INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Nov. 12, 2007 — James Madison will play Pennsylvania on Friday, Nov. 16, at Morgantown, W.Va., in the first round of the NCAA women's soccer tournament.

Penn qualified for the tournament as Ivy League champion.  The Quakers, who clinched the league title with a 1-0 win at Harvard Saturday, have a 13-3-1 record.

JMU, playing in the NCAA tournament for the eighth time in the past 13 years, will take a 16-4-1 record into Friday’s game.  The Dukes, who received an at-large NCAA berth, are coming off a 2-0 loss to Hofstra last Friday (Nov. 9) in the Colonial Athletic Association semifinals.

"We're absolutely delighted to have this opportunity," said JMU head coach Dave Lombardo.  "We hit a speed bump in the conference tournament, and the selection committee looked at our body of work and gave us a reprieve."

Big East champion West Virginia is the host of Friday’s JMU-Penn game, and the Mountaineers will play Patriot League champion Navy in the other first-round match Friday. 

Friday's winners advance to a second-round game Sunday at WVU.

Game times for Friday and Sunday have not yet been announced.

The 64-team NCAA tournament field, announced Monday evening, included 30 conference champions receiving automatic bids and 34 additional teams receiving at-large invitations.

JMU last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2004, when the Dukes lost at Virginia in the opening round.  JMU advanced to the NCAA round of 16 in 1995 and 1996 and to the round of 32 in 1998, 1999 and 2002.  In 1997 JMU opened NCAA tournament play in the round of 32.

The Dukes are one of three CAA teams in the NCAA Tournament.  League champion Hofstra plays Ohio State in a game hosted by Penn State, and semifinalist William and Mary meets Georgetown in a match hosted by Virginia.