The selection for the 2001 women’s soccer tournament was announced Monday, placing Eastern at Notre Dame to take on the No. 7 ranked Fighting Irish Friday.

This will be the first NCAA tournament appearance in the history of Eastern’s women’s soccer program. The team is just the second in Eastern’s history to compete in an NCAA Division I tournament. The women’s basketball team hosted Colorado and lost in the first round of the 1988 tourney.

The women’s soccer team gathered Monday afternoon to watch NCAA Selection Show, which revealed final bracket pairings, in the Student Rec Center. Players, coaches, members of the athletic department and friends gathered around a big screen television to watch the show.

“I just don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” junior Cara LeMaster said of making the tournament. “It’s been everyone’s dream.”

Notre Dame makes its ninth appearance in the national spotlight. Joining Eastern and Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. will be Cincinnati and Oakland (Mich.). Wake Forest, William & Mary, Liberty and Virginia round out the regional pairings.

“We knew we’d probably be playing them because they’re a top-seeded team in our region,” senior Devon Bissel said. “That will measure us up. We’re going to give it our all.

“We’re not going to expect too much, but we’re not going to expect too little.”

Eastern avoided the other Midwest bracket featuring Michigan, Marquette, Dartmouth, the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Syracuse, the University of Illinois, Evansville, and St. Clara.

“I don’t know if we could have asked for a better match up,” head coach Steve Ballard said.

From their Ohio Valley Conference tournament win Sunday over Southeast Missouri to Monday’s selection for the NCAA tournament, the team has been on an emotional roller coaster for the past couple days.

“It’s absolutely incredible,” Bissell said. “The attitude is completly overwhelming. I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything. This has been a dream of mine since the ninth grade.

“As a senior, this just puts the icing in the cake. It’s just the most incredible moment imaginable.”

But the team now has until Thursday to prepare for the biggest game in the program’s history.

“I hope they enjoy this for another 20 hours until practice (Tuesday),” Ballard said. “Then it’s back to reality.”