2008 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship Qualifiers Announced

30 teams selected to participate in National Championship Opening Round on Nov. 22

Nov. 16, 2008

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (PDF Bracket) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially released the 30-team field and bracket for the NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round, which will be held Nov. 22 at 15 different sites. There will be 15 Opening Round games all across the country. The winners of those 15 Opening Round games, in addition to host school Embry-Riddle (Fla.), will meet at the final site of the 25^th Annual Women’s Soccer National Championship from Dec. 1-6 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Of the teams selected, 26 schools were automatic bids (conferences/independents/unaffiliateds) while four programs were at-larges and Embry-Riddle is the National Championship host institution. No. 12 Berry (Ga.) is making its 16^th appearance, which is the most of any school in the field. No. 4 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) is making its 11^th straight trip and holds 21 wins, both figures mark the most in the field.

No. 1 seed Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) opens up by hosting Siena Heights (Mich.). The Blue Raiders are 18-1 on the season after winning the Mid-South Conference Regular Season Championship and Tournament Championship. LWC is riding a 13-game winning streak and has out-scored the opposition by an 86-3 margin during that stretch, which includes 10 shut outs.

Defending national champion Martin Methodist (Tenn.) is the No. 6 seed and takes on Indiana Wesleyan in Pulaski, Tenn. Last year, the RedHawks won the 2007 National Championship by a score of 2-1 over Azusa Pacific (Calif.). The last No. 1 seed to win the title was MMC back in 2005.

Overall, there are 11 schools that have qualified for the National Championships for the first time in history. Two teams enter the National Championship Opening Round with an undefeated record – No. 5 Concordia (Ore.) and No. 8 Graceland (Iowa).

For National Championship ticket information at Daytona Beach from Dec. 1-6, contact Maryellen Wynn at maryellen.wynn@erau.edu or call (386) 323-5004.

JumpTV Inc. is the exclusive provider of live video and audio-streaming of the National Championship. JumpTV will stream the 2008 NAIA Men’s and Women’s Soccer National Championships from Dec. 1-6 and the NAIA Volleyball National Championships from Dec. 4-5. In all, there will be 37 events for public viewing during the NAIA Fall National Championships. These events can be viewed by going to watchnaia.com or by clicking here.

For more information on the National Championship Opening Round, click here.

For more information on the National Championships, click here.

For complete conference tournament breakdown, click here.

For the official National Championship bracket, click here

2008 NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round

• Teams Listed Alphabetically

2008 NAIA National Championship

Team (Overall W/L Record^) Qualification Appearances* Record# Titles

#4 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (17-2)	Golden State Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	11^th (11^th straight)	21-9	1
Benedictine (Kan.) (13-4-2)	Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Champion	1^st	0-0	--
#12 Berry (Ga.) (12-7-1)	At-large bid #4	16^th (1^st since 2004)	17-10-3	3
#7 Cal Baptist (15-4-1)	At-large bid #1	2^nd (1^st since 2003)	1-1-1	0
#13 Cal State San Marcos (12-3-4)	Association of Independent Institutions Tournament Champion	1^st	0-0	--
#5 Concordia (Ore.) (19-0-1)	Cascade Collegiate Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	8^th (8^th straight)	8-7-2	0
Dordt (Iowa) (18-1)	Great Plains Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	1^st	0-0	--
Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (8-8)	Automatic Host Bid	5^th (2^nd straight)	1-4	0
#8 Graceland (Iowa) (17-0-2)	At-large bid #2	3^rd (1^st since 2005)	2-1-2	0
Hastings (Neb.) (14-5-1)	Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-up	1^st	0-0	--
Houghton (N.Y.) (14-2-1)	American Mideast Regular Season Champion	10^th (6^th straight)	5-10	0
Indiana Wesleyan (14-2-1)	Mid-Central College Conference Tournament Champion	4^th (1^st since 2005)	1-3	0
Kansas Wesleyan (14-5-1)	Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	2^nd (2^nd straight)	1-1	0
King (Tenn.) (13-7)	Appalachian Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	2^nd (2^nd straight)	0-1	0
#3 Lee (Tenn.) (20-1)	Southern States Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	5^th (5^th straight)	7-3-1	0
#1 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (17-1)	Mid-South Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	10th (8^th straight	15-8-2	2
Maine-Fort Kent (17-3)	Sunrise Conference Tournament Champion	1^st	0-0	--
#6 Martin Methodist (Tenn.) (18-1)	TranSouth Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	5^th (5^th straight)	9-1-2	2
#16 McKendree (Ill.) (18-1-1)	American Midwest Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	5^th (4^th straight)	3-4-1	0
#9 Northwood (Fla.) (16-2)	The Sun Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	4^th (3^rd straight)	2-3	0
Ohio Dominican (13-4-2)	American Mideast Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	1^st	0-0	--
Oklahoma City (16-4-1)	Sooner Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	4^th (1^st since 2001)	6-3	0
#14 Park (Mo.) (14-1-2)	Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	8^th (6^th in the last 7 years)	5-8	0
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) (14-3)	Unaffiliated Tournament Champion	1^st	0-0	--
Saint Ambrose (Iowa) (9-8-3)	Midwest Collegiate Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	1^st	0-0	--
Siena Heights (Mich.) (11-5-4)	Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament Champion	5^th (2^nd in 3 years)	2-4	0
#11 Simon Fraser (B.C.) (11-6)	At-large bid #3	10^th (1^st since 2005)	17-6-3	2
Texas Wesleyan (11-6)	Red River Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	1^st	0-0	--
#10 Trinity Christian (Ill.) (20-1)	Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	1^st	0-0	--
#15 William Carey (Miss.) (14-3-1)	Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion	2^nd (1^st since 1999)	0-2	0
William Jessup (Calif.) (12-4-1)	California Pacific Champion Regular Season Champion	1^st	0-0	--

^ Based on school websites

* Includes 2008 Championship

# Based on available records