DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium will once again be the site of the Habitat for Humanity Invitational soccer tournament. The second edition of the event takes place Sept. 7-9 with games being played on Friday and Sunday, and features four women's soccer teams from across the country. The tournament promises to be an exciting one as three of the four teams are ranked in the Top 25 according to the latest NAIA National Coaches' poll, which was released on Tuesday evening.
Tournament play begins at 5 p.m. on Friday when top-ranked and four-time defending national champion Lee opens its 2012 campaign against No. 17 Northwood. The day's play concludes with a 7:30 p.m. match-up between fifth-ranked Embry-Riddle and Oklahoma Baptist.
On Saturday, the teams will take a break from competition to volunteer in the local community from 9:30 a.m. – 12 noon. All four teams will be working on Habitat for Humanity houses that are currently under construction. They will also have an opportunity to spend time with some of the children in the neighborhood.
Sodexo, Embry-Riddle's Dining Services provider, will partner with the event once again and will be providing lunch for all the participants at the conclusion of the Habitat Work Day.
The attention returns to the soccer field at 11 a.m. on Sunday when Northwood faces Oklahoma Baptist. The tournament concludes at 1:30 p.m. with a top-five battle between Lee and Embry-Riddle.
Representatives for Habitat for Humanity will be on site for the Friday and Sunday games to offer information and volunteer opportunities to the spectators. Since 1986, Halifax Habitat for Humanity has been a locally run Florida affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization. Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with people in need to build and renovate decent, affordable housing. The houses are then sold to those in need at no profit and with no interest charged.
ABOUT THE TEAMS
No. 1 Lee
Four-time defending national champion and top-ranked Lee enters the season with an NAIA-best 20-match win streak. The Lady Flames last loss came against then-No. 3 rated Lindsey Wilson, 3-1, on Sept. 17, 2011. During the streak, Lee has outscored its opponent 110-4, including a stretch of 10-straight shutouts en route to its fourth-straight title.
No. 5 Embry-Riddle
Embry-Riddle brings a 2-2 record into this weekend's tournament. The Eagles are back in Daytona Beach after a two-game road trip to Portland, Ore. where they competed in the Cavalier Cup hosted by second-ranked Concordia (Ore.). The Blue and Gold suffered a tough 2-1 loss on a late penalty kick against third-ranked Lindsey Wilson on Friday, but rebounded to down 16th-ranked Hastings on Sunday.
No. 17 Northwood
Reigning Sun Conference regular season champion, Northwood is also 2-2 on the year. After notching wins against Gwinett and Montreat, the Seahawks stumbled against fourth-ranked Mobile and No. 20 William Carey.
Oklahoma Baptist
The Lady Bison opened their trip to the Sunshine State against Flagler on Tuesday. OBU held the Saints scoreless in the first half, but two Flagler scores in the second half gave the Lady Bison their second loss of the season, puts them at 1-2 on the year.
