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PLATTSBURGH — Nobody could have seen this one coming.
The Waterbury household received the exciting and surprising news Sunday night that both the Plattsburgh State men's and women's soccer teams have earned at-large bids into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
It marks the first time in school history that both Plattsburgh teams will play in the NCAA tournament in the same season.
In fact, the men's team will host an opening-round contest when Bowdoin (11-4-1) comes to town on Thursday for a 6 p.m. contest.
The winner of Thursday's match will advance to play at the University of Rochester in the second round on Sunday (1 p.m.). This will be the first-ever meeting between Bowdoin and Plattsburgh State in men's soccer.
This will be the fourth appearance for the Polar Bears in the national tournament and their first under fifth-year coach Fran O'Leary. Bowdoin (11-4-1) finished fourth in the New England Small Colleges Athletic Conference (NESCAC) regular-season standings and advanced to the conference semifinals with a first-round victory over Trinity (Conn.) before being bounced by eventual champion Williams.
The Plattsburgh State women, meanwhile, will oppose The College of New Jersey (16-2-1) on Saturday in the opening round at 1:30 p.m., with host Amherst (12-3-1) and Eastern Connecticut State (12-5-3) in the other contest. The winners meet on Sunday.
In all, there were 59 teams chosen for the men's event and 63 teams selected for the women's tournament.
"Honestly, I felt we had a chance," said men's coach Chris Waterbury. "But, in the previous three years, we were on the bubble of getting in — and didn't. So, my pessimistic side had me feeling down this year.
"All the players are pretty psyched. We played a hard schedule, including seven ranked teams. And, we had some great wins along the way."
"The girls are ecstatic," said women's coach Karen Waterbury. "They're happy, despite what happened in the conference. I've seen how the committee works in the past and I felt we had a slight chance. But, honestly, I felt no way it was going to happen.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for the girls. We stressed out too much during the season and need to relax more. We're in now and we want to make some waves. It's rewarding.
"We've had some time off, but I would rather have us rested."
The Cardinals' men's team, which is 13-2-5 overall, recorded a 1-0 home win over Oneonta in the State University of New York Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals last Friday.
Then, in Saturday's championship game, Brockport knocked off the Cardinals, 11-10, in penalty kicks after the two teams played scoreless through regulation and the two overtimes where Plattsburgh State held a 19-6 shot advantage.
"We had to stew on it for the last 48 hours," Chris Waterbury said. "The players worked so hard over the weekend and we heard the news late Sunday night that we were in.
"It seems like we have been given a second chance."
Bowdoin finished fourth in the NESCAC and recorded a win over Trinity in the first round of the conference tournament before losing to eventual winner Williams in the semifinals.
The winner of Thursday's game plays at the University of Rochester on Sunday in the second round.
The Plattsburgh State women's soccer team, which is 10-5-3 overall, did not qualify for the SUNYAC Tournament despite heavily outshooting, but not outscoring, many of its conference opponents during the regular season.
But, the Cardinals showed their character at the end of the regular season against non-conference foes. Plattsburgh State played No. 20-ranked Middlebury to a 1-all overtime tie on the road and then knocked off No. 19-ranked Ithaca, 2-1, at home. The Cardinals last played on Oct. 28 with a 4-2 win at Norwich.
"Our strength of schedule was a huge part of it," Karen Waterbury said. "We made big changes in our schedule this year and were ready for the challenge. We played many teams that are in the tourney and subjectivity has been taken out of the selection process.
"Absolutely, we finished the season strong, with a win over Ithaca and a tie at Middlebury. We also had big wins over Skidmore, Union and Geneseo. And, we played Williams, a team that nobody seems to beat."
The Plattsburgh State men last appeared in the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2005 and the women in 1995.
Ticket prices
Tickets will be sold at the gate on the day of the game, starting at 4 p.m. The cost is $6 for general admission, $3 for seniors, students and children ages 3-12 and there's no admission charge for children under-2. Per NCAA regulations, no complimentary passes are available.
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