Men's and women's action filled the day. We'll have all the results posted this evening as the scores and stories roll in.

In men's action at Swarthmore College, the hosts defeated NJAC at-large pick Rutgers-Camden 2-0. In the second match, Dickinson upended CAC champion Salisbury 1-0. Swarthmore and Dickinson will meet on Sunday. At UAA at-large pick Rochester, the hosts defeated NAC champ Castleton State 2-0. The Yellowjackets out shot the Spartans 16-4 and had a goal each from Sean Hantes and Steve Welles. In the second match, Messiah needed overtime to defeat Medaille 2-1. Messiah will face Rochester on Sunday at 6 pm. Elsewhere, Christopher Newport advanced to the sectionals with a 3-0 win over Richard Stockton. All three goals came in the second half, two from Tyler Clare. CNU will now face the winner of tomorrow's match between Emory and North Carolina Wesleyan.

Playoff toolbox: Men's bracket | Women's bracket | Tournament scoreboard

At Amherst, the Lord Jeffs and Western New England played to a scoreless draw. After a round of PKs, Amherst came out ahead 4-2 and advance to play St. Lawrence. Freshman GK Lennard Kovacs had two saves in the PK round. The Saints, 3-2 winners over MIT earlier today, will face Amherst on Sunday at 1 pm.

In Delware, Ohio, Ohio Wesleyan was a 3-0 victor over Carnegie Mellon. Freshman Matt Bonfini had the game-winning goal for the Bishops, who now face the winner of Sunday's UT Tyler/Trinity match. At Babson College, LEC rep and NCAA playoff first-timer Rhode Island College played the hosts to a scoreless draw, then advanced via a 3-1 win in PKs. The Anchormen will now move on to play Stevens, who defeated RPI 2-1 this afternoon. Duck's junior Todd Sheridan scored in the 88th minute for the win. Sunday's match is at 1 pm. In Dubuque, Iowa, Loras has advanced to the sectionals with their 1-0 win over Dominican. Loras with face the winner of Sunday's Augsburg/Redlands match.

At Hobart, the hosts got by Cabrini 2-0. It was Cabrini's first appearence in the NCAA post-season in nine years. The Statesmen outshot the Cavaliers 22-11. Cabrini goalkeeper Bryan Johnson had 11 saves in the loss. In the second match, Cortland State was a 1-0 winner over Misericordia. Jimmy Eichas had the game winner for Cortland in the 33rd minute of the first half. Hobart will host Cortland State on Sunday at 1:00 pm.

At Middlebury, the Panthers played Framingham State to a scoreless draw, then went on to win 4-1 in PKs. Middlebury outshot the Rams 25-4 in the match. In the later match, Norwich was a 1-0 winner over Clark. Middlebury will face Norwich on Sunday at 1 pm. At Wheaton, OAC winner Ohio Northern moved onto the sectionals with a 2-1 overtime win against MWC champ Carroll University. Christian Huelsman had both goals for the Polar Bears, including the game winner with 30 second remaining in the second overtime period. Criag Carlson had the lone goal for the Pioneers. ONU will now face the winner of Sunday's match between Cortland State and Hobart.

In women's action, Skidmore College played Western Conn. St. to a scoreless draw, then fell to the Colonials 5-4 in the PK round. In the second match, TCNJ defeated Moravian 1-0 in overtime. WSCU and TCNJ will meet on Sunday 1:00 pm for the right to advance to round three. At Calvin College, the Knights fell to Chicago in PKs 7-6, after the teams ended regulation at 0-0.

In Lynchburg, Emory was a 3-0 winner over St. Mary's (Md.), and the hosts defeated Maryville (Tenn.) 3-0. The two winners meet tomorrow at 1:00 pm. Elsewhere, Johns Hopkins remained unbeaten with a 1-0 win over Meredith College. Freshman Erica Suter scored her twelth goal of the season for the Blue Jays, who will face Virginia Wesleyan on Sunday. VWC advanced via PKs against Richard Stockton. At Stevens Point, WI, the host Pointers cruised by Edgewood College 6-0. Amanda Prawat had a goal in the match, adding to her record year at UWSP, who now faces Loras College on Sunday. In the later match, the Duhawks advanced via PKs against MIAC pick St. Thomas.

