NCAA Division III Tournament Bracket

TACOMA, Wash. – After clinching its fourth-consecutive Northwest Conference title, the Pacific Lutheran University women's soccer team begins postseason play this weekend, traveling to Abilene, Texas to play Trinity University on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
 
Last weekend the Lutes (16-2-2, 14-1-1 NWC) played their last regular season game of the season against Linfield College (9-9-2, 8-6-2 NWC) down in Oregon. The Lutes dropped their first game of the NWC campaign against the Wildcats, falling 2-1 after originally taking a 1-0 lead in the first half off an Ellie Johnson shot. Although the result didn't go in PLU's favor, it allowed the team to field 26 different players, giving other players an opportunity to see game-time.
 
"Although we lost to Lindfield, it was a great opportunity and a huge win for our program as a whole," said junior midfielder Kelly Brown. "We were able to give many players game experience, which will be very beneficial to our team in the future, as well as rest players that needed it which will help us to perform our best and feel as fresh as possible going into the NCAA tournament."
 
The game result also meant little in the overall scheme of things, as the Lutes already clinched the NWC hardware two weeks ago with an outstanding 16-2-2 overall record.
 
"It feels really rewarding to be able to get the outcomes we were looking for and have our record show how successful we have been so far this season. Our team put in a ton of work in the offseason and I am so excited with how it is paying off."
 
"It feels great to be back in the tournament this season. We won conference last year, but unfortunately fell short of making it to the NCAA tournament. I think this defeat really fueled us this season and it is very exciting that we are headed back to the NCAA tournament because it truly is an unforgettable experience."
 
Brown has been in the PLU soccer program three years now with many amazing memories with the team along the way.
 
"There are a lot of memories that I have made here that will definitely stick with me for a lifetime. A few of my favorites include going to the NCAA tournament my freshman year at Cal Lutheran, going to England the summer before my Sophomore year while exploring a new country with my team, and this year beating UPS on their home field for the first time in a very long time."
 
As a junior this year, Brown is balancing athletics and academics with a clear goal that she plans to pursue post-graduation.
 
"I am a biology major, and business minor. I plan on attending Dental school after I graduate, in hopes of becoming a dentist or orthodontist. I'm not really sure where exactly this dream of mine to become a dentist came from, but it has something I wanted to do since I was a little girl."
 
With a huge matchup coming up this weekend, Brown and the Lutes know the importance of a good week of training and preparation before the big game.
 
"This game is what we have been preparing for all season long, so I think we are all very excited for it and this is a big week leading up to it. We only have three practices before the game so we will be making sure everything is sharp and we are at a good place mentally to go down to Texas and be one goal better than our opponent."
 
The Lutes will take on Trinity University in Abilene, Texas in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday, at 11 a.m. (PST). 

 
Nov. 16: PLU vs. Trinity in Abilene, Texas (11 a.m. Pacific)
 
Series History: This will be the second all-time meeting between the Lutes and Tigers. PLU and Trinity last met on August 31, 2018 in San Antonio with the teams battling to a 0-0 draw. 
 
About the Tigers: Trinity (15-3-1, 8-0 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) qualifies for the tournament as an at-large bid. The Tigers ripped through conference play unbeaten before taking down University of Dallas 2-0 in the SCAC Tournament. Trinity battled to a 0-0 double overtime draw against Southwestern University in the SCAC Championship but fell 5-4 in a shootout to give the Pirates the tournament title and the league's automatic bid.
 
Kaity Ward leads the Tigers in points (21) scoring seven goals with seven assists. Camryn Beall is the squad's leading scorer with nine goals while Nyah Shepherd has notched a team-high 10 assists. 15 total Trinity players have scored a goal this season for an offense averaging 3.1 goals per game.
 
In goal, Paige Wallace has made 29 saves with a 0.42 goals against average. The Trinity defense has allowed just eight goals all season, posting 14 shutouts.

Tournament History: This is the Lutes' third NCAA Division III Tournament appearance and the program's ninth overall appearance in a national tournament, making six trips to the NAIA Tournament (1987 to 1992). The Lutes own a 22-5-1 overall mark in the postseason, winning NAIA titles in 1988, 1989, and 1991. The Lutes made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2016 and 2017. In 2017, the Lutes blasted Whittier College 4-0 in the opening round before tying California Lutheran University 1-1 in the second round but getting eliminated 5-4 on penalty kicks. 

Rest of the Regional: The winner of the PLU-Trinity tilt will face the winner of the match between regional host Hardin-Simmons University (17-2-1), Champions of the American Southwest Conference, and SCAC Champion Southwestern University (16-4-1). That game will take place on Sunday at 1 p.m. (Pacific).