Bucknell University Athletics
Women's Soccer Draws Fifth-Seeded Iowa in First Round of NCAA Tournament
11/6/2023 4:58:00 PM | Women's Soccer
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The 2023 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament bracket was revealed on Monday, and Patriot League-champion Bucknell will face fifth-seeded Iowa for a first-round matchup. Bucknell's seventh NCAA appearance will be played on Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. local in Iowa City) at the Iowa Soccer Complex this weekend.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youths aged 18 and under. All NCAA Tournament First Round games stream live on ESPN+ (subscription required).
The Bison won their third consecutive Patriot League title on Sunday, defeating top-seeded Army in penalty kicks for a second year in a row following 110 scoreless minutes. In addition to the last two seasons, Bucknell has also made NCAA appearances in 2001, 2005, 2016 and 2017.
"I'm really excited with the draw," said head coach Kelly Cook. "It's exciting to see somebody who we haven't seen. It will be really exciting for our team, and I'm just excited that they're going to have a really great NCAA experience."
Bucknell heads to Iowa City with a 12-3-5 record, matching its second-highest win total in program history. The Bison will take a nine-game unbeaten streak (7-0-2) into the NCAA Tournament and allowed just two goals over their last five contests, including just one during its two Patriot League Tournament games that came in the 90th minute of the 3-1 semifinal victory over Boston U. Additionally, the Bison posted the second-highest goal total in the Patriot League with 34 this fall.
Bucknell's run to a third-straight Patriot League title was thanks in large part to PL Tournament MVP Jenna Hall, who earned her second PL Goalkeeper of the Year award this season. In addition, junior Teresa Deda was named Midfielder of the Year, and four other Bison earned spots on the 2023 All-Patriot League team.
Iowa, the Big Ten Tournament champion, posted a 12-4-4 record this season. The Hawkeyes ceded just one goal during three Big Ten Tournament victories, as they stymied No. 12 Michigan State, No. 5 Penn State and No. 12 Wisconsin. Iowa became the first eighth-seeded team to win the conference tournament. Its shutout in the championship game marked the team's 12th clean sheet of the season.
"It makes it more exciting getting to prepare for an opponent we haven't seen before," said Cook. "We designed a non-conference schedule to play some tough opponents, and having teams like Georgetown, Princeton, Pitt, all in the tournament this year, and having experience and getting a result against Princeton I think will help with confidence going into it."
The Bison and the Hawkeyes will be meeting for the first time ever, and the two programs shared no common opponents during the 2023 campaign. This will be Bucknell's third consecutive NCAA matchup with a Big Ten opponent.
Last season, Bucknell was just 3:48 away from reaching a penalty-kick shootout with sixth-seeded Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before a late goal brought the season to a heartbreaking conclusion. In 2021, Bucknell fell to top-seeded Rutgers 2-0 in the first round.
The Bucknell-Iowa winner will take on the winner of Liberty and fourth-seeded Georgia.
