Purple Knights Earn Number Three Seed In 2022 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship East Regional

Indianapolis, Indiana –For the twelfth time in program history, the University of Bridgeport women's soccer program, under the direction of first-year head coach Tania Armellino, will be appearing in the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament, as the Purple Knights received the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference's automatic bid to this year's 56-team NCAA Tournament by win the 2022 CACC Women's Soccer Championship title with a 2-0 victory over Chestnut Hill College on Sunday afternoon.

Bridgeport (13-3-5) is the number three seed in the eight-team East Regional, and the Purple Knights will face number six seed, St. Anselm College Hawks from the Northeast 10 Conference (10-7-1) on Friday, November 11, 2022 at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire.  Game time is 1:00 p.m.  Joining UB and St. Anselm in action in Rindge are the host Ravens of FPU (14-3-2), the number two seed in the East Region and the number seven seed Penmen of Southern New Hampshire University (6-5-5) in a match that will kick off at 4:00 p.m.  Friday's winners will meet on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at Franklin Pierce to advance to the East Regional Final that will take place the following weekend.

All of the Purple Knights' 12 NCAA trips have come in the last 15 seasons, and UB has an impressive 16-8-2 record in NCAA play.

In last year's NCAA appearance, UB fell in a close contest at Molloy College, 2-1

Prior to 2021 in 2018, Bridgeport captured the NCAA Division II National Championship with a 1-0 win over Grand Valley State University on December 1 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Purple Knights went 6-0-0 in the NCAA Championship on their way to the 2018 national crown defeating Stonehill (2-1), St. Rose (3-0) and LIU Post (1-0) to take the East Regional title, and then topping Bloomsburg, 3-1, to advance to the national semifinals where the team blanked UC San Diego, 2-0.

The Purple Knights also advanced to the National Championship Semifinals in 2015 in Pensacola, Florida where they fell 3-1 to Columbus (Ga,) State University.

Prior to this season, the UB women's soccer program has appeared in the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2021.

Bridgeport heads into this season's NCAA Tournament red-hot, as the Purple Knights are on a 17-match unbeaten streak with 12 wins and five draws.  That 17-match unbeaten ties the school record set in 2015 when the Purple Knights set a school record for victories with 21 and made the program's first-ever NCAA Division II Semifinals trip.  The team's last loss this season came on September 4, a 2-1 decision at MSU Denver.

The other side of the East Region bracket will be hosted by the region's top-seed, the College of St. Rose Golden Knights in Albany, New York. The Golden Knights (17-0-3) will face number eight seed Thomas Jefferson University Rams, (11-6-1), a fellow CACC member with UB in one match and the other match will have number four seed Mercy (13-2-2) taking on number five seed Adelphi (12-5-2).  Both of those matches will also take place on Friday and the winners will play on Sunday to advance to the following week's East Regional Final.

2022 NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP

FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS HOSTED BY FRANKLIN PIERCE UNIVERSITY

First Round-Friday, November 11, 2022

1:00 p.m.-Bridgeport (13-3-5) vs. St. Anselm (10-7-1)

4:00 p.m.-Franklin Pierce (14-3-2) vs. Southern New Hampshire (6-5-5)

Second Round-Saturday, November 13, 2022

2:00 p.m.-Bridgeport/St. Anselm winner vs. Franklin Pierce/Southern New Hampshire winner

Tickets will be available each day at Sodexo Field. Daily admission will be $10 for adults, $5 for children (12 and under) and senior citizens (65+), and $3 for college students (with valid institutional ID). Per NCAA policy, no complimentary admission will be permitted.

2022 NCAA EAST REGIONAL TOURNAMENT CENTRAL-HOSTED BY FRANKLIN PIERCE UNIVERSITY

2022 NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

2022 NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP PROGRAM

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE 2022 NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S SOCCER SELECTION SHOW