Nov. 12, 2007

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KENNESAW, Ga. - The Owls of Kennesaw State will head to Tallahassee, Fla. to face the Florida State Seminoles on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship as the pairings for the 64-team field were announced this evening on ESPN News.

The Owls (17-3-0) gathered at the Mellow Mushroon in Kennesaw for the tournament selection show as they eagerly waited to find their opponent on Monday evening as they prepare for their first-ever NCAA Division I national tournament.

"We are very excited to play such a great program like Florida State," said head coach Rob King. "They have such a good squad this season and a tremendous reputation. We look forward to the challenge of playing them and plan on enjoying the entire experience."

Kennesaw State earned an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament title on Saturday evening when they defeated Mercer, 2-1, at the KSU Soccer Complex.

The meeting will be the first-ever between Kennesaw State and Florida State, but it will not be the first meeting between the Owls and a school from the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Owls have played North Carolina, Duke and Clemson since becoming a Division I member.

"To be playing in the national tournament is such a great feeling," said senior Whitney Marler. "And we want to represent Kennesaw State and the A-Sun in a great way. It's also special to be the first KSU team to go to the national tournament, that's a very big honor for us."

While the Owls got to the tournament on the basis of an automatic bid, the Seminoles (13-5-3) earned an at-large bid. Florida State finished third in the ACC and lost in the tournament finals to North Carolina, 1-0. Florida State is 14th in the NSCAA Poll and 10th in the NCAA Division I SoccerTimes.com College Coaches Poll.

"Playing Florida State is a great challenge for us," added Marler. "They are one of the top teams in women's soccer and we look forward to the match."

Joining the Owls and the Seminoles in Tallahassee will be Samford and Louisiana State.