Way to go OWLS!!!!

Victory!!

2-0. WooHOO!!

WTG, Owls!

Final, 2-0. We've placed another team sport in an NCAA tournament with an outright conference title!

Pay attention Owls men. Owls women doing what they need to do in CUSA.

Congrats, ladies. Good luck in the tournament.

Congrats on the conference title. That 2nd half shutout for the season is one impressive stat.

For some of the soccer experts here, was there a lineup change perhaps for Rice during the season that has spurred on the team's impressive run as of late? We were 4-2 heading into the A&M match but haven't lost since - we're now 12-2-1 on the season. We've clinched the best record in Rice soccer history with today's win. Our fewest number of losses on a season is 4 and we're assured of either 2 or at worst 3 losses for the year (14-4-3 in 2014 is our best record, percentage-wise, for a season).

(04-17-2021 02:40 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Congrats on the conference title. That 2nd half shutout for the season is one impressive stat.

For some of the soccer experts here, was there a lineup change perhaps for Rice during the season that has spurred on the team's impressive run as of late? We were 4-2 heading into the A&M match but haven't lost since - we're now 12-2-1 on the season. We've clinched the best record in Rice soccer history with today's win. Our fewest number of losses on a season is 4 and we're assured of either 2 or at worst 3 losses for the year (14-4-3 in 2014 is our best record, percentage-wise, for a season).

Shifted the back line to Page, Roelfsema, Desroches during A&M game due to an injury. Haven't given up a goal since (Boeckx was in for Desroches today due to injury)

Tournament bracket to be announced Monday. All matches played in North Carolina. First round April 27-28.

(04-17-2021 12:43 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  ...

11:47: Another score!! Kent centers from the left. Ericksen nails it at point-blank range!

2-0, Rice!!

That was a beautiful centering, pass and a great finish.

(04-17-2021 02:40 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Congrats on the conference title. That 2nd half shutout for the season is one impressive stat.

For some of the soccer experts here, was there a lineup change perhaps for Rice during the season that has spurred on the team's impressive run as of late? We were 4-2 heading into the A&M match but haven't lost since - we're now 12-2-1 on the season. We've clinched the best record in Rice soccer history with today's win. Our fewest number of losses on a season is 4 and we're assured of either 2 or at worst 3 losses for the year (14-4-3 in 2014 is our best record, percentage-wise, for a season).

Awesome results. Please sports gods, let’s figure out a way to build on the phenomenal success of our women’s sports programs, to other sports. I hope the crowds were decent for their games, if they were even allowed.

Roelfsema is probably the best player who ever has played at Rice that I can remember. Just such a great skilled player.

For those who know better, is this Rice's best ever soccer team? First game I have seen this year and while not the most exciting team I have seen in all these years, this seems to be the most disciplined as they just don't see to make any mistakes. (Wish I was saying that about another team that plays on a rectangle outside-I rather have winning than exciting and sloppy). That Mijke Roelfsema is really something.

Automatic qualifiers

ASUN: Liberty
America East:
American Athletic: South Florida
Atlantic 10: Saint Louis
ACC: Florida State
Big 12: TCU
Big East:
Big Sky: Montana
Big South: Campbell
Big Ten:
CAA: Elon
Conference USA: Rice
Horizon League: Milwaukee
MAAC: Siena College
Mid-American:
Missouri Valley:
Mountain West:
Northeast: Central Connecticut
Ohio Valley: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Pac-12: UCLA
Patriot League: Navy
SEC: Vanderbilt
Southern: Fourman
Southland: Southeastern Louisiana
SWAC: Alabama State
Summit League:
Sun Belt: South Alabama
WCC: Santa Clara
WAC:

So I'm assuming the soccer format is just like volleyball - 16 teams will get a 1st round bye? We probably will be in that 17-48 group, but hopefully they do try to seed those teams a bit and we get a good 1st round match-up.

In terms of whether this is Rice's best team ever in soccer, I'd say a 1st round NCAA tournament win would absolutely cement that legacy since we've never had an NCAA tournament win. Even though women's basketball and volleyball had wonderful seasons, I don't think I'd say either of those teams were the best in program history - I'd rank the 2018-19 basketball team first among hoops history (undefeated conference regular season and tournament title), and then last year's volleyball team slightly ahead of this year's team (although unfortunately the Covid case probably robbed that team a chance to surpass the 2019 team results).

(04-17-2021 04:37 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  So I'm assuming the soccer format is just like volleyball - 16 teams will get a 1st round bye? We probably will be in that 17-48 group, but hopefully they do try to seed those teams a bit and we get a good 1st round match-up.

In terms of whether this is Rice's best team ever in soccer, I'd say a 1st round NCAA tournament win would absolutely cement that legacy since we've never had an NCAA tournament win. Even though women's basketball and volleyball had wonderful seasons, I don't think I'd say either of those teams were the best in program history - I'd rank the 2018-19 basketball team first among hoops history (undefeated conference regular season and tournament title), and then last year's volleyball team slightly ahead of this year's team (although unfortunately the Covid case probably robbed that team a chance to surpass the 2019 team results).

I could support that; that makes a lot of sense. The golden age for Rice women’s athletics is right now?