At Rowan, Eastern was a 1-0 victor over Wheaton College (Mass.), and the hosts defeated Oneonta St. 2-1. Sophomore Dana Ross had the game winner for the Profs, who will play Eastern on Sunday at 1:00 pm. In St. Louis, Washington University defeated SLIAC champ Principia 3-0. Caitlin Malone had a pair of goals for the Bears, who will meet Illinois Wesleyan on Sunday. The Titans were 4-3 PK winners over Rhodes tonight, and lost to Wash U 1-0 earlier in the season. At UW Eau Claire, Wheaton (Ill.) and the host Blugolds played to a scoreless tie, but Wheaton prevaled in the PK round, with Thunder keeper Ingrid Erikson making two saves. Wheaton will face the winner of the IWU/Wash U match next Friday at a site to be determined.

In California, Hardin-Simmons played Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to a scoreless draw, then fell 5-4 in the PK round. HSU will play the winner of tonight's Redlands/UC Santa Cruz match. At Springfield College, senior keeper Sue Jenney saved a Union penalty kick with 55 seconds remaining to lift the Pride to a 1-0 win. On Sunday, Springfield will face Amherst, 4-0 winners over Farmingdale St.

In Ithaca, NY, the host Bombers were 6-0 winners over Westfield St. and will face Roger Williams on Sunday. Elsewhere, Otterbein defeated Penn State-Altonna 1-0, and Denison was a 1-0 winner over Centre College. Angela Coderre had the game winning goal for Denison, who faces Otterbein on Sunday at 1:00 pm. And at Nazareth College, the hosts fell to Endicott 1-0, and William Smith defeated Keuka 2-0. The winners will play on Sunday.

D3soccer.com has your virtual ticket to all the information. Check out our Scoreboard section for men's scores and women's scores of all the games in the NCAA Tournament.

Live stats, audio and even live video are available for games through the tournament. Hover over the link icon on the Scoreboard pages and see what pops up.

Plus, check out the rest of the schedule for the weekend, which includes other games with audio, video and live stats.

NCAA action continued yesterday for both men and women. In men's action, Ohio Wesleyan hosted a bracket, with Carnegie Mellon, Calvin, and Susquehanna. Wheaton (Ill.) hosted a bracket as well with Wittenberg, Carroll, and Ohio Northern. In Dubuque, Iowa, Loras hosted Greenville, Dominican, and Rose-Hulman. And in New Jersey, Richard Stockton hosted St. Joseph's, Christopher Newport, and Drew.

At Ohio Wesleyan, UAA's at-large participant Carnegie Mellon was a 3-0 winner over MIAA champ Calvin. In the 60th minute, junior Ryan Browne opened the scoring for the Tartans, followed by a goal by junior Ricky Griffin two minutes later to make it 2-0. Griffin added a third goal late in the match. "The score is not an indication of how close this game was," said Carnegie Mellon coach Arron Lujan. "I think it was an evenly played game. The difference is we finished the chances we had and Calvin didn't." The Tartans will meet Ohio Wesleyan, who needed overtime to defeat Pool B pick Susquehana 1-0. Saturday’s match is scheduled for a 6:00 pm start.

At Wheaton, MWC champ Carroll University defeated NCAC Pool C pick Wittenberg 3-2. In the later match, OAC champion Ohio Northern overwhelmed CCIW winner Wheaton by a 4-1 score. Carroll will meet Ohio Northern on Saturday at 6:00 pm. In Iowa, IIAC at-large pick Loras was a 2-0 victor over the SLIAC champ Greenville, and NAthCon champ Dominican defeated HCAC winner Rose-Hulman 3-1.

NJAC at-large pick Richard Stockton swept by St. Joseph's 8-0, while CNU defeated Pool B participant Drew 3-1. Stockton and Christopher Newport will meet on Saturday at 7:30 pm.

In women's action yesterday, Calvin College defeated Mt. St. Joseph 1-0 in overtime. The Knights winning goal came from Natalie Veurink, with an assist by Elaine Schnabel in the 101st minute of play. Calvin advances to play Chicago, who cruised past Wittenberg 4-0. Maroons senior Siggy Nachtergaele had a goal and an assist in the match. The Calvin/Chicago match-up is scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 pm.

