Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is set to host the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship games for the second consecutive weekend. The announcement came on Sunday night, confirming that the Blugolds men's soccer team will host Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games at Simpson Field next weekend.

The four-team sectional pod will include Amherst College, UW-Superior, and UW-Platteville. On Saturday, November 23, UW-Eau Claire will compete against UW-Platteville at 3:30 PM, while Amherst will face UW-Superior at 1 PM in the Sweet 16. The winners of these matches will meet on Sunday, November 24 at 3 PM for a chance to advance to the Final Four.

This event marks a first for the Blugolds as hosts of the second weekend of the men's soccer NCAA Tournament.

UW-Eau Claire and UW-Platteville are familiar opponents; this will be their third encounter this season. The seventh-ranked Blugolds previously defeated the Pioneers twice: once in regular season play with a score of 2-0 and again in the WIAC Tournament championship with a score of 1-0. This match-up is also a repeat from last year's NCAA Tournament where UW-Eau Claire won their second-round meeting 2-0 in Platteville.

In another Sweet 16 matchup, eighth-ranked Amherst from the New England Small College Athletic Conference will go up against Upper Midwest Athletic Conference champion UW-Superior. Amherst recently secured a regional title by edging Stevens in penalty kicks, while UW-Superior claimed their regional crown by defeating defending national champion St. Olaf in PKs.

Additional information about the sectional tournament at Simpson Field will be available on Blugolds.com soon.