Auburn NCAA Tournament Notes in PDF Format
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Nov. 6, 2006

AUBURN, Ala. - For the fifth time in the last six years, the Auburn soccer team will go dancing in the NCAA Tournament as the Tigers received an at-large invitation to the tournament on Monday afternoon. The Tigers will face California in the opening round of the tournament at 8 p.m. ET on Friday night in Tallahassee, Fla.

"We are real excited to get back into the NCAA Tournament, especially after having a down year last year," AU Head Coach Karen Hoppa said. "Our team did a great job of rebounding and doing enough in the regular season to qualify for NCAAs. Now we get to start a new season."

Auburn's new season starts with an unfamiliar face as the Tigers, who finished the season 11-5-3, and Golden Bears, who went 11-4-5 out of the Pac 10, have never faced each other on the soccer pitch.

"California will be a tough opponent. We don't know much about them, which will make it exciting because it is a new opponent, someone different," Hoppa said.

Other teams in Auburn's bracket are Florida State and Jacksonville. Those two teams will play at 5:30 p.m. ET on Friday with the two winners advancing to play each other at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

The appearance in Tallahassee is Auburn's third in NCAA Tournament play. Auburn also played there in 2002, defeating Central Florida, 2-0, in the opening round before falling to the host Seminoles, 2-1, and again in 2003, when Auburn downed Oklahoma State, 1-0, in the opener before falling to FSU, 2-1, in double overtime.

Ticket information for the 2006 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament in Tallahassee will be available on-line at www.seminoles.com or by calling (850) 644-1830. Fans outside of Tallahassee can call toll free at 1-888-FSUNOLE.