CHICAGO– For the first time in its eight-year history, Conference USA has advanced three women’s soccer teams to the NCAA Tournament. Charlotte, the Conference USA regular-season champion, Cincinnati, the Conference USA Tournament champion and Marquette are a part of the field of 64 teams that begin play on Friday, Nov. 15 around the nation, culminating in the NCAA College Cup National Championship match at University of Texas’ Mike A. Myers Stadium on December 8.

This marks Charlotte’s second-ever selection to the NCAA Tournament and its first at-large selection under head coach NEIL ROBERTS, the 2002 Conference USA Coach of the Year. The 49ers will host the first and second rounds at Transamerica Field, facing James Madison (12-7-3) in the opening round on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. EST. Charlotte’s first appearance in the NCAAs was 1998 when it defeated South Carolina, 2-0, in the first round before falling to North Carolina, 6-0, in Chapel Hill in the second round after winning the conference’s automatic bid. Charlotte enjoyed its finest season in program history with a 16-1-2 record in 2002. Charlotte was led by COURTNEY CRANDELL, the only player in C-USA women’s soccer history to win both the conference’s Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year awards in the same season. Crandell’s 21 goals and 50 points are both Conference USA single season records.

Cincinnati is making its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament after winning its second consecutive Conference USA Tournament. UC (16-3-3) will face Kentucky (11-8-0) in the first round at the University of Tennessee’s Soccer Complex in Knoxville on Friday at 5:30 p.m. EST. This is the sixth time the Bearcats have qualified for the NCAA Tournament under head coach MERIDY GLENN. Last year, UC became the league’s first team to advance to the Sweet 16. The foundation of this year’s Bearcat team has been its stingy defense led by goalkeeper TRACY HALE, who boasts a league-best 0.58 goals against average. Hale is also second in the conference with nine shutouts this season.

This is the fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for Marquette (13-7-3) and head coach MARKUS ROEDERS. The Golden Eagles faces in-state rival Wisconsin (12-7-3) in its opening match on Friday at 7:30 p.m. CST. This is the third season that the Golden Eagles has hosted first-round games at Valley Fields. Twice Marquette has advanced to the second round, in 1999 and 2000. All-Conference USA selection KATE GORDON leads the team with 12 goals and six assists this season. Marquette defeated Wisconsin, 1-0, on September 17.

The three bids to this year’s championship gives Conference USA an eight-year total of nine NCAA bids.