Monday, November 01, 2004

Valparaiso University will battle Centenary College on Friday afternoon in the second semifinal of the Mid-Continent Conference Women's Soccer Tournament in Rochester, Mich. beginning at 1:30 p.m. CST.

The Crusaders, the tournament's third seed, finished the regular season 9-7-2 overall and 3-3 in Mid-Con play and tied for third in the league's standings. Valpo is making its fourth conference tournament appearance in the six years the Mid-Con has sponsored women's soccer. The Brown and Gold advanced to the title match in 1999, only to fall in overtime 2-1 to Oral Roberts.

Centenary finished in second place in the Mid-Con this season, earning the second seed. The Ladies finished 13-4-1 overall and 4-2 in Mid-Con action, including a 1-0 victory over Valpo back on October 1 in Shreveport, La. Centenary is making its second straight trip to the conference tournament after joining the league prior to last season.

The first semifinal on Friday pits top-seeded and regular season champion Oral Roberts (13-5, 5-1 Mid-Con) against fourth-seeded and tournament host Oakland (8-11, 3-3). The Golden Eagles and Golden Grizzlies face off at 10:30 a.m. CST.

The two semifinal winners will meet on Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m. CST for the championship, with the victor earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.