The eight-team field for the 2002 Conference USA Women's Soccer Tournament was set on Sunday, the final day of the regular season. The tournament gets underway on Wednesday.

On the heels of its first outright Conference USA regular-season championship, Charlotte is the top seed at the C-USA Tournament Nov. 6-9 at TransAmerica Field in Charlotte. The 49ers (15-0-2, 8-0-2) are the fifth Conference USA team to complete regular-season league play without a loss and are the second team in league history to complete an entire regular season unbeaten.

Of the 14 C-USA teams, the top eight advance to the league tournament, which begins on Wednesday with first round matches at 12 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The semifinals are Thursday at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with the final set for Saturday at 2 p.m. (all times EST). The final will be aired on the Conference USA Television Network. DON RUSSELL will call the play-by-play, and AMY PRICHARD provides the color commentary. Conference USA’s official website, www.c-usasports.com, will provide updates, box scores, recaps and photos.

For the second-straight year, second-seeded Cincinnati (13-3-3, 6-1-3) plays in the tournament’s opening match, squaring off against seventh-seeded South Florida (8-7-2, 4-4-2) at noon. Cincinnati and South Florida did not meet in the regular season. The Bearcats are paced by their defense with a Conference USA-best 0.50 goals against average. Anchoring that stingy defense is goalkeeper TRACY HALE, who owns UC’s 12 shutouts and a league-best 0.52 goals against average. The Bulls are one of the hottest teams coming into the tournament. South Florida was 0-4-1 through its first five conference matches, but rallied with a 4-0-1 mark in its last five contests to secure a spot in the tournament. TIA OPLIGER leads USF with eight goals this season.

The 2:30 p.m. match pits third-seeded East Carolina (10-5-4, 5-2-3) and sixth-seeded Houston (8-7-3, 4-3-3). Wednesday’s match also will be the first time the two squads have met on the playing field this year. This marks the second-straight season that the Pirates have qualified for the C-USA Tournament, earning a berth in their inaugural Conference USA season last year. AMANDA DUFFY leads ECU with a team-high 10 goals. The Cougars enter this year’s tournament after securing a bid in their regular-season finale, a 1-1 tie with Tulane. NIKKI HAWKINS leads Houston with six goals this season.

Another intriguing pairing gets underway at 5 p.m. as fourth-seeded Saint Louis (13-5-1, 6-3-1) takes on fifth-seeded Marquette (11-6-3, 5-3-2). During the regular season, the teams played to a scoreless tie in St. Louis. The Billikens’ are led by JAMIE PERRY with a team-best 13 goals. Goalkeeper MEGHANN BURKE set a SLU single-season record with 12 shutouts, giving her 38 for her career. The Saint Louis’ defense is among the nation’s best with a 0.67 shutout percentage and 13th for goals against average. The Golden Eagles’ top threat offensively is KATE GORDON with 10 goals this year, while goalkeeper ASHLEIGH KOENIG has seven shutouts this season.

Top-seeded Charlotte (15-0-2, 8-0-2) plays eighth-seeded Memphis (9-9-1, 5-5-0) in the final game on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The 49ers won the regular-season meeting, 3-0, at home. The 49ers roster boasts the league’s leading scorer, COURTNEY CRANDELL, with a C-USA-record 20 goals this season. Goalkeeper JENN HOWELL is fourth in the league with 1.09 goals against average. Memphis qualified for the tournament by winning the head-to-head tie breaker with UAB. Tigers’ goalkeeper KATARINA WICKSELL is fourth in Conference USA with five shutouts this year.




2002 CONFERENCE USA TOURNAMENT
MATCH SCHEDULE

Wednesday, November 6
Match 1 – (7) South Florida vs. (2) Cincinnati Noon
Match 2 – (6) Houston vs. (3) East Carolina 2:30 p.m.
Match 3 – (5) Marquette vs. (4) Saint Louis 5 p.m.
Match 4 – (8) Memphis vs. (1) Charlotte 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 7 (Semifinals)
Match 5 – Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner 5 p.m.
Match 6 – Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 9 (Finals)
Match 7 – Semifinal Winners 2 p.m. (C-USA Television Network)

All times are Eastern
All Games Are At TransAmerica , Charlotte, N.C.

C-USA TELEVISION NETWORK
Here is a breakdown of where the championship match has been syndicated.

UNC Charlotte Cable Television, Channel 22 – (Live and Tape Delay – Time TBD)
Fox Sports Net South (Tape Delay – Time TBD)
WMLW-TV, CBS 58 - Milwaukee
American Forces TV




- www.C-USASports.com -
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