Sunday, October 23, 2011

MACON, Ga. – Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, and East Tennessee State University each claimed a share of the Atlantic Sun women’s soccer regular season championship on Sunday, as the league completed regular season play and set its seedings for the upcoming championship that begins on Oct. 29.

A 1-0 Belmont win over FGCU and ETSU’s 2-1 win over Mercer on Sunday created the three-way tie, as the trio completed the regular season with identical conference records (7-1-1) and points (22). FGCU (12-4-2) heads into the championship as the No.1 seed, followed by ETSU (12-4-1) as the No. 2 and Jacksonville (11-5-2) as the No. 3. The six-team field is completed by Belmont (8-7-1, 5-3-1) at No. 4, No. 5 North Florida (8-9-2, 4-4-1), and No. 6 Mercer (9-7-1, 3-5-1).

Jacksonville and Belmont will host the first round games of the 2011 women’s soccer championship, as the Dolphins will face Mercer and the Bruins face North Florida on October 29. Times for the games will be set by the conference office on Monday. Semifinal games will be played on Nov. 4, as top seed FGCU will host its semifinal game against the Belmont/North Florida winner, while ETSU takes on the winner of JU and Mercer. FGCU will also host the championship game on Nov. 6 at the FGCU Soccer Complex.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I league with 10 member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.