BRACKET
St. Louis, Mo. – The RV Washington University in St. Louis women's soccer team is set to travel to Wartburg this weekend for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament after earning an at-large bid, announced on Monday.
Joining the Bears at Wartburg are Grinnell and St. Catherine's. The winner of the Waverly, Iowa regional will advance to play the winner of the Pittsburgh, Pa. regional, hosted by Carnegie Mellon and featuring Bryn Athyn, Calvin and Nazareth.
WashU vs. Regional Field
The Bears are 5-0 all-time against Wartburg, last facing the Knights in 2015 where WashU won 2-1. WashU is 2-1 all-time against Grinnell and last faced the Pioneers in 2009 when the Bears won 10-0. WashU and St. Catherine have never faced each other.
Scouting No. 17 Wartburg
Host Wartburg is currently 15-2-2 overall and finished the American Rivers Conference slate with a 6-1-1 record. The Knights lost to Simpson College, 2-1, in the American Rivers Conference tournament but earned an at-large bid and hosting rights for the tournament.
This season, the Knights have outscored their opponents 53-11, averaging 2.79 goals per game. Kate Luers leads the team's scoring efforts with 11 goals and five assists for a total of 27 points. Katie Berglund is second with eight goals and three assists while Joy Smith has scored seven goals with four assists. Goalkeeper Marissa Lopez is currently ranked No 5 in the country with 12 shutouts.
WashU and the Knights have just one common opponent this season – Illinois Wesleyan. WashU defeated IWU 3-2 while Wartburg won 3-0.
Scouting St. Catherine's
St. Catherine is 13-4-4 overall and finished the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) with a 7-2-2 record. The Wildcats won the MIAC title for the second year in a row, beating Carleton College 1-0 in double overtime. In the opening round, St. Catherine beat Macalester 3-1 and defeated the College of Saint Benedict in penalty kicks to reach the title game.
The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 45-1 this season, averaging 2.14 goals per game. Amanda Elton leads the team's scoring efforts with 12 goals and three assists for 27 points. Lauren Witte has nine goals and six assists while Ari Green and Kallan Tuominen have each scored four goals. Kate Praetz has started 19 games for St. Catherine in goal and has a 11-3-4 record with seven shutouts.
WashU and the Wildcats have no common opponents this season.
Scouting Grinnell
Grinnell comes into the tournament with a 11-2-5 overall record and went 7-0-1 in the Midwest Conference. The Pioneers won the Midwest Conference title following 4-2 penalty kick shootout. It is the first tournament title and NCAA tournament berth for Grinnell since the 2006 season and just the fifth time in program history they've reached the NCAA Tournament.
The Pioneers are led by Jane March and Tori Thomas who have four goals apiece on the season. Jill Paladino and Keiko Smith have three goals apiece while Paladino also has three assists. Goalkeeper Elinor Arneson has started the majority of games this season and has a 10-2-4 record with eight shutouts.
The Bears and Grinnell do not have a common opponent this season.
WashU vs. 2022 NCAA Playoff Field
The Bears have faced seven teams in the 2022 NCAA Tournament – UAA opponents Carnegie Mellon, Emory and Case Western Reserve University as well as Greenville, Illinois Wesleyan, Trinity (Texas) and Rose-Hulman.
·      9/1 vs. Greenville / W, 2-0
·      9/4 vs. Trinity (Texas) / T, 0-0
·      9/24 at Rose-Hulman / T, 0-0
·      10/1 at Emory / L, 3-0
·      10/14 vs. CWRU / L, 2-1
·      10/16 vs. Carnegie Mellon / L, 1-0
·      10/25 vs. Illinois Wesleyan / W, 3-2
WashU in the NCAA Tournament
This year marks the Bears' 21st NCAA Tournament. WashU holds a 42-15-10 (.702) record in the NCAA Tournament and have won the National Championship once in 2016. This year also marks the 16th-straight NCAA tournament appearance for the Bears, as they have made it every year since 2006 (the 2020 NCAA Championship was canceled due to COVID).
The 2022 Championship
The NCAA Division III women's soccer championship consists of a field of 64 teams. Forty-two conference received automatic bids while one team was selected from Pool B, which is made of independent institutions as well as members of conferences that do not meet the requirements for automatic qualification. The final 21 berths consist of Pool C teams, which includes institutions from automatic-qualifying conferences that did not win their conference championship and any remaining Pool B teams.
All tournament games leading up to the national semifinals will be played on the campuses of the competing institutions. Sixteen sites will host four teams for first-and second-round competition Nov. 11-12 or 12-13.
Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites Nov. 18-19 or 19-20. Winners of the four sectionals will advance to the national semifinals, which take place Dec. 2 at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va. The national championship game will be played Dec. 3.
Tickets
Tickets will be sold at the venue 90 minutes prior to each game. Adult tickets will cost $9 while students, seniors and children ages three to 12 will be $6.
