Back In The Dance!! UB Women's Soccer Receives An At-Large Bid To The 2021 NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament

Indianapolis, Indiana –For the eleventh time in program history, the University of Bridgeport women's soccer program, under the direction of head coach Magnus Nilerud, who is in his 22nd season as his alma mater's head women's soccer coach, will be appearing in the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament, as the Purple Knights received an at-large bid to this year's 56-team NCAA Tournament on Monday evening.

Bridgeport is the number seven seed in the seven-team East Regional, and the Purple Knights will face number two seed and fellow East Coast Conference member and conference champion, Molloy College (17-2-0) on Thursday, November 18, 2021 at Molloy in Rockville Centre, New York on Long Island.  Game time is 6:00 p.m.  Also playing at Molloy will be the third-seed, Southern New Hampshire Penmen (13-3-1) taking on the number six seed, Mercy College Mavericks (10-4-4) giving the ECC three teams in the NCAA Regional.  SNHU and Mercy will play at 3:00 p.m.  Thursday's winners will meet on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at Molloy to advance to the East Regional Final wgich will take place in two weeks.

Molloy defeated Bridgeport during the 2021 regular season, 2-0, at Knights Field on September 25.  The Purple Knights lead the all-series against the Lions by a 21-5-3 margin, and UB has gone 11-3-1 in road contests at Molloy.  Bridgeport won the last match the two teams played on the turf at John A Darcy Field, 1-0, on November 2, 2019.  Later that same season, the two teams tied, 2-2, at Knights Field in the semifinals of the East Coast Coanference Championship Tournament, but the Lions advanced in the tournament, 4-1, on penalty kicks.

All of the Purple Knights' 11 NCAA trips have come in the last 14 seasons, and UB has an impressive 16-7-2 record in NCAA play.

Bridgeport's last NCAA venture came in 2018 when the team 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 and 2018.

Bridgeport heads into this year's NCAA Tournament with an 11-6-1 overall record.  UB enters 2021 NCAA play on a five-match winning streak, and the team is unbeaten in its last seven outings (6-0-1).

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, who receive a first round bye, are 15-1-3 so far in 2021.  They will play the winner of Friday's match between number four seed, St. Anselm College (10-6-1) and number five seed Jefferson University (12-5-1).

2021 NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP

FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS HOSTED BY MOLLOY COLLEGE

First Round-Thursday, November 18, 2021

6:00 p.m.-Bridgeport (11-6-1) vs. Molloy (17-2-1)

3:00 p.m.-Mercy (10-4-4) vs. Southern New Hampshire (13-31)

Second Round-Saturday, November 20, 2021

3:00 p.m.-Bridgeport/Molloy winner vs. Mercy/Southern New Hampshire

2021 NCAA EAST REGIONAL TOURNAMENT CENTRAL-HOSTED BY MOLLOY COLLEGE

2021 NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE 2021 NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S SOCCER SELECTION SHOW