NCAA Bracket
 
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The No. 1 Washington University in St. Louis women's soccer team will host the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 this weekend after winning the regional last weekend with wins over DePauw and Simpson.
 
Joining the Bears at Francis Olympic Field are Messiah, Chicago and Colby. The winner of the sectional will earn a trip to the Final Four at Peter Johann Memorial Field in Las Vegas, beginning on Dec. 6,
 
About the Bears
The Bears – who have been at the top of the rankings all season long – reached the Sweet 16 with a 2-0 win over DePauw in the first round and a 5-1 win over Simpson in the second round. Their overall record is 19-0-2 on the year.
 
Against DePauw, sophomore Sophie Viscovich scored the game-winner and first-year Olivia Clemons added an insurance goal. Against Simpson, graduate Ally Hackett scored the first goal of the game and junior Grace Ehlert netted the game winner. Viscovich scored back-to-back goals and Clemons scored her 19^th goal of the year.
 
Clemons – who was recently named UAA Offensive Player of the Year, UAA Rookie of the Year and First Team All-UAA – leads the team with 19 goals and 43 points. Ehlert is second with 13 goals and Viscovich has five goals with seven assists. Senior Gaelen Clayton has a team-high eight assists to go with one goal.
 
In the net, graduate goalkeeper Sidney Conner has started all-but-two games, allowing just seven goals for a .42 goals-against average. She's made 34 saves, earned seven shutouts and has a record of 17-0-2.
 
The Bears have a storied history with Messiah, most recently advancing over the Falcon's in penalty kicks in last year's national semifinal. The two teams consistently meet on the national stage. Notably, in 2022, Messiah advanced on penalty kicks to the Final Four and in 2016, the Bears defeated Messiah for the program's first-ever national championship.
 
WashU and Chicago are familiar foes, playing in the same conference. This season, the teams tied 1-1 and there is an 18-11-6 record between the Bears and Maroons.
 
The Bears have never faced Colby on the soccer pitch.
 
Scouting Messiah
Messiah enters the weekend with an 18-1-3 overall record and went a perfect 7-0 in the MAC Commonwealth. Currently ranked No. 5, the Falcons won the MAC Commonwealth with a 4-0 win over York. In the NCAA Tournament, Messiah topped Gordon 6-1 in the opening round and moved on to defeat Case Western Reserve University 1-0 in the second round.
 
Brittany Laird was named MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Year, Addi Martin was named MAC Commonwealth Rookie of the Year and the Messiah coaching staff was named MAC Commonwealth Coaching Staff of the Year. Additionally, Laird, Martin, Kristina Akselsen, Mia Libby, Julia Martin and Jenna Skurcenski picked up MAC Commonwealth first team honors. Hannah Adair, Tahlia Lloyd, Bella Touzeau, Thea Neimond and Bailie Dull were named to the second team and Ava Wert earned an honorable mention.
 
Laird leads the team with 17 goals in 22 games, including four game-winners. Addi Martin has 11 goals and seven assists, also including four game-winners and Adair has 12 goals with 1 assist. Wert has started 20 games in the net, allowing just eight goals for a .45 goals-against average, seven shutouts and 20 saves.
 
Scouting Chicago
Chicago is 12-6-2 overall and went 2-4-1 in the UAA this season. The Maroons received votes in the last United Soccer Coaches national poll on October 29. After earning an at-large bid, Chicago defeated Lawrence 4-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament before upsetting No. 16 Calvin, 3-1, on Calvin's home field.
 
Four Maroons earned All-UAA honors: Sarah Ginsberg, Mary Stuart Kerrigan and Livie Sabloff were named to the second team and Indira Naylor earned an honorable mention.
 
Naylor leads the team with 14 goals and two assists for 30 points. Kerrigan has seven goals with two assists and Avery Galucci has seven goals. In the net, Sophie Pilarski started 16 games, allowing 24 goals with 39 saves, two shutouts and a record of 10-5-1.
 
Scouting Colby
Colby is 13-4-3 on the season and went 4-4-2 in the NESCAC. The Mules earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after falling to Amherst on PKs in the NESCAC Tournament. Colby defeated Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 1-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament and went on to take down No. 3 MIT 2-0 in the second round.
 
Three Mules earned All-NESCAC honors: Abigail Jarvi and Annie Liebich were both named to the first team and Samantha DeWitt earned a spot on the second team.
 
Jarvi leads the team with 11 goals and one assist for 23 points. Catherine Watrous has seven goals and one assist while Sophie DiGrande has six goals and four assists. Ella Caraluzzi leads the team with eight assists. MK Marshall has played and started in 18 games in the net, allowing 15 goals and making 77 saves. She has a record of 10-4-3 with five shutouts.
 
WashU vs. remaining NCAA Playoff Field
The Bears have 10 familiar faces in the NCAA playoff field: North Central, Calvin, DePauw, Greenville, Emory, NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western Reserve, Rochester and Chicago.
 

• Emory: W, 2-1 (10/5/24)
• NYU: W, 3-0 (10/19/24)
• Chicago: T, 1-1 (11/9/24)

 
The 2024 Championship
A total 64 teams will compete in the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship. Forty-three conferences were awarded automatic qualification for the 2024 championship. The other 21 berths were reserved for at-large selections designated by the NPI.
 
Sixteen four-team sites will conduct first- and second-round play on the first weekend of the championship, November 15 and 16 or 16 and 17. Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites November 22 and 23 or 23 and 24. 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 December 6 and 8, at Peter Johann Memorial Field in Las Vegas, Nevada, with UNLV and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority serving as hosts.