Nov. 12, 2001

VILLANOVA, PA. - For the first time in the program's history, the Villanova University women's soccer team earned an NCAA Tournament berth. On Monday, Nov. 12, the Wildcats received an at-large bid to the first field of 64 teams, which will compete for the Division I Women's College Cup. The NCAA expanded the field from 48 to 64 teams following the 2000 season.

"It is a proud moment for the Villanova women's soccer program," said fifth year Villanova head coach Ann Clifton. "This is the pinnacle of what we wanted to achieve and it puts us exactly where we wanted to be."

Villanova (12-5-3) will play the University of Pennsylvania in the first round of the Women's College Cup on Friday, Nov. 16, at Penn State University. If the Wildcats defeat the Quakers, they will play the winner of the other first round game, Penn State versus Bucknell, on Sunday, Nov. 18.

The Big East Conference received eight NCAA bids, one more than any other conference. Other Big East schools to make the field of 64 were Notre Dame, Connecticut, West Virginia, Rutgers, Boston College, Miami, and Syracuse. The Big East received one more bid than the ACC, which sent seven teams to the tournament. Some of the other top conference's included the PAC 10, SEC, and WCC, which all sent five teams to the 2001 Women's College Cup.

Villanova is one of 16 teams making its first-ever appearance to the NCAA Tournament.

"The journey really began five years ago when myself and the staff arrived here at Villanova," said Clifton. "We wanted to build a foundation with the NCAA's being the ultimate goal. This year's senior class is our first-ever recruiting class and for them to help get us to the NCAA Tournament is really something special."

Click here for the complete 2001 Women's College Cup bracket in pdf format