MEN’S SOCCER DRAWS LOYOLA MARYMOUNT IN FIRST ROUND OF NCAA TOURNAMENT

11/16/2009

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento State men’s soccer team found out today it will travel to Southern California to face the Loyola Marymount Lions in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m.

The tournament appearance will be the first in school history for the men’s soccer team, after the Hornets took home the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s automatic bid by way of a 2-2 tie against New Mexico in the federation’s title game, with Sacramento State prevailing on penalty kicks by a score of 5-4.

“This is a first for our program, so we’re excited to be in the NCAA Tournament,” head coach Michael Linenberger said. “We are happy we’re able to stay in California and make a bus trip down south to play Loyola Marymount in the first round.”

The winner of the match will face UCLA, who earned the No. 5 overall seed and a first round bye, on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 5 p.m.

The Hornets earned the top seed in the MPSF Tournament after winning the regular season title with a 6-0-1 mark. Overall, the team posted an 11-5-3 mark, and holds a 3-1-0 mark against opponents common to the Lions (10-8-2, 5-5-2 WCC). Sacramento State and Loyola Marymount each played a total of three common opponents, with each team playing one of the opponents twice.

The Hornets defeated San Francisco on the road (2-1), while the Lions split their season series, winning at home (3-2, OT) and losing on the road (3-1). The Hornets were 3-1 victors at Cal State Bakersfield in MPSF play, while LMU fell to the Roadrunners on the road 1-0.  Loyola Marymount defeated San Jose State (1-0) near the beginning of the season, while the Hornets split their regular season series, losing on the road in non-conference play (2-1) before defeating the Spartans in conference action (4-3).

New Mexico, the team who the Hornets advanced over the MPSF title game, made the field with an at large berth, marking the first time since 1999 that the federation has had two teams make the field of 48.