University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Soccer Earns NCAA At-Large Bid
November 07, 2011 | Soccer
Nov. 7, 2011
ATHENS, Ga. --- The Georgia soccer team is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons and the eighth time overall as it was awarded an at-large bid to the 64-team field when the bracket was announced Monday afternoon. The Bulldogs will travel to Lawrence, Kan., to meet the University of Kansas in first round action on Sun., Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. ET at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.
Georgia (12-6-2) is one of eight Southeastern Conference squads selected to the field, the second-most of any conference behind only the ACC's nine. Stanford, Duke, Florida State, and Wake Forest were awarded the four No. 1 seeds.
"It's awesome - what a great day to be a Georgia Bulldog," said head coach Steve Holeman, making his first NCAA appearance at Georgia and the fifth of his career. "We are thrilled to be a part of the national tournament. This team has worked extremely hard all year and it's great to see it rewarded."
The winner of the KU-Georgia game will meet either Duke or Radford in the second round Nov. 18. This marks the first season in which only one game is played on opening weekend.
The Bulldogs finished fifth in the SEC and fell in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament to Florida, 2-0, last time out. Kansas (11-8-1) is making its fifth NCAA appearance and first since 2008. The Jayhawks finished seventh in the Big 12 and was eliminated from the conference tournament by eventual champion Texas A&M via penalty kicks.
Georgia is 2-0 in the all-time series including last season's 5-0 win over KU in Athens. The Bulldogs are 5-7-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
"This feels amazing," said senior Jamie Pollock. "I can't tell you how excited I am that we get another chance and we're still alive. It's a brand new season right here - everyone gets a fresh start - and we know it's play or go home. It's a good wake up call for us and hopefully we take advantage of it."
Thirty conferences were granted automatic bids for the 2011 championship, while the remaining 34 teams were selected at-large. The women's College Cup is set for Dec. 2-4 in Kennesaw, Ga.
Georgiadogs.com will feature live audio coverage and the Georgia Soccer Live Blog on Sunday beginning shortly before kickoff.
