NCAA Tournament Central

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EWING, N.J. – The No. 1 TCNJ women's soccer team will host an NCAA Tournament pod at Lions Stadium this weekend.
 
The NJAC-champion Lions (16-0-2) will welcome Westfield State to their home turf for a first-round matchup on Saturday. Messiah and Virginia Wesleyan are the other two teams in the TCNJ pod.
 
TCNJ navigated its way through an unblemished regular season and capped off its 20^th all-time NJAC crown with a thrilling penalty shootout victory over Rowan last Friday night. The Lions, ranked No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches Division III poll for the last seven weeks, are making their 30^th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under legendary head coach Joe Russo, who is retiring at the end of the season.
 
First up for Russo and company is a date with Westfield State. The Owls captured the MASCAC title with a 1-0 victory over Worcester State on Sunday.
 
The winner of the TCNJ/Westfield State will meet either Messiah or Virginia Wesleyan in the second round on Sunday.
 
Messiah was ranked No. 1 in the nation earlier in the season and comes in with a record of 16-2-1 after rolling to its 18^th MAC Commonwealth title since 2000 with a 3-0 shutout of York (Pa.) on Saturday. The Falcons are in the NCAA Tournament for the 21^st time in their history and are the reigning national champions after capturing the NCAA title in 2019.
 
Virginia Wesleyan is 13-5-2 overall and won its first ODAC championship since 2006 thanks to a 1-0 shutout of Lynchburg in Sunday's final.