UAB Earns Bid To NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament

Tara Kidwell

Coming off a Conference USA Tournament championship, the UAB Blazers (15-5-1) earned their program's first post-season bid to the NCAA Tournament.

UAB will face Wake Forest (10-6-2) in first-round action on Friday, November 12, in Knoxville, Tenn. The winner will advance to play either Furman (13-8-0) or host and No. 11 national seed Tennessee (15-4-2) in the second round on Sunday.

The Blazers ride a seven-match win streak into the NCAA Tournament, earning an automatic bid with their 2-1 victory over Saint Louis in the 2004 Conference USA Tournament finals. This marks UAB's first NCAA berth in the nine-year history of the program, all of which have been spent under head coach Paul Harbin. UAB is one of 14 teams who will be making their first appearance in this year's tournament. The Blazers have been led offensively by C-USA Player of the Year Tara Kidwell, who tallied 14 goals and eight assists for 36 points this season. Teammates Jenny Rynders and Brianna McCarty were named the Most Valuable Offensive and Defensive Players, respectively, at the C-USA Tournament.

When the 2005 Conference USA women's soccer season kicks off, a total of four teams will be coming off NCAA appearances. In addition to UAB, future members Rice, SMU and UCF all earned a spot among the 2004 NCAA tournament field.