For the sixth time in school history -- and the most ever in conference history -- the Evansville Purple Aces are league tournament champs.  The Aces beat Indiana State, 2-0, in the title game of the 2008 State Farm MVC Championship and will represent the Valley in the NCAA Championship next week.

FRIDAY -- In Friday action at the 2008 State Farm MVC Women's Soccer Championship, top-seeded Evansville beat Missouri State, 3-1, at Morrison Stadium in Omaha, Neb., to advance to Sunday's championship match (2:30 p.m. CT).  Indiana State, the No. 6 seed, became the first sixth-seeded team to reach the finals after the Sycamores beat No. 2 seed Illinois State, 1-0.   Evansville has faced Indiana State twice previously in the league tournament, and the Aces have won both previous meetings.  In the history of the tournament, No. 6 seeds have compiled a 2-12-1 record (with Indiana State's two wins this year the only victories ever by a No. 6).

WEDNESDAY -- In the opening round of the State Farm MVC Tournament, Indiana State became the lowest seed to advance since 2005 after the No. 6-seeded Sycamores upset No. 3 Drake, 1-0 in double overtime.  The match endured a 1-hour, 12-minute lightning delay.   Missouri State advanced past Creighton, 4-2 PKs, after a 0-0 scoreless tie.  The last No. 6 seed to reach the semifinals was Evansville in 2005 (the Aces advanced past Missouri State that year.)   The two overtime matches marked the first time in league tournament history that two opening-round matches went overtime. 

TOURNAMENT INFO -- The 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Championship is being played at Morrison Stadium in Omaha, Neb.   Creighton is hosting the championship.  The Bluejays are the defending tournament champion, edging Illinois State, 4-3, in PKs at the tournament (in Evansville) last year.  Fans can follow the action at the 2008 State Farm MVC Women’s Soccer Championship online with live stats and streaming, pay-per-view video streams.  Six of the league's seven women's soccer teams qualify for the league's championship, which for the first time will be hosting all five games at one site.
 
SEEDING -- Evansville claimed the tournament's top seed after tying for the regular-season championship with Illinois State with identical 5-1 league records (the Aces beat ISU in head-to-head competition giving UE the edge in the tiebreaker.)  Drake earned the No. 3 seed after finishing in third place in the conference standings with a 4-2 record.  Missouri State and host Creighton tied for fourth place with identical 3-3 marks (MSU beat Creighton during the regular season, giving the Bears the tiebreaker), and Indiana State earned the No. 6 seed.
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT -- The winner of the championship earns the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship.  Pairings for the NCAA Championship (64 teams) will be announced Monday, Nov. 10, at approximately 7 p.m. on ESPNEWS. 
 
 

2008 State Farm MVC Women's Soccer Championship Schedule
Wed/Fri/Sun * November 5, 7, 9 * Morrison Stadium * Creighton, host
Wednesday, November 5 * First Round
Game 1: No. 3 Drake v. No. 6 Indiana State	INS, 1-0 (2OT)
Game 2: No. 4 Missouri State v. No. 5 Creighton	0-0 (MSU, 4-2 PKs)
Friday, November 7 * Semifinals
Game 3: No. 1 Evansville v. No. 4 Missouri State	UE, 3-1
Game 4: No. 2 Illinois State v. No. 6 Indiana State	INS, 1-0
Sunday, November 9 * Final
Game 5: Evansville v. Indiana State	UE, 2-0