Monks to Play Trinity College in NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament Opening Round

STANDISH, ME - The 2011 NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Tournament field was announced earlier today and Saint Joseph's College (14-5, 7-3 GNAC) is slated to face Trinity College (10-5-2, 6-2-2 NESCAC) in the opening round at 1:30 PM on Saturday at Babson College.

St. Joe's, the #2 seed in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament, defeated #4 Norwich University by a 4-1 margin in the GNAC Championship game at Westerlea Way Field on Saturday. The Monks collected the GNAC automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament with the victory.

Trinity, ranked sixth in New England in last week's NCAA Regional poll, lost to nationally-ranked Amherst College, 2-0, in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championship game on Sunday, but was awarded an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Amherst, ranked sixth in the country as of November 1st, collects the NESCAC automatic berth into the NCAA tourney and will host Husson University in the first round.

Saint Joseph's will be making its second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history this weekend. After collecting the team's first GNAC crown in 2009 the Monks advanced to the national tourney and fell to Wesleyan College, 2-0, in the opening round. Wesleyan advanced all the way to the Sweet 16 that year.

Trinity has not played in the NCAA Tournament since 1997 when the Bantams defeated Ramapo College, 2-1, in an opening-round contest and fell to Kean University, 5-0, in the second round. Trinity has made four national tournament appearances (1964, 1965, 1968, 1997) in the history of the program.

Babson fell to Springfield College in penalty kicks in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship on Sunday, but also received an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament and will host Lesley University at 11:00 AM on Saturday. The Beavers were ranked second in the region and 12th in the nation as of last week.

The winners of the Babson/Lesley and Saint Joseph's/Trinity games will meet in a second round match at 1:00 PM on Sunday at Babson College.

All three games this weekend will be played at Hartwell-Rogers Field, and admission will be $6 for adults, $3 for students and senior citizens, and $2 for children ages 3-11. All Babson students will be admitted free with ID courtesy of the Undergraduate School.