Playoff toolbox: Men's bracket | Women's bracket | Tournament scoreboard

In the UW-Eau Claire bracket, the Blugolds defeated CCIW member Carthage 3-0. Rachel Nerison started the scoring for the Blugolds in the 25th minute. Senior Amy Smith and freshman Alyssa Walker added goals in the second half. Eau Claire outshot Carthage 18-8 in the match. Earlier, Wheaton College defeated Carroll University 3-1. Carroll scored first on a break away goal by Kendell Uttech and led 1-0 at the half. In the second half, Wheaton answered with three goals, the first by reserve Erin Hodina to tie the game, and then the game winner from Carrie Kishaba in the 68th minute. Taryne Lee added an insurance goal in the 70th minute. Wheaton will now face host Eau Claire on Saturday. The Thunder and the Blugolds have met twice in the postseason, with Wheaton winning both contests. Earlier this season, the two sides played to a 2-2 draw.

D3soccer.com has your virtual ticket to all the information. Check out our Scoreboard section for men's scores and women's scores of all the games in the NCAA Tournament.

Live stats, audio and even live video are available for games through the tournament. Hover over the link icon on the Scoreboard pages and see what pops up.

Plus, check out the rest of the schedule for the weekend, which includes other games with audio, video and live stats.

Six first-round men's games and three first-round women's games got the road to Greensboro warmed up Thursday as the men's and women's soccer NCAA Tournaments get underway.

In men's NCAA action Thursday evening, UW Platteville defeated Wartburg 1-0, giving the Pioneers their first postseason win in program history. And UT-Tyler swept by Dallas 4-0 on a hat trick by Kevin Gansert.

Johns Hopkins defeated Ithaca 1-0 in overtime, on a goal by Nick Guana in the 95th minute. Chris Wilson had the assist for the Blue Jays. PAC winner Westminster defeated CUNY champ Hunter College 2-0. Coty Hainsey and Brice Lott had the goals for Westminster, who outshot Hunter 23-4. The Titans now face unbeaten and untied Montclair State this weekend.

Playoff toolbox: Men's bracket | Women's bracket | Tournament scoreboard

North Carolina Wesleyan scored three times in the second half to tie Virginia Wesleyan in regulation, and then scored in the first overtime to win 4-3. Owen White had the game-winner for the Bishops, assisted by Danny Persson. And Augsburg advanced against Whitworth via a 4-2 victory in the PK round. The two squads finshed overtime knotted at 1 all. Elly Bulega scored for the Pirates in the first half, and Nick Anderson provided the equalizer for the Auggies in the second half. In the PK round, Auggie GK Pascaul Venter had two saves to seal the victory.

In women's action, MIAC champ Carleton defeated UMAC winner St. Scholastica 2-0. Carleton will face NWC champ Puget Sound on Saturday. Earlier today, NAC champion Husson defeated GNAC rep Norwich 2-0. Husson now faces the unbeaten NESCAC champion Williams College this weekend. And Marywood fell 4-3 in PKs in its first ever NCAA post-season appearence against Washington & Jefferson.

D3soccer.com has your virtual ticket to all the information. Check out our Scoreboard section for men's scores and women's scores of all the games in the NCAA Tournament.

Live stats, audio and even live video are available for games through the tournament. Hover over the link icon on the Scoreboard pages and see what pops up.

Plus, check out the rest of the schedule for the weekend, which includes other games with audio, video and live stats.

By Russell Buehler

It's not often that one meets a state-champion caliber athlete; even rarer that one encounters a two-time state champ. The odds of running into two athletes with three state titles between them: highly unlikely. The odds that they're related: slim to none. The chance that they're twins: impossible. However unlikely, these accolades apply to Carleton soccer players Tim and Abby Wills.

Playoffs: Men's bracket | Women's bracket | Scores

Lovingly dubbed the Wills Dynasty, these two first-year Carleton student-athletes hail all the way from Portland, Ore. During their high school and club careers the Wills twins have managed to rack up an astounding three state championships, numerous first and second-team all-conference player awards, a Second-Team All-State Award, and a pair of trips to regionals.

These twins grew up on the sport they love. At the age of 5, they were playing side-by-side on the same rec league team. "Our parents are really into soccer; my father actually coached Abby for seven years," remembers Tim. Abby also has fond memories of childhood soccer, adding: "When we were little, all the kids would play soccer during recess. I always played with Tim and his friends. It was just us against the rest of the school."

Although no longer playing side-by-side, the pair can still be found training together during the offseason and cheering for each other. "The soccer teams really try and support each other. If we can, [the men's team goes] to their games and cheer [the women's team] on, and they do the same for us," adds Tim.

Something seems to be working. The siblings both wear uniform No. 8 and have helped their respective teams set school records for victories this season en route to earning their programs' first-ever berths in the NCAA Championships.

