INDIANAPOLIS - The field of 48 teams participating in the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship was announced by the NCAA on Monday evening. CAA Champion George Mason will host a first round match at George Mason Stadium on Friday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. against the Ivy League Champion, the University of Pennsylvania.

Tickets to Friday's First Round NCAA Tournament match will be sold at the gate on the day of the match beginning at 6 p.m. and cost $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and youth (age 18 and under). George Mason faculty and staff will be admitted to the match for $5 with a George Mason University ID. Full-time enrolled students will get in free with a George Mason ID. Children under two years of age will be admitted for free. Group tickets are available for $3 per ticket for parties of 15 or more and can be purchased in advance by calling the George Mason Athletic Ticket Office at 703-993-3270. Group tickets must be purchased by Thursday, Nov. 20 at 4:30 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased online by clicking here.

George Mason (13-6-2) enters the tournament on a seven-match winning streak. The Patriots won their fifth Colonial Athletic Association championship in the history of the program with Sunday's 1-0 shutout of Northeastern in Wilmington, N.C. Penn (11-2-4) earned the Ivy League's automatic berth by taking first place in the conference standings during the regular season with a 5-1-1 record in conference matches. Unlike the Colonial Athletic Association, the Ivy League doesn't hold a conference tournament at the conclusion of the regular season.

The winner of Friday's first round match will advance to the second round to take on the No. 2 seed in the entire tournament, the Maryland Terrapins, on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. in College Park, Md. Maryland (18-3-0) won the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament to earn the conference's automatic bid.

George Mason has made nine appearances in the NCAA Tournament in the history of the program, compiling a 4-9 record in those appearances. The Patriots last tournament appearance came during the 2006 season when Mason lost 1-0 to Bucknell in overtime at George Mason Stadium in the first round.