Franklin & Marshall is set for this weekend's NCAA Tournament, hosting the first and second rounds at Tylus Field for the second consecutive year. The Diplomats earned one of 18 Pool C berths to garner a spot in the tournament for the third straight year and sixth overall in the history of their program.

A Look at the Pod: F&M (15-3) and Babson (12-6-2) are set to compete for the second time in series history, with the other contest resulting in a 3-1 F&M win on Sept. 5, 1999. Babson tallied two late goals to claim the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament Title, and automatic bid, with a 2-1 victory over nationally-ranked MIT on Sunday. 

The Beavers are making their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in the last eight years and the 26th overall. Carnegie Mellon (11-3-3) earned a Pool C bid for the 12th NCAA appearance in its program's history, while Gordon (15-4), hailing from Massachusetts, is fresh of its first Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship in 12 years and is ranked sixth in the New England Region. 

Ticket Prices: Tickets will cost $6 for adults, $3 for students with ID's and senior citizens and $2 for children ages three to 12. Please note, pets are not permitted at Tylus Field during NCAA play. 

Last Week: The Diplomats suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat by Dickinson on Saturday afternoon in the Centennial Conference (CC) Semifinals, hosted by Haverford. In the 73rd minute, Dickinson's Ward Van de Water broke a scoreless tie when a Jonathan Harper corner was headed over to Van de Water by Macsen Pritchard and placed into the top-right corner. Both Harper and Pritchard were credited with assists on the play.

In the Rankings: F&M fell out of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) final regular season standings, but receiving three votes, while the Diplomats are currently ranked 11th in the D3soccer.com poll. Haverford, No. 7 (NSCAA) and No. 8 (D3Soccer), along with Dickinson, No. 21 (NSCAA) and No. 24 (D3soccer) are the other nationally ranked CC Institutions.

Among the Leaders (NCAA): F&M's shutdown defense ranks among the best in the nation in several statistical categories, placing 15th in goals against average (0.55) and 16th in shutout percentage (61 percent).

Trevor Britton's 0.46 goals against average is the ninth-best throughout Division III and is tops in the CC. 

Record Book Watch: Britton enters the week with 31 career wins, which places him third on the program's all-time list. Zach Zamek '10 leads the way with 41. The senior goalkeeper's 21 shutouts are second, a record that also belongs to Zamek with 25. Britton's 0.46 goals against average (8 GA, 1548 min) is nearing a historic pace, barely trailing the single-season record which stands at 0.44 (4 GA, 810 min) from Walt Lenz in 1952.

Chase TenBrook continues to climb the ladder in several offensive categories and currently places eighth in career points (63), eighth in career goals (27) and third in game-winning scores (8).

Impressive Depth: One of F&M's greatest strengths this year has been its depth. Twenty-one Diplomats have appeared in double-digit games, with 19 recording at least a point on the season, while 13 have scored at least one goal. Complete statistics from the 2015 season can be viewed here.