The men's team has destroyed its opponents this year and clinched its second consecutive MIAC title. The squad defeated Augsburg in a shootout on Saturday to advance to the NCAA Championships and raise its overall record to 16-1-3. Tim Wills has been an invaluable addition to the roster, leading the Knights in goals scored without ever starting a game.

"This is the first year I haven't started any freshmen, a commentary not on how good they are, but on the strength of our upperclassmen. This year's freshmen, including Tim, are just as talented as any I've had", explains men's coach Bob Carlson. "[Tim] has a great soccer brain. He sees a pass or two ahead. He also has great touch and balance."

The success of the men's team is almost mirrored by the success of the women (15-5).

The 3-0 win over Concordia in Saturday's MIAC Playoffs final was the Carleton women's eighth straight and punched their ticket for the national tournament. Coach Keren Gudeman raves about her half of the Wills Dynasty, "Abby is one of the main engines on the field. She's a catalyst both offensively and defensively. Abby has some really good goals, but a lot of her value is in the fact that she's the pass before the assist. She's really a key force on our attack."

Although both Abby and Tim Wills have achieved fame on the pitch, the twins insist it is their parents who are the true stars. "They always watch our home games on Carleton's webcasts. If it's an away game, they ask for the score right afterwards. They've always been there."

Smiling, Tim added, "They visited us a little while ago; that day Abby scored a goal ... so I had to score two."

The women's selection show is complete, and we have posted the bracket. Williams, Puget Sound and Messiah got the first-round byes in the Field of 61.

This is an updated bracket, with records and all host sites. Please download the latest version!

Scroll down for men's coverage, as the men's field was released Monday morning.

What's your reaction? Who got snubbed? Start the conversation on our D3boards.com message board.

Moravian, St. Scholastica and UC Santa Cruz were revealed in Pool B and the NCAA announcement identified Amherst, Carthage, Chicago, Emory, Endicott, Illinois Wesleyan, Nazareth, Redlands, Richard Stockton, Rochester, Skidmore, St. Thomas, TCNJ, Union, UW-Eau Claire, Virginia Wesleyan and Wheaton (Mass.) in Pool C.

The NCAA announced the men's at-large selections on Sunday night, and released the bracket this morning. Unbeaten and untied Montclair State got one of the six first-round byes, along with Emory, Carleton, York (Pa.), Trinity (Texas) and Redlands. Redlands, at 16-4-2, got its first-round bye because of geography.

So were there any surprises? In Pool C, we predicted Trinity (Conn.) would be a strong candidate, but were correct with our thoughts on NEWMAC teams MIT and Clark. We also picked Carnegie Mellon as one of two Pool C teams form the UAA. We missed RPI in the Liberty League, but picked correctly with Johns Hopkins in the Centennial.

We missed Dickinson for Case Western Reserve, but nailed the NJAC - both Rutgers-Camden and Richard Stockton are strong programs this year.

The Central region missed out entirely, as North Park was left off the list (we thought otherwise) while Augsburg made it in, rounding out the West region. In Pool B, we predicted Drew and UW-Platteville correctly, but we chose Chapman over Susquehanna, which proved to be incorrect.

The at-large selections:

Pool B Berths:
Drew (14-3-2)
Susquehanna (13-6-1)
UW-Platteville (13-4-1)

Pool C Berths:
Augsburg (11-3-6)
Carnegie Mellon (14-2-1)
Christopher Newport (14-4-3)
Clark (11-4-2)
Dickinson (12-3-3)
Hobart (16-0-3)
Ithaca (11-4-3)
Johns Hopkins (12-5-3)
Loras (16-4-1)
MIT (16-3-2)
Middlebury (13-2-2)
Rochester (13-2-2)
RPI (13-5-1)
Richard Stockton (15-5-1)
Rutgers-Camden (16-4-2)
Wittenberg (16-3-1)
York, Pa. (18-0-1)

Conferences with more than one team in the postseason: UAA; 3, Liberty League; 3, NEWMAC; 3, Centennial; 3, NJAC; 3, NESCAC; 2, MIAC; 2, USA South; 2, Empire 8; 2, IIAC; 2, NCAC; 2, and Capital Athletic; 2.

We'll see what the brackets have to offer tomorrow, and look forward to the women's release.

Here is where we are on Sunday evening, awaiting the NCAA postseason selections. Below, by region, is a list of the AQ conferences with the champs and our picks for the Pool C group. At the end of the list is our Pool B prediction as well.

