Soccer Rewarded – NCAA Tourney Bid
11/05/2007
Sunday evening provided a surreal moment for the College of Saint Benedict soccer team and head coach Kate McNeil. The NCAA issued the Blazers women soccer team with an NCAA tournament bid, less than 48-hours after taking center stage amongst the MIAC elite and losing in the MIAC Championship game to Concordia-Moorhead College in Moorhead, Minn. The Blazers clung to a strand of hope that their special season wasn’t over – the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Committee confirmed that hope late Sunday evening.
When the College of Saint Benedict takes the field Saturday afternoon at the University of Chicago against Wisconsin-Stevens Point, they will be entering uncharted territory for Blazers soccer. Not since 2002 have the Blazers reached the NCAA playoffs. Saturday they will get a chance to put their stamp on Blazers’ history, and blaze the trails of Division III women’s soccer with a NCAA playoff run.
Kate McNeil's team isn’t getting carried away in the moment’s ecstasy, but realizes that this is a dream come true for her relentless group of women. Under the scorching sun of the dog days of August the Blazers embarked on the season with only three goals: to win the MIAC regular season championship, to win the MIAC 
playoff championship, and to earn an NCAA playoff berth. The latter of those goals was accomplished on Sunday evening when McNeil recieved the phone call.
The NCAA rewarded possibly the hungriest team in Minnesota, when it promised the Blazers a chance to play another game. The Blazers see this as new life, when they thought their season was all but finished. Junior mid-fielder Maria Conroy is excited about the breath of fresh life.
“I feel we are humble and know we have to fight for every game. Nothing is going to come easy, but we will bring everything we have to the field on Saturday. I want to leave the field with a good memory,” said Conroy.
While this will go down as the most anticipated Blazers soccer game in six-years, the Blazers remain entrenched in the same approach that got them here in the first place. This lighthearted group of women is ready for one last rendezvous – known to most of us as the NCAA tournament. Junior defender Sam Vanderlinde understands the importance of savoring every moment.
“This group of ladies loves having fun – that’s what the game is all about. A majority of us have now been playing together for three years. We have not only gotten to know each other on a personal basis, but have also learned how to play to each other's strengths and weaknesses. If you can have fun while doing something you love, there is no doubt that in my mind that you will succeed,” said Vanderlinde.
Having fun is one thing this group of eleven juniors has become quite good at over the past three years. Saturday will be a different experience for this fun loving group of soccer players, but there isn’t a team more thankful for a chance to keep playing.
“A national bid to the NCAA tournament – that’s something our team would love to experience,” said Vanderlinde.
They will have that chance on Saturday in Chicago.
Complete Division III Tournament Bracket | Soccer | Blazer Sports Homepage
Robert Gerads, CSB Media Relations Student Assistant
Athletic Department
College of Saint Benedict
37 South College Avenue
St. Joseph, MN 56374
320-363-5301
Fax 320-363-6098