WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's soccer team will host the third and quarterfinal rounds of the 2016 NCAA Division III tournament on Gordon Field this weekend. The 23rd-ranked Judges will host #15 McDaniel (Md.) College at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 19. Top-ranked William Smith College will take on #13 Amherst at 1:30 p.m. The two winners will face off for a berth in the Final Four on Sunday, November 20, at 1:00 p.m.
Brandeis (14-3-4, 2-3-2 University Athletic Association) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second-straight year and the third time overall after defeating Virginia Wesleyan, 3-0, in the opening round and upsetting fifth-ranked College of New Jersey, 4-2, on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in which the Judges tied the game in the 86th minute. The Judges are the only team to have advanced on the road in this sectional. They are hosting in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010. Head coach Denise Dallamora, in her 37th year, is the only coach in program history.
McDaniel (18-2-1, 8-0-1 Centennial Conference) defeated Farmingdale State, 4-1, and Connecticut College, 3-1, to reach the sectional round. The wins were the first-ever for the Green Terror in NCAA Tournament play. Head coach Sandy Lagana was named the CC Coach of the Year for the second year in a row.
William Smith (20-0, 8-0 Liberty League) blanked Worcester State, 5-0, and Trinity (Conn.), 3-0, to reach their second straight sectional round and 19th in 27 all-time appearances. The Herons eliminated Brandeis last year in the round of 16, 1-0, in overtime. William Smith coach Aliceann Wilber, who picked up her 500th career win this season, led the Herons to the 1988 and 2013 NCAA titles.
Amherst (17-2-1, 8-1-1 NESCAC) ousted Lasell, 4-0, and Swarthmore, 4-2, to make it to the second week of play for the ninth time. The Purple and White also faced the Judges in the 2015 tournament, as the teams battled to a 1-1 draw before Brandeis took a 3-2 shootout win in Western Mass. Amherst and Brandeis are one of just five programs with both men's and women's teams still alive.
Tickets for the tournament will be $6 for adults, $3 for students and $2 for children under the age of 12. Brandeis students will be admitted for free with ID