West Region:
Northwest Conference: Whitworth
SCIAC: Redlands
MIAC: Carleton
IIAC: Wartburg; Pool C: Loras

South Region:
Capital Athletic: Salisbury; Pool C: York (Pa.)
ODAC: Virginia Wesleyan
USA South: North Carolina Wesleyan… Pool C: Christopher Newport
UAA: Emory

Northeast Region:
Liberty League: Union; Pool C: Hobart
Empire 8: Stevens; Pool C: Ithaca
NEAC: University of Dallas
SUNYAC: Cortland
AMCC: Medaille
Pool C UAA: Rochester

New England Region:
NESCAC: Amherst; Pool C: Middlebury, Trinity
MASCAC: Framingham State
NEWMAC: Babson; Pool C: MIT, Clark
Commonwealth Coast: Western New England
North Atlantic Conference: Castleton State
GNAC: Norwich
LEC: Rhode Island

Mid-Atlantic Region:
Freedom: Misericordia
Commonwealth: Messiah
Centennial: Swarthmore; Pool C: Johns Hopkins
CSAC: Cabrini
PAC: Westminster
Pool C UAA: Carnegie Mellon

Metro Region:
CUNYAC: Hunter
Skyline: St. Joseph's
NJAC: Montclair State…Pool C: Rutgers-Camden, Richard Stockton

Great Lakes Region:
MIAA: Calvin
NCAC: Ohio Wesleyan; Pool C: Wittenberg
HCAC: Rose-Hulman
OAC: Ohio Northern
Pool C UAA: Case Western

Central Region:
American Southwest: UT Tyler
CCIW: Wheaton; Pool C: North Park
Midwest Conference: Carroll
SLIAC: Greenville
SCAC: Trinity
NAthCon: Dominican
UAA: (see South Region)

Pool B:
Mid-Atlantic: Drew
Central: UW-Platteville
West: Chapman

UT Tyler took the ASC conference AQ today by defeating UT Dallas 2-0. Ohio Wesleyan played Wittenberg to a 2-2 draw, but took the NCAC automatic bid by winning the PK round 4-3. And late last night, Pomona-Pitzer fell 2-1 to Redlands in the SCIAC finals. With the win, the Bulldogs clinch the AQ. Check the rest of today's results on the scoreboard

The UAA has a tie at the top: Rochester defeated Case Western Reserve 3-2 to finish on top of the UAA at 6-1, along with Emory. Emory has the title in its grasp, but fell to Carnegie Mellon earlier on Saturday. However, Emory has the conference AQ due to their victory over Rochester earlier in the season. Rochester will be a solid Pool C contender, as will several other programs in the UAA.

In the MAC Commonwealth, Messiah rolled over Widener 7-0 to capture yet another conference AQ. In the Little East finals, No. 2 seed Rhode Island College edged past No. 4 seed Plymouth State 1-0 on junior Ryan Kelley's goal in the 87th minute. It is the first ever league title for the Anchormen. In the MIAC, Carleton played Augsburg to a scoreless draw, before winning the PK round 5-3 to take the conference AQ (photo gallery). And in the Northwest conference, Whitworth won their second straight conference title and the AQ with a 4-0 win over Pacific 4-0.

Dominican took the NathCon tournament today with a 4-0 victory over Aurora. This will be the seventh straight appearance in the postseason for the Stars. In the HCAC, Rose-Hulman earned a hard fought 1-0 victory over Transylvania, taking the conference AQ for the first time in program history. And No. 1 seed Westminster won the Presidents' Athletic Conference tourney by defeating No. 2 seed Washington & Jefferson 2-1 in overtime.

In the ODAC finals, Lynchburg and Virginia Wesleyan played to a scoreless draw, but Virginia Wesleyan prevailed in PKs 4-1, taking the the AQ. In the IIAC, Wartburg defeated Loras 2-0, winning the league's AQ and pushing Loras onto the Pool C list of strong candidates.

In the USA South finals, No. 1 seed Christopher Newport fell to No. 2 seed North Carolina Wesleyan, 2-1. In Friday's semis, CNU rolled to a 6-0 victory over No. 5 seed Shenandoah, while NC Wesleyan crushed No. 3 seed Methodist 7-0. USAC Player of the Year Danny Persson had two goals in the match for the Bishops. And in the SCAC, Trinity secured the conference AQ with its 3-2 win over Centre on Friday evening.