(04-17-2021 04:51 PM)bigowlsfan Wrote:  

(04-17-2021 04:37 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  So I'm assuming the soccer format is just like volleyball - 16 teams will get a 1st round bye? We probably will be in that 17-48 group, but hopefully they do try to seed those teams a bit and we get a good 1st round match-up.

In terms of whether this is Rice's best team ever in soccer, I'd say a 1st round NCAA tournament win would absolutely cement that legacy since we've never had an NCAA tournament win. Even though women's basketball and volleyball had wonderful seasons, I don't think I'd say either of those teams were the best in program history - I'd rank the 2018-19 basketball team first among hoops history (undefeated conference regular season and tournament title), and then last year's volleyball team slightly ahead of this year's team (although unfortunately the Covid case probably robbed that team a chance to surpass the 2019 team results).

I could support that; that makes a lot of sense. The golden age for Rice women’s athletics is right now?

Without question. 4 teams ranked in the Top 30, with Tennis ranked in the Top 40.

(04-17-2021 04:51 PM)bigowlsfan Wrote:  

(04-17-2021 04:37 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  So I'm assuming the soccer format is just like volleyball - 16 teams will get a 1st round bye? We probably will be in that 17-48 group, but hopefully they do try to seed those teams a bit and we get a good 1st round match-up.

In terms of whether this is Rice's best team ever in soccer, I'd say a 1st round NCAA tournament win would absolutely cement that legacy since we've never had an NCAA tournament win. Even though women's basketball and volleyball had wonderful seasons, I don't think I'd say either of those teams were the best in program history - I'd rank the 2018-19 basketball team first among hoops history (undefeated conference regular season and tournament title), and then last year's volleyball team slightly ahead of this year's team (although unfortunately the Covid case probably robbed that team a chance to surpass the 2019 team results).

I could support that; that makes a lot of sense. The golden age for Rice women’s athletics is right now?

AD should reward success and up the amount of financial support to the teams that are excelling.

(04-17-2021 06:16 PM)Ranger Wrote:  

(04-17-2021 04:51 PM)bigowlsfan Wrote:  

(04-17-2021 04:37 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  So I'm assuming the soccer format is just like volleyball - 16 teams will get a 1st round bye? We probably will be in that 17-48 group, but hopefully they do try to seed those teams a bit and we get a good 1st round match-up.

In terms of whether this is Rice's best team ever in soccer, I'd say a 1st round NCAA tournament win would absolutely cement that legacy since we've never had an NCAA tournament win. Even though women's basketball and volleyball had wonderful seasons, I don't think I'd say either of those teams were the best in program history - I'd rank the 2018-19 basketball team first among hoops history (undefeated conference regular season and tournament title), and then last year's volleyball team slightly ahead of this year's team (although unfortunately the Covid case probably robbed that team a chance to surpass the 2019 team results).

I could support that; that makes a lot of sense. The golden age for Rice women’s athletics is right now?

AD should reward success and up the amount of financial support to the teams that are excelling.

If you apply that maxim equivalently across programs, FB and baseball would be stuck at a current funding level ad infinitum.

If you complete that equivalence, FB and baseball could be cut to a 'just survival' rate givem their shown excellence over the last 4 years.

Im not saying those outcomes are proper, or not. But they do make for an interesting 'what if' scenario.

(04-17-2021 04:37 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  So I'm assuming the soccer format is just like volleyball - 16 teams will get a 1st round bye? We probably will be in that 17-48 group, but hopefully they do try to seed those teams a bit and we get a good 1st round match-up.

Yes. That seems like what it will be.

Here's the NCAA.com article on its soccer tourneys (mens and women), which sasy the women's field will have 48 teams (and the men, 36) ... and that both tournaments' games would be played in various North Carolina locations:

https://www.ncaa.com/news/soccer-men/art...h-carolina

NCAA Wrote:Currently, the campus venues that will host tournament games are at Campbell, East Carolina, University of North Carolina Wilmington, UNC Greensboro and Wake Forest.

Off-campus sites for tournament matches include:

Bryan Park (Greensboro, North Carolina).
J. Burt Gillette Athletic Complex (Wilson, North Carolina).
Sportsplex (Matthews, North Carolina).
WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary, North Carolina).

... (D)ates for the tournaments are:

First round — Women, April 27-28; Men, April 29.
Second round — Women, April 30-May 1; Men, May 2.
Third round — Women, May 5; Men, May 6.
Quarterfinals — Women, May 9; Men, May 10.

The women’s national semifinals will be May 13 and the men’s May 14, while both national champions will be crowned May 17.

The NCAA's bracket URL is currently blank, but its box design/shadowing shows the same structure as the women's basketball tourney: https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/soccer-women/d1/2021

The Rice CUSA title game recap (https://riceowls.com/news/2021/4/17/wome...nship.aspx) said the NCAA tournament bracket pairings would be announced Monday (April 19) at noon (Central time) on the NCAA.com website.

I haven't seen any word that the pairings announcement would be on some sort of selection show, or simply by posting the tournament bracket.

Can fans attend the games or college kids or stll dying at alarming rates from COVID :).