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PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots women’s soccer team earned an at-large bid to the 2012 NCAA Women’s Soccer Championships and will open with a first round match against Washington State on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Merlo Field. The Pilots, who are the No. 4 seed in their portion of the bracket, are making their 13th straight appearance in the NCAA Postseason and their 20th appearance overall during the last 21 years.
 
Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. Fans can purchase tickets at the Pilot Box Office (M-F, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.), through ticketmaster.com or at any ticketmaster outlet. You can also contact the Pilot Box Office directly at 503-943-7525 or call ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. Prices range from $15 (reserved Stadium Chairs) to $5 (General Admission students and juniors 12 and under).
 
The winner of the Pilots-Cougars first round game would advance to face the winner between Michigan and Central Michigan. Penn State is the No. 1 seed in Portland’s bracket and the Nittany Lions will host LIU-Brooklyn in the first round. Should Penn State advance, the Nittany Lions will most likely host the second and third rounds in State College, Pa.
 
The NCAA women’s soccer championships are in their second year of a minor format change with just one round scheduled for the tourney’s opening weekend. The second and third rounds are grouped together for the second weekend of the tournament.
 
The Pilots, who finished with an 11-4-4 overall record, are one of four teams from the West Coast Conference to reach the NCAA Tournament, joining league champions BYU and at-large selections Pepperdine and Santa Clara.
 
Washington State went 12-6-1 overall this year and finished fourth in the Pac-12 Conference with a 6-4-1 league mark.
 
Portland claimed the 2005 NCAA Championship to become just the third program to ever win multiple championships (2002, 2005) and just the second to cap an unbeaten season with a title. Portland has advanced to three championship games, eight College Cups (semifinals) and at least the quarterfinals on 15 occasions. The Pilots have advanced past the first round of the playoffs 12 consecutive years.
 
The 2012 College Cup will be held in San Diego, Calif., at Torero Stadium. The College Cup semifinals will be played on Friday, Nov. 30 and the championship game will be held on Sunday, Dec. 2.