In the Freedom semis on Thursday, No. 1 seed Misericordia played No. 2 seed Wilkes to a 1-1 draw but advanced via PKs (5-4). The Cougars capture the Freedom AQ. Meanwhile in the Capital Athletic Conference, No. 1 seed Salisbury cruised past No. 4 seed Wesley 3-0 to take the conference AQ.

Here is a review of the ground rules for postseason selection: the current NCAA soccer handbook (in a recent revision) states that in 2008, there will be 3 Pool B teams and 17 Pool C teams awarded positions in the postseason. The Pool B teams will come from conferences with no automatic qualifier and from independent institutions. Pool C teams will come primarily from non-conference champs in AQ conferences.

It is important to note that several conferences have no tournament, awarding their AQ to the regular season champion. These are: the MIAA, the Northwest Conference, the SCAC, and the UAA. Within these conferences, there are a number NCAA ranked teams, meaning that at least for the MIAA and the UAA, there is a strong probability for multiple teams receiving postseason bids. On Sunday, Calvin captured the MIAA AQ. Emory did the same for the UAA.

We've reviewed the tourneys from some of the traditionally stronger conferences below, but we will be covering all of the tournaments as we get results throughout the week. Pool C and Pool B discussions are alive and well on our discussion board.

Centennial: Swarthmore defeated Johns Hopkins 1-0 to win the Centennial today.
Teams to watch: Muhlenberg, Dickinson, Johns Hopkins and Swarthmore are currently ranked in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic regional poll. A loss by Swarthmore or Johns Hopkins should pull at least one Pool C bid off the table.

USA South: The USA South final was played today with North Carolina Wesleyan defeating Christopher Newport 2-1, and capturing the conference AQ.
Teams to watch: Christopher Newport and NC Wesleyan. CNU might have a chance at a Pool C slot, given a loss in the finals. NC Wesleyan will be dangerous in this tourney, especially with the home field advantage.

Liberty League: St. Lawrence took the league AQ with a 2-0 win over Union.
Teams to watch: Hobart and RPI. Hobart has been hot all year, and RPI remains at the number three spot in the NCAA regional poll. Hobart is a lock for a Pool C should they lose, but RPI, should they make the final match against a Hobart squad, would also have a strong argument for Pool C.

American Southwest Conference: the tourney continued today with No. 1 seed Texas-Tyler advancing via a 4-3 PK round against Ozarks. In other match, Texas-Dallas were 2-0 winners over Hardin-Simmons. UT Tyler defeated UT Dallas 2-0 to win the ASC AQ.
Teams to watch: Tyler, Dallas, and Hardin-Simmons. All three of these teams are playing well and have the ability to tale the conference AQ. Tyler at 10-3-3 has had a good season, and Dallas is stronger than its record might indicate, two of its losses coming at the hands of Ohio Wesleyan and Trinity (Texas).

The MAC: the Commonwealth Conference starts off with their semis on Tuesday, followed by the Freedom Conference on Thursday. The Finals are on Saturday with Messiah hosting Widener. On Tuesday, No. 2 Messiah was a 2-1 winner over No. 3 Lycoming College, while No. 1 Lebanon Valley fell 1-0 to No. 4 Widener. In the Freedom finals today, No. 1 seed Misericordia played No. 2 seed Wilkes University to a 1-1 draw but advanced via PKs (5-4). The Cougars capture the Freedom AQ.
Teams to watch: Messiah and Misericordia. Messiah has finished the regular season on a roll, winning their last five games by a combined score of 21-0. Should they stumble, they would probably still be in the running for a Pool C bid. It would certainly be odd to think of a post-season without the Falcons. Misericordia has played a good schedule all season and should win the Freedom tourney. But a loss would probably drop them out of contention for an at-large bid.

CCIW: the tournament started this evening with Wheaton (Ill.) defeating North Park 4-2, and Carthage advanced on a 5-4 PK tally against Illinois Wesleyan. Wheaton played Carthage to a scoreless draw, but prevaled in the PK round 5-4 and claims the AQ. Carthage now has an outside shot at a Pool C spot.
Teams to watch: Wheaton and North Park. North Park is currently ranked number three in the NCAA central region and should be a candidate for a Pool C slot. Wheaton is number two in the same poll. But the fact that the two teams are facing each other in the semis could complicate matters. The loser puts its program on the edge of any at-large consideration. In the past, Wheaton has played very well when post-season consideration is on the line.

