He might not have expected an NCAA tournament berth this year, but coach Bill Hempen still thinks his team deserves it.

After surprisingly making the tournament for the fifth consecutive year, the Colorado women's soccer team (9-7-4) will face off against Hawaii (15-4-2) at 11 a.m. today in the NCAA's first round at Prentup Field.

In last year's tournament, the Buffs advanced two rounds before losing to No. 1-ranked Notre Dame.

But that Colorado team finished the regular season with an 11-5-2 record and had won four straight before playing in the Big 12 championship.

"Last year, we were expecting to get in and this year we weren't, honestly," Hempen said. "The kids are legitimately excited about the opportunity to continue to play. Motivation should not be a factor."

The tournament bid from the NCAA wasn't the only surprise. Despite its rocky season, the NCAA made Colorado a host for the first and second rounds of the tournament."It's amazing," said junior defender Michelle Wenino, who led the Buffs in minutes this season and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection. "None of us expected it at all. We were pretty surprised, but we're really excited."

Even though the team had its ups and downs this season, Hempen said the NCAA's tournament bid isn't without merit.

"I've thought all along that this was a good team — maybe one of the better individually talented teams that we've had here," he said. "It's just taken a little longer for us to play with each other, instead of relying on individual talent."

Hawaii is making its first ever appearance in the NCAA tournament after winning the Western Athletic Conference regular season title.

"They're a possession-oriented, high-pressure, knock-and-move kind of team," Hempen said. "It should be a good game because we like to think we can do the same thing."

Colorado's season was hardly a mode of consistency as the Buffs never won or lost more than three games in a row. At times, the young Buffaloes showed flashes of brilliance; at others, a mental error here and there cost the team a victory.

Nevertheless, Hempen believes that the team's youth will not be a factor in the playoffs.

"Every team at this stage in your season is no longer a young team," he said. "The young players can't say, 'I'm a freshman,' they have to say, 'Hey, I've got Brittany Dornseif (a senior) out there and Alex Cousins (a junior) out there. ... If nothing else, I have to reward them for their efforts throughout their careers here.'"