INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (November 8, 2021) – Fresh off a spectacular run to the MAC Freedom Championship, the Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team will take on Swarthmore College in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship, the NCAA announced Monday.
"Exciting draw!" said head coach
Dale Jordan. "We face an extremely tough Swarthmore team, who are very well coached and loaded with talent."
The Ducks and the Garnet will take to the pitch in a four-team regional, hosted by No. 7 Tufts University. The Jumbos will take on New England College in the other first-round matchup. Both matches are scheduled for Nov. 13. The Ducks last traveled to Medford, Massachusetts in 2018.
"Going back to Tufts will be fun," Jordan commented. "We are familiar with their setup after we were there in 2018. It's a great field to play on, so that's exciting."
The Ducks will be making their 17th trip to the national tournament after advancing over Misericordia on penalty kicks on Nov. 6. Sophomore
Fritz Kabeiseman was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after helping the Ducks win three postseason matches without conceding a goal. The Ducks were the first #4 seed to capture the MAC Freedom title since 2011.
Swarthmore will be making its ninth trip to the NCAA Tournament and second in as many seasons. The Garnet went 11-3-2 in the regular season and fell to Gettysburg in the Centennial Conference semifinal. Swarthmore was ranked sixth in Region V and received an at-large bid to the tournament. Stevens is 4-2-1 against the Garnet since 2008, although the teams last met in 2015.
"Looking forward to seeing our group play again," Jordan said. "We get to be around each other and train this week!"
Forty-three teams were automatic qualifiers, while 21 teams qualified through Pool C, which means they either represent independent institutions or did not earn their respective conferences' automatic qualifier status.
Links for live stats and video for the Ducks' match against Swarthmore are available on StevensDucks.com.
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