Indiana, Champ NU Make NCAA Field

(BigTen.org) Indiana and Northwestern have earned berths to the NCAA Men?s Soccer Championship, the selection committee announced on Monday. The selections mark the ninth straight year that two or more conference teams have earned bids to the tournament, which begins on Thursday.

Indiana enters the NCAA Championship as the No. 16 seed, earning a bye into the second round. The Hoosiers have put together a 12-3-5 record this season, and finished the regular season with the 19th-highest RPI in the nation en route to their 25th consecutive championship appearance. Indiana will face the winner of Thursday?s Liberty-Old Dominion matchup on Sunday in Bloomington, Ind. A start time will be announced in the upcoming days.

Northwestern earns its sixth NCAA Championship berth after winning both the Big Ten Championship and Big Ten Tournament, receiving the conference?s automatic bid. The Wildcats enter the tournament with an 11-4-5 overall record. Northwestern will travel to Akron, Ohio, to take on the Zips in a first-round tilt on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The first round of the NCAA Men?s Soccer Championship will be played on Thursday, while second-round action will take place on Sunday at campus locations. The third round is scheduled for Nov. 27, with the quarterfinals set for Dec. 2-4. The 2011 NCAA College Cup will be held on Dec. 9 and 11 in Hoover, Ala.