News-Record.com

GREENSBORO - The UNCG men's soccer team, which emerged from the seventh seed to win the Southern Conference tournament over the weekend, will begin NCAA tournament play on Saturday at Duke in a continuing quest to eradicate the frustration of a previously substandard season.

The Spartans (8-11-2) earned an automatic bid into the 48-team field with Sunday's 2-1 win over the College of Charleston, and their assignment to play an ACC team was no surprise. The Duke-UNCG winner will at Loyola (Md.) at 1 p.m. on Nov. 25 in the second round.

The appearance is the Spartans' ninth in their 18 Division I seasons. Coach Michael Parker's program was a multiple NCAA champion at the Division II level.

This is likely to finish as the first losing campaign in Parker's 34-year career. UNCG has scored only 24 goals in 21 games and is just the sixth team in the tournament's 50-year history to earn admission with a losing record.

The Spartans' loss total equals a tournament record set by the 2001 New Mexico Lobos, who entered at 6-11-2 but beat Florida International in the first round before falling to top-seeded SMU.

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rob.daniels@news-record.com