NCAC: today, No. 1 seed Ohio Wesleyan hosted No. 4 seed Kenyon and came away with 4-0 victory. Forward Matt Bonfini had two goals in the match for the Bishops. In the other semi, No. 3 seed Wittenberg was a 1-0 winner over No. 2 seed Hiram. Ohio Wesleyan will host Wittenberg on Saturday at 7:00. The loser of this match will be a strong Pool C candidate.
Teams to watch: Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg. Long-time fans of college soccer have learned that one never overlooks Ohio Wesleyan in big matches. They'll be very tough in this tourney as the Bishops have been playing well, winning their last eight matches. Wittenberg wants to prove that their strong performance this year is no fluke and will be pushing hard. They'll have to build some momentum as they have dropped 3 of their last 5 matches. A loss in the finals to a Bishops team may still allow for a Pool C, but we'll see what the NCAA Great Lakes regional poll looks like when it is released on Wednesday.

Little East: Rhode Island College junior midfielder Ryan Kelley headed in the game's only goal in the 87th minute to give the second-seeded Anchormen a 1-0 win over fourth-seeded Plymouth State in the Championship Game of the 2008 Little East Conference Men's Soccer Game. With the earlier loss, Eastern Conn does has an outside chance at a Pool C bid.
Teams to watch: Rhode Island College and Eastern Connecticut State. It has been a while since we've seen two regionally strong teams in this conference. Both Rhode Island and Eastern Conn would represent the LEC well. But it will be tough for the second place team in this tourney to snag an at-large bid in such a crowded field.

NJAC: Montclair State won their third title on Friday.
Teams to watch: all of them. Any of these four teams could win the tournament and could win through the first round of the post-season. Montclair State is probably one of the top four teams in the country and should be the favorite to win, but the conference will produce at least one Pool C bid.

Capital Athletic Conference: Salisbury defeated Wesley to take the conference AQ.
Teams to watch: York and Salisbury. York may well be the most talented team in the country, and can certainly claim one of the top defenses, having allowed only three goals all season. Those three goals allowed were one each against Christopher Newport, Salisbury, and Messiah. During this defensive run, the offense scored 59 goals. Short of a PK anomaly like the one against Wheaton (Ill.) in the 2006 post-season, we should see York in the final four. Salisbury went through a dry spell mid-season but has picked up their game as of late and should continue a strong run in this tourney, their 15th straight CAC appearance.

NEWMAC: the quarterfinals began tonight with No. 7 WPI falling 1-0 at No. 2 MIT, and No. 6 Wheaton defeating No. 3 Clark 1-0 in a mild upset. No. 5 Springfield came back from a 3-1 deficit to play No. 4 Coast Guard to a 3-3 draw, only to fall 4-1 in PKs. CG keeper had two saves in the PK round. The semis continued today with No. 1 Babson coming back from a 1-0 deficit to beat Coast Guard 2-1. Later in the day, Wheaton fell 2-1 against MIT. Babson defeated MIT 3-1 for the conference AQ today. MIT remains a strong candidate for post-season play via an at-large berth.
Teams to watch: Babson, MIT, Clark, and Wheaton. All four of these teams could win the NEWMAC AQ. Wheaton has fallen a bit behind but has the talent to win the required three straight. Babson and MIT could pick up a Pool C bid with a loss in the semis or final.

NESCAC: this tournament got started today at No. 1 seed Middlebury. In the early match, the Panthers defeated No. 4 seed Williams 1-0. No. 2 seed Amherst was a 1-0 winner over No. 3 seed Trinity, off of freshman James Mooney's game winner in the final 10 minutes. Trinity may still look good for a Pool C spot. Amherst won the tourney and AQ today with a 2-0 shutout of Middlebury. With the loss, Middlebury is a lock for a Pool C berth.
Teams to watch: as in the NJAC, all of them. Trinity and Amherst have been playing well, and Middlebury has been consistent all season. The defending national champs have continued their defensive mastery, allowing only four goals this year. Williams has the skill and experience to pull off an upset and to win the tourney, but their play has been somewhat unpredictable this season. Should the Ephs pull it off though, Middlebury is a lock for a Pool C bid. Trinity is also a strong possibility for the Pool C.

Men's action from Friday and Saturday as almost all of the conference tournaments are set. Check all of Saturday's results here.

