St. Norbert to Face No. 1 Washington in NCAA Tournament

From Sports Information Director, November 11, 2013 | Women's Soccer
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College will have an opportunity to face the current No. 1-ranked team in NCAA Division III women's soccer right off the bat in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The Green Knights (14-4-2) will face Washington University (17-1) at 5 p.m. Friday in St. Louis at the Bears' historic home of Francis Field. Aurora University (18-2) and Calvin College (18-2-2) are the other two teams in the four-team regional.

St. Norbert is making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Green Knights qualified for the 64-team tournament with a 2-0 win Saturday over Monmouth College in the championship of the Midwest Conference Tournament.

Washington, ranked No. 1 in the latest NSCAA Division III Poll, is making its eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and its 13th overall. The Bears are 22-11-5 all-time in the tournament and were the national runner-up in 2009.

The game will feature one of the nation's stingiest defenses, as the Bears have yielded just four goals this season, against the NCAA's current active all-divisions goal leader in St. Norbert's Katie Vanden Avond. Vanden Avond has 90 career goals and 36 this season.