2004.
The
winner of the Baylor/Arizona State game will play the winner of
Georgetown (15-3-3) and Virginia Tech* (13-5-1) in the second round.
That game
will take place on Friday, Nov. 16 at a site to be determined.
The Bears, who are making their fourth NCAA appearance in program history, last faced Arizona State on Aug. 29, 2010, falling 3-1. BU also made the
NCAA Championship in 1998, 1999 and 2011.
