Strong in-region play helped New York University earn the top seed and a first-round bye in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Metropolitan Tournament's seven-team women's soccer bracket.
NYU (9-8-1) will not play until hosting the semifinals and championship game this Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14 and 15, at Lubetkin Field on the campus of New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, NJ. The Violets will face either #4 Bard College or #5 Purchase College at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
This is the Violets' third straight postseason appearance, as they lost in the first round two years ago and reached the championship game in 2008. NYU only reached the postseason in three consecutive years from 2000-02, which included winning the 2001 ECAC Division III Metro Tournament title.
In the other half of the bracket, #2 William Paterson University will face #7 SUNY Old Westbury, while #3 New Jersey City University will oppose #6 Mount St. Mary College in first-round contests Wednesday. The winners of both games will play Saturday at 4 p.m. in the semifinals.
NYU will host the championship game Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. at NJIT regardless of which teams remain in contention.
NYU is 2-0 against ECAC Division III Metro qualifiers, having defeated William Paterson by a 2-1 tally on Oct. 7 and scoring a 6-0 victory over Purchase on Oct. 25.
Offensively, the Violets have been led by Filiz Kipcakli (8-2-16, 6 GWG) and Emily Jenkinson (6-2-16), while Katie Gaston and Cait Kilpatrick have been their top defenders.