Women’s soccer: Virginia earns No. 1 NCAA seed, hosts Howard In NCAA first round Friday

The Virginia women’s soccer team is one of four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and will host Howard in a first-round matchup at Klöckner Stadium at 6 p.m. on Friday, the NCAA announced with the release of the tournament bracket on Monday (Nov. 9).

Tickets for the game are $9 for reserved seats, $7 for adult general admission and $5 for youth/UVA students/senior citizen general admission. Fans can order tickets for the tournament online at VirginiaSports.com and by phone through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 800-542-UVA1 (8821) or 434-924-UVA1 (8821). Tickets are also available at the gate beginning one hour prior to the start of play.

Free public parking will be available in the Emmet/Ivy Garage. The Virginia men’s basketball team hosts Morgan State at 7 p.m. on Friday, so the John Paul Jones Arena and University Hall parking lots are reserved for men’s basketball permit holders.

“I told our team after the ACC final that it’s a privilege to be in the NCAA Tournament and you’re only guaranteed one game, so we have to focus on Howard and earn the right to move on,” said Virginia head coach Steve Swanson. “Playing at home is a reward for the work you’ve done in the regular season.

“Being a number one seed was one of our goals, but it doesn’t guarantee anything more than playing at home. That’s a big advantage, because it means we’re playing at home and gives us incentive. We’ve done well at Klöckner and that’s due, in large part, to our fans. We’re excited to play here on Friday.”

This season marks the 18th time in the past 22 years the Cavaliers have hosted NCAA Tournament play at Klöckner Stadium. Overall, Virginia has a 28-12-3 record in home NCAA Tournament games.

Virginia is making its 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and its 28th overall. Only North Carolina and Notre Dame have longer active streaks of tournament appearances. Last year, Virginia advanced to its second consecutive College Cup and third since 1991, falling to eventual champion Florida State 1-0 in the championship game.

The Cavaliers claimed the ACC regular-season championship with a 9-1-0 mark in conference play. Virginia spent the entire season ranked in the top five and held the top spot in the polls for six weeks this season. Virginia leads the ACC in scoring with 3.26 goals per game and has 14 different goal scorers this season for 62 total goals.

Howard (13-7-2) advanced to the NCAA Tournament by winning the SWAC Tournament as the four seed. The Bison have been one of the top scoring teams in the nation, averaging 3.20 goals per game coming into the NCAA Tournament. It’s the second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth for Howard who also won the SWAC title last season.