TOURNAMENT PORTAL

St. Louis, Mo. – The No. 2 Washington University in St. Louis women's soccer team will host the NCAA Sectional on Friday and Saturday.
 
Joining the Bears at Francis Olympic Field are Loras, UW-La Crosse and Calvin. The winner of the St. Louis, Mo. Sectional will advance to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship in Salem, Va. at Kerr Stadium, Nov. 30 to Dec. 2.
 
Bears in the Postseason
WashU won the UAA title on Nov. 4 with a draw against the University of Chicago and earned hosting rights for last weekend's NCAA Regional. WashU defeated Maryville in the first round, 2-0, behind goals from Ella Koleno and Gaelen Clayton.
 
The Bears went on to beat Sewanee 4-0 in the second round as Grace Ehlert scored twice, followed by goals from Jessica Greven and Madeline Allburn.
 
In total, WashU women's soccer has made 22 appearances in the NCAA Tournament since its first berth in 1995 and have reached the Sectional 18 times, including the last eight years. The Bears finished as the national runner-up in 2009 and 2015 and won a national title in 2016.
 
All-Conference Bears
Six WashU players earned All-UAA honors, the conference announced earlier this week. Gaelen Clayton, Sidney Conner and Emma Riley McGahan were named to the first team while Grace Ehlert and Ella Koleno earned second team honors. First-year Sophie Viscovich earned an honorable mention nod.
 
Scouting Loras
Loras comes to the sectional with a 18-1-1 record and checked in at No. 21 in the last United Soccer Coaches poll on October 31. The Duhawks won the American Rivers Conference to earn an automatic bid. They defeated Dubuque 3-0 in the semifinals before winning the title in penalty kicks against Simpson, 3-2.
 
Loras opened the NCAA Tournament with a 4-0 win over Lake Forest with two goals from Savannah Johnson as well as goals from Bella Talbot and Katie Callahan. The Duhawks went on to beat Chicago 2-1 in the regional final with goals from Kaighin Frost and Reagan Lindsay.
 
Savannah Johnson leads Loras with 24 goals on the season to go with 12 assists for a total of 60 points. Julia Neary has seven goals and eight assists while Bella Talbot has five goals and seven assists. Kyndal Kells has started 20 games in the net for the Duhawks, allowing just six goals for a .31 goals-against average, making 44 saves and earning 10 shutouts.
 
On Nov. 9, eight Duhawks received all-conference honors, highlighted by Savannah Johnson who was named Most Valuable Offensive Player. Kyndal Kells, Reagan Lindsay, Julia Neary, Bella Talbot, Libby Perry and Hannah Schmitz were all named to the all-conference team and Christian Salerno received an honorable mention. Additionally, Loras earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
 
Scouting UW-La Crosse
UW-La Crosse enters the sectional with a 19-1-1 record and checked in a No. 11 in the most recent United Soccer Coaches poll. The Eagles won the WIAC title with a 5-0 semifinal win over UW-Stevens Point where Ainsley Allan, Ellie Arndt, Jillian Sawadski, Chelsea Gale and Natalie Schisel each scored. They went on to defeated UW-Platteville 3-0 in the title game behind goals from Sydney Halstead, Ellie Arndt and Hayley Slaski.
 
UW-La Crosse defeated UW-Superior 1-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as Ellie Behnke scored the game-winner. The Eagles then defeated Simpson 3-1 in the regional final with goals from Chelsea Gale, Sera Speltz and Ellie Arndt.
 
Ainsley Allan leads the team with nine goals and one assist while Sydney Halstead has six goals and two assists. Claire Cater has five goals and six assists and Natalie Schisel has five goals and five assists. In goal, Sophia Anger has tallied a team-high 1,586:48 minutes this year, allowing just four goals with 44 saves.
 
Nine Eagles earned all-conference recognition, highlighted by first-team honorees Ainsley Allan, Maggie Hernandez, Sophia Anger, Ellie Arndt, Claire Cater, Alexis McMahon, Jenna Nichols and Addie Pauling. Sydney Halstead earned an honorable mention nod and UWL was named the Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
Scouting Calvin
Calvin sits at 16-1-3 ahead of the sectional this weekend and checked in at No. 17 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll. The Knights won the MIAA title in penalty kicks over Hope, 5-3. Prior to that, Calvin beat Albion in the semifinal game 1-0 behind a goal from Sophie Mueller.
 
The Knights defeated Spalding 3-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with goals from Sophie Mueller, Kaitlyn Van Laare and Lindsey Houtsma. They went on to win the regional with a 1-0 victory over MSOE behind a goal from Lucy Iverson.
 
Liz Williams leads the team with seven goals and 13 assists for 27 points while Elie Farrell has six goals and three assists. Maggie Smith has four goals and six assists and Sophie Mueller has three goals and four assists. Kalex Dodge has started 20 games in the net for the Knights, allowing 11 goals for a .57 goals-against average and making 52 saves while recording 11 shutouts.
 
Lucy Iverson was named the MIAA Most Valuable Player while five other Knights earned all-conference honors. Liz Williams, Mia Judd and Kaitlyn Van Laare all earned first team honors along with Iverson and Elie Farrell and Rory Pruis earned a spot on the second team. Additionally, head coach Emily Ottenhoff was named Coach of the Year.
 
WashU vs. Remaining NCAA Playoff Field
Two UAA teams remain along with the Bears: Rochester and NYU, who will play each other on Saturday at 12 p.m.
 

• Rochester: L, 2-1
• NYU: W, 1-0

 
The 2023 Championship
A total 64 teams will compete in the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship. Forty-one conferences were awarded automatic qualification for the 2023 championship. One team was selected from Pool B. The other 22 berths were reserved for Pool C, which includes institutions from automatic-qualifying conferences that did not win their conference championship and any remaining Pool B teams.
 
Sixteen four-team sites will conduct first- and second-round play on the first weekend of the championship, November 10 and 11 or 11 and 12. Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites on Nov. 17 and 18 or 18 and 19. All games, except the semifinals and final, will be played on the campuses of competing institutions. Winners of the four sectionals will advance to the semifinals on Nov. 30 and Dec. 2, at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va., with Roanoke College and Old Dominion Athletic Conference serving as hosts.