Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions soccer earned a No. 2 seed in the South Central region in the eyes of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee on Monday, granting the Lions the privilege of hosting the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Lions Soccer Field this weekend.
The announcement was streamed Monday night at 6 p.m., as the Lions soccer team eagerly looked on to learn their postseason matchups. As the two seed, A&M-Commerce will play host the No. 3 vs. No. 6 matchup between Metro State (14-1-5) and the Lions’ old rivals Angelo State (15-4-1) on Friday, November 14. The winner of that game will go on to play the Lions on Sunday, November 16 at 1:00 p.m.
Metro State and the Lions have played seven times all-time, but haven’t faced one another in over eight years, when the Lions beat the Roadrunners 2-1 on October 1, 2006. Metro State holds a 4-2-1 overall advantage on the Lions. The Rambelles meanwhile represent a much more familiar foe, having played the Lions three times this season, most recently last weekend, when the Lions prevailed 3-2 to secure the LSC Tournament Championship. A&M-Commerce holds the historical edge, having compiled a 15-9-2 record against ASU since 1996.
The other half of the bracket will take place in Golden, Colorado, which will be hosted by the No. 1 seeded Colorado School of Mines Orediggers (15-1-4). They will host the match between a pair of conference rivals, the No. 4 seeded St. Edward’s Hilltoppers (14-4) and the No. 5 seeded Dallas Baptist Patriots (14-4-1), and plays the winner on Sunday.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
Round One (Friday, November 14)
No. 1 Colorado School of Mines Orediggers/No. 2 A&M-Commerce Lions – BYE
No. 6 Angelo State vs. No. 3 Metro State (at Commerce, Texas)
No. 5 Dallas Baptist vs. No. 4 St. Edward’s (at Golden, Colorado)
Round Two (Sunday, November 16)
Winner 3/6 at No. 2 A&M-Commerce
Winner 4/5 at No. 1 Colorado School of Mines