In the Central region, Greenville defeated Fontbonne 3-2 to win the SLIAC's AQ, the first conference tourney to be completed this season. It is unlikely that a Pool C team will come from the SLIAC, so no surprises here. Elsewhere in the Central, the NAC began its tournament today with Aurora University defeating Lakeland College 3-1, and Edgewood College upending the higher seeded Milwaukee School of Engineering 2-0. On Tuesday, No. 1 seed Dominican University will host No. 5 Edgewood, and No. 2 Concordia University (Ill.) will host No. 3 Aurora. Dominican would be strong Pool C contender in the event of an upset in Tuesday's match.

The NESCAC conference tournament is decided as No. 22 Trinity was upended in overtime 2-1 by conference foe Amherst College. With the win, the Lord Jeffs captured the No. 2 seed in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament. Senior Jake Duker scored the game-winner in the extra frame for the Lord Jeffs after teammate James Mooney scored the equalizer in the second half. The Bantams started the scoring early with a goal by Nick Cantone. With the win, Amherst improves to 9-3-2 overall, and 5-3-1 in conference play.

The NESCAC will begin their conference tourney on Sunday, November 2. No. 8 Bowdoin will play at No. 1 Middlebury, No. 7 Wesleyan will play at No. 2 Amherst, No. 6 Tufts will visit No. 3 Trinity, and No.5 Bates will travel to No. 4 Williams. All matches kick-off at noon. The semi-final round will be held on Saturday, November 8 with the finals following on Sunday.

The American Southwest Conference regular season winner is UT Tyler and thus Tyler will be the ASC tournament host next weekend. On Friday the 7th, No. 4 Mississippi College plays No. 5 Ozarks, and No. 3 UT Dallas plays No. 6 Texas Lutheran. On Saturday, No. 1 UT Tyler and No. 2 Hardin-Simmons will play Friday's winners.

In the UAA, No. 11 University of Rochester was an easy winner over No. 13 Washington University, 5-0. With the win, Rochester improves to 12-2-3 and has sole possession of third place in the conference. Washington University falls to 11-4-1 and is in third place in the UAA.

With the loss, the Bears fall to 11-4-1 overall and 3-2 in the University Athletic Association (UAA). Washington University currently sits in third place in the UAA while with the win Rochester moves into sole possession of the conference's No. 2 spot. There is no conference tourney in the UAA and so the regular season champion is awarded the NCAA AQ. No. 6 Emory is in first place at 15-0, coming off their 2-0 win at Brandeis.

In men's action on Wednesday evening, Ohio Wesleyan put themselves in a good position for post-season play with a 2-0 win over No. 5 Wittenberg. With the loss, Wittenberg falls to 15-2. Ohio Wesleyan improves to 14-4 and with the win, claimed the NCAC championship for the fourth time in five years. The Bishops will now host a first round NCAC tournament match as the No. 1 seed on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. The winner of the tourney will receive the conference AQ for NCAA post-season play. Check out discussions on other post-seaons action, including, NCAA rankings, Pool B, and Pool C possiblities. Also note Friday's slate of matches and early results.

The Bishop's sophomore Tyler Wall scored an unassisted goal in the 37th minute of the first half for the eventual game winner. Midway through the second half, junior Brian Greene added an insurance goal off a Bishop Corner kick to make it 2-0. In the match, the Bishops outshot the Tigers, 12-4, setting up Tigers keeper Michael Layback for a busy day: he had 6 saves in the match.

In looking at what might happen next week in the NCAC tourney, it is important to note that Wittenberg is currently No. 1 in the NCAA regional poll, while Ohio Wesleyan is No. 5. If Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan were to play in the tourney final, there is a good chance that the loser would receive a Pool C bid. A loss by Wittenberg would be less costly than a loss by Ohio Wesleyan to be sure, but with Wednesday's win over the No. 1 program in the Great Lakes, Ohio Wesleyan has definitely improved their standing in the region and their spot in the hunt for an at-large bid.

In other action, No. 24 Richard Stockton were 1-0 winners over No. 12 William Paterson. With the win, Stockton captured the No. 2 seed in the upcoming NJAC tourney. As we mentioned earlier this month, Richard Stockton is making some noise late in the season; not only have they had some key victories, but also currently hold the No. 3 spot in the NCAA Metro regional ranking. The NJAC tourney first round action begins on Saturday, November 1st with No. 6 NJCU at No. 3 Rutgers-Camden, and No. 5 TCNJ at No. 4 William Paterson. Both matches begin at 6:00 pm. Second round action is being held on Tuesday, November 4th with NJCU/Rutgers-Camden winner at No. 2 Richard Stockton, and the TCNJ/William Paterson winner at No. 1 Montclair State. The championship match will be held on Friday, November 7th.