2016 NJAC Women's Soccer Championship Central | Tournament Bracket (PDF)
 
PITMAN --- With TCNJ’s 2-0 regular season finale win over Rowan in a highly anticipated matchup of two top 10 and unbeaten teams, the national #5/6 Lions earned the regular season championship, the top seed and a first-round bye in the 2016 NJAC Women’s Soccer Championship. Defending NJAC champion and national #10/9 Rowan finished as the league runner-up and earned the other first-round bye.
 
Montclair State (3), Stockton (4), Kean (5) and William Paterson (6) round out the championship field.
 
The NJAC Women’s Soccer Championship begins with the opening round on Saturday, Oct. 29. Third-seeded Montclair State will host sixth-seeded William Paterson. Fourth-seeded Stockton will host fifth-seeded Kean.
 
The winner of the Stockton/Kean match will face TCNJ in the semifinal round on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 5:00 PM while the winner of the Montclair State/William Paterson match will tangle with Rowan in the other semifinal at 7:00 PM.
 
The championship match is set for Saturday, Nov. 5, at the highest remaining seed. The NJAC Championship winner earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
TCNJ (15-0-1, 9-0-0) looks for its first conference title since 2013 and 17th overall on the heels of an undefeated league record this year. The Lions advanced to last year’s final before a tough 2-1 setback to Rowan. This year’s squad has posted 11 shutouts, and are unblemished save for a 2-2 tie with Johns Hopkins in the second game of the season. The high-powered offense has outscored opponents 61-7 this year.
 
Rowan (15-1-1, 7-1-1) enters the 2016 tournament as the league’s defending champions after defeating TCNJ 2-1 in last year’s championship match in Glassboro. The 2016 squad held its first 12 opponents of the season scoreless, while piling on 45 goals in that span. In total, the Profs have outscored their opponents 57-5, and rank third nationally in goals against average. The squad has recorded an NJAC-best 14 shutouts. The Profs have two NJAC titles in program history – last year and in 2008.
 
Montclair State (14-3-1, 7-2-0) wrapped up the regular season with three straight wins heading into the championship. The Red Hawks are also winners of four of their last five, with the only setback to TCNJ. Montclair State is currently ranked fifth in the South Atlantic region, and was ranked as high as No. 20 in the D3Soccer.com national poll. The squad earns the third seed for the second straight season, and looks to get back to the championship game after winning the 2014 NJAC title in penalty kicks.
 
Stockton (12-6-2, 5-3-1) earns the fourth seed after defeating Rutgers-Camden 1-0 in the regular season finale. The Ospreys are riding a three-game win streak, which snapped a four-game winless streak midway through October, and have outscored their opponents 13-1 in the last three games. The squad advanced to last year’s semifinals before a 1-0 setback to eventual league champion Rowan.
 
Kean (11-7-0, 5-4-0) earns the fifth seed in the NJAC Championship after winning its regular season finale against Ramapo. The Cougars have gone 6-2 in the month of October, and were on a five-game winning streak until last Saturday’s setback to No. 5/6 TCNJ. The Cougars outscored their opponents 21-2 in that stretch. They have qualified for the NJAC Championship the last four years and are looking to snap a string of three first round exits.
 
William Paterson (13-4-1, 5-4-0) earned the sixth and final seed and makes its first appearance in the NJAC Championship since 2012. The Pioneers highly outperformed its preseason prediction of ninth in the league. After winning just one game in league play last year, the Pioneers have been a terrific story with their first winning record since they also went 5-4 in the NJAC in 2012. Their 13-4-1 overall record is also their first winning record since going 11-5-5 in 2010, when they earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Tournament Schedule

Saturday, Oct. 29
#3 Montclair State vs. #6 William Paterson, 1:00 PM
#4 Stockton vs. #5 Kean, 3:00 PM

Wednesday, Nov. 2
#1 TCNJ vs. Winner of #4 Stockton/#5 Kean, 5:00 PM (Lions' Stadium)
#2 Rowan vs. Winner of #3 Montclair State/#6 William Paterson, 7:00 PM

Saturday, Nov. 5
Championship Game at highest remaining seed