MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama soccer will open its first NCAA Tournament appearance Friday against Florida State, the No. 1 overall seed, at the Seminole Soccer Complex in Tallahassee, Fla. The first-round match is scheduled for 6 p.m. Central.
The pairing was announced Monday during the NCAA selection show.
How the Jaguars Got Here
South Alabama (14-5-3) earned the Sun Belt Conference’s automatic bid by winning the league tournament for the first time in program history. The Jaguars beat Georgia State, Arkansas State and regular-season champion Western Kentucky in San Marcos, Texas, to claim the title.
The Jaguars enter the NCAA Tournament on a five-match winning streak, outscoring those opponents 11-4.
A Top-Seeded Opponent
Florida State is 18-1-3 and won the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament by defeating No. 25 Duke, No. 4 North Carolina and No. 6 Virginia Tech. The Seminoles’ only loss came against Virginia, which was ranked No. 1 at the time.
Florida State is making its 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and is hosting a first-round match for the fifth straight year.
All four No. 1 seeds this year come from the ACC: Florida State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and North Carolina. The ACC placed eight teams in the field, the most of any conference.
Friday’s match will be the sixth meeting between the programs. Florida State has won the previous five by a combined score of 20-2.
Winkworth: “We’re Going to Give Them a Game”
“We’re buzzing with excitement,” said first-year South Alabama head coach Graham Winkworth. “Ten months ago, when I came here, I told the girls we would be playing for a championship, and here we are, playing the top team in the country in the NCAA Tournament.”
Winkworth said the team would enjoy the moment before returning to its normal routine.
“I want the girls to enjoy this occasion,” he said. “They enjoyed last night and watching the selection show today, but tomorrow we’re back to business, and it will be like any other week. Florida State are the best team, but we’ve prepared for good teams all year long.”
“We’re going to treat them with respect, but we’re not going to go to any game scared,” Winkworth said. “It’s 11 players versus 11 players, and we’re going to give them a game. We’re looking forward to the opportunity.”
Tournament Format
Thirty-one conferences received automatic berths into the 64-team field, with the remaining 33 teams selected at large. The top 16 teams are seeded, and teams from the same conference cannot meet in the first or second rounds. The selection committee pairs teams by geographic proximity and selects first-round sites to minimize the number of flights.
The winner of Friday’s match will face the winner of Ole Miss and Jackson State in the second round.
- First round: Nov. 15-16 at campus sites
- Second and third rounds: Friday, Nov. 22, and Sunday, Nov. 24, at campus sites
- Quarterfinals: Nov. 29-30 at campus sites
- Women’s College Cup: Dec. 6 and 8 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., hosted by Campbell University
The national semifinals on Dec. 6 will air on ESPNU at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Eastern. The national championship match will be televised live on ESPNU on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 3 p.m. Eastern.
