Nov. 17, 2008

Complete 2008 Men's College Cup Bracket in PDF Format

(San Francisco) - USF men's soccer will take on Bay Area rival and Pac-10 power No. 10 Cal in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament Friday, November 21 at Edwards Stadium in Berkeley. Kickoff is set for 1:30 PM. The Dons are set to make their 31st NCAA Tournament appearance and take on the Golden Bears in the postseason for the first time in program history.

San Francisco and Cal have plenty of history in a series dating to 1968. The Dons own a 21-11-2 all-time ledger against the Golden Bears and have won two of the last three meetings, despite a 2-0 shutout at Edwards Stadium this season September 26.

Cal is making its 15th NCAA Tournament appearance and eighth consecutive under ninth-year head coach Kevin Grimes. Cal owns a 6-14-1 overall record in the NCAA Tournament, 6-7-1 under Grimes.

QUOTING COACH VISSER:
On making the NCAA Tournament: "It's always exciting because it's confirmation that we've achieved one part of our goal which is to make the NCAA playoffs. We talked to our players at the beginning of the year about the history and tradition USF and it's always a goal to get into the NCAA Playoff. This team is very hungry and wants to win. They're not satisfied just to be in it."

On the opening round match-up against Cal: "We know each other well. We play each other every year, we play each other in the spring as well. Cal, under the guidance of Coach Grimes has been a perennial power for several years now. We know it will be a very difficult game, but by the same token, we have had some success against them. It should be a very good, competitive game."

DONS AND GOLDEN BEARS - 2008 NCAA COLLEGE CUP - FIRST ROUND
WHO: USF (9-9-2) at No. 10 Cal (10-3-5)
WHAT: NCAA Men's Soccer College Cup - First Round Match
WHERE: Edwards Stadium - Berkeley, CA
WHEN: Friday, November 21, 2008 - 1:30 PM
SERIES RECORD: USF leads 21-11-2 (since 1968).
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: First meeting.
LAST FOUR REGULAR SEASON MEETINGS: at Cal 2, USF 0 (9/26/08); at USF 2, No. 11 Cal 1 (9/14/07); at No. 17 USF 1, Cal 0 (8/25/06); Cal 2, at USF 1 (9/16/05)

DONS SOCCER SET FOR 31ST NCAA APPEARANCE: After winning the West Coast Conference Championship, USF captured the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament - the 31st berth in program history. San Francisco now advances to the postseason for the fourth time in the last five seasons (2004-06, 2008) and has won three WCC titles in the last five years (2004-05, 2008). One of the nation's most storied programs, the Dons rank fourth in all-time appearances behind only St. Louis (45), UCLA (36) and Indiana (33). San Francisco also ranks fourth in total NCAA Division I Championships with four behind the Billikens (10), the Hoosiers (7) and Virginia (5).

SAN FRANCISCO IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: No stranger to postseason soccer, San Francisco prepares for its 31st appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Dons own a rich soccer tradition with six national championships, two national runner-up showings and seven College Cups (Final Four). The Dons own a 44-23-1 NCAA Tournament record with four NCAA Titles (1966, 1975, 1976 & 1980), seven appearances in the finals (last 1980) and 10 showings in the national quarterfinals (last 1983). The Dons dropped a tough 1-0 decision to New Mexico in the 89th minute at Negoesco Stadium November 11, 2006, in their last NCAA appearance.

SAN FRANCISCO WINS ITS 34TH CONFERENCE TITLE: USF won its 12th West Coast Conference title with a 2-1 road victory at San Diego (11/14/08) and its third in five seasons. It also marks the 34th overall for the Dons soccer program. San Francisco won four Pacific Soccer League titles (1977, 1978, 1979 & 1980) and 18 Northern California Intercollegiate Soccer Conference crowns (1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974 & 1975). USF won the WCC hardware in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2004, 2005 & 2008.