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Complete NCAA Division II Tournament Bracket

UW-Parkside NCAA Tournament History

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UW-Parkside vs. Michigan Tech Infographic

SOMERS, Wis.. (Nov. 13, 2013)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside women's soccer team returns to Quincy University's Legends Stadium for the second straight weekend, opening up the 2013 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament on Friday against Michigan Tech University.

The third-seeded Rangers and sixth-seeded Huskies hit the pitch under the lights on Friday, kicking off at 6 p.m. Live stats of the game will be available. The winner of Friday's match will face Great Lakes Valley Conference Champion and host Quincy in the second round on Sunday at 12 p.m.

About the NCAA Tournament: 48 teams were selected for the NCAA Division II Championship with six teams earning a bid in each of the eight regions. Grand Valley State University is the top seed in the Midwest Region and will face the winner of Friday's clash between fourth-seeded Truman State University and fifth-seeded Rockhurst University on Sunday in Allendale, Mich. On the other side of the Midwest bracket second-seeded Quincy will face the winner of the Rangers-Huskies clash on Sunday.

The winner of the Midwest Regional will face the winner of the Central Regional for a spot in the Final Four hosted by the Peach Belt Conference in Evans, Ga. Minnesota State University-Mankato is the top seed in the Central Region.

About the Rangers: UW-Parkside (13-4-3) returns to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season and the seventh time in program history. The Rangers secured their bid after advancing to the finals of the 2013 GLVC Championship Tournament.

UW-Parkside finished off the regular season with an 11-3-3 record and a 9-3-3 mark in the GLVC, finishing the third in the league standings.

The Rangers edged Drury University 1-0 on Nov. 3 in the opening round of the GLVC Tournament, advancing thanks to an Alex Johnson blast from 35 yards out before rallying past Truman State University 2-1 in overtime in the GLVC Semifinals. In that game, UW-P trailed 1-0 before Alex Johnson netted the equalizer in the 87th minute. In overtime it was Niekie Pellens providing the winning scorer with Jasmine Espino earning the assist.

In the GLVC Championship game, the Rangers yielded two first half goals and were unable to overcome the deficit, falling 2-1 to host Quincy University as the Hawks repeated as league champions.

Kaela Hoecherl leads the team in both goals (eight) and points (18) with five game-winning goals. Emily Konior boasts seven goals and 15 points on the season while Espino adds four goals and five assists. Johnson leads the team in assists with six on the year while finding the back of the net on three occasions. Stephanie Barsuli has four goals to her name while Vianey Hernandez, Niekie Pellens and Karley Mecko each have a pair of goals.

In goal, Mallory Geurts has started all 20 games for the Green and White, logging 10 shutouts and recording 74 saves. The freshman boasts a goals against average of 0.73 and has yielded just 15 goals on the season.

About the Huskies: Michigan Tech (14-5-1) makes its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in just the program's fourth season of existence after finishing runner-up at the 2013 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Huskies fell 2-0 to No. 1 ranked Grand Valley State on Nov. 10 in the GLIAC Championship, snapping a five-game win streak. MTU began its win streak on Oct. 27, downing Ferris State University 3-0 before closing the regular season with 3-1 wins over both Malone University and Walsh University. Michigan Tech needed double overtime to down Saginaw Valley State University 1-0 on Nov. 5 in the GLIAC Quarterfinals before edging Ashland University 2-1 in the semifinals.

The Houghton based squad has been fairly successful away from their home field in the Upper Peninsula, posting an 8-3 record in road and neutral site contests, including a 1-0 victory over Division I University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

The Rangers and Huskies have met just once on the soccer pitch, squaring off in the second game of the season on Sept. 7 with UW-Parkside rolling Michigan Tech 5-1. Kaela Hoecherl tallied the first goal just seven minutes in before Jasmine Espino doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. The Rangers enjoyed a 3-0 lead at the break after Emily Konior scored in the 33rd minute. After a lengthy weather delay, Stephanie Barsuli tallied a strike in the 60th minute while Konior scored her second goal of the game in the 68th minute. MTU tallied its lone goal in the 83rd minute courtesy of Katie Boardman.

15 and Counting: Under head coach Troy Fabiano the Rangers have experienced 15 straight winning seasons a streak spanning all the way back to 1999, Fabiano's second year as coach. He currently owns a 203-72-26 career mark in 16 seasons at the helm, making seven NCAA appearances and winning four GLVC Championships. Fabiano became the 21st active coach in NCAA Division II to eclipse 200 wins on Oct. 20 with a 1-0 win over Rockhurst University.

Four and Counting: UW-Parkside has made the NCAA Tournament the past four seasons and five of the last six years. The Rangers have qualified for the Big Dance in 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2008, 2004 and 2003. The Rangers advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in 2008 while making an appearance in the Sweet 16 in 2012 and 2010. UW-Parkside has advanced past the first round every time except for an opening round exit in 2003. The Rangers are 6-6-1 all-time in NCAA games.

2012 Tournament Rewind: The Rangers opened the NCAA Tournament last year against William Jewell College, defeating the Cardinals 2-0 before edging host Quincy 2-1 in the second round. The Rangers' tournament run came to a close in the Sweet 16, stumbling to host Grand Valley State University 2-0 on Nov. 16.

Home Sweet Home: The Rangers have been nearly invincible at home in recent years, posting a 33-1-4 record over the last 38 games at Wood Road Field. The lone loss was a 3-2 defeat to Rockhurst on Oct. 28, 2012 in the GLVC Tournament. UW-Parkside is 9-0 at the friendly confines of Wood Road Field in 2013.