MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's soccer team will be playing in the NCAA tournament for the second straight year begining Thursday at 4 p.m. when it takes on California (Pa.) from Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium on the campus of Millersville University.

Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for students (with ID) and senior citizens and $1 for children aged 2-12. All session passes are available for adults ($10) and students/senior citizens ($5). Children under are admitted free with a paying adult.

Shippensburg (9-5-2) earned a berth into the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer tournament for the second consecutive year and will be the No. 3 seed at the Atlantic Region championship.

The Raiders went 7-0-1 in eight games until dropping the regular season finale to the Vulcans, 1-0. Last year, SU dashed California's playoff hopes in a frenzied 4-3 victory in the final game of the 2010 regular season.

Shippensburg has defeated two conference champions this season, Charleston (WVIAC) and NYIT (ECC), and defeated three nationally-ranked opponents. SU also has the second-fewest losses of the four teams selected from the Atlantic Region.

SU's defense has been strong throughout the season. The Raiders have allowed one goal or less in 11 of 16 contests, including seven of the last nine.

During Shippensburg's eight-game unbeaten streak, the Raiders outscored the opposition 18-6 and had multiple goals in seven contests.

Last year's team scored 50 goals in 21 games, while this year's team has scored just 25 goals in 16 games. However, the 2010 squad also allowed 29 goals, while this year's team has given up just 17.

Coach Spering Quotes:

“I am excited and very happy to be in the tournament two years in a row. It shows that the program is growing in a positive direction."

“It is at least comforting to play a team that we have seen before and not going into a match completely blind, however, Cal is a really good team. It's going to be a tough game – it was exceedingly tough the first go around – and I don't doubt that this will be any different. Even though the two teams have seen each other, there are going to be some variables that have been unseen due to players missing games with injuries or suspensions.” 

“Unlike last year, where we were very much rookies going into the NCAA tournament, this year we will have some players who were there last year and are back once again. Hopefully that will give us a little bit of an edge. We were flat out green last year in rookies. Having some experience will help us to try and get to the next level.”