After recording their best record in program history, the women's soccer team is heading to the national stage to compete in the NCCAA DI National Tournament. The Bruins earned an at-large bid to compete in the championship tournament as the #4 seed. Pool play of the NCCAA DI National Tournament kicks off Monday afternoon at the Austin-Tindall Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida. The semifinals are scheduled to be played Friday evening and the 2021 Division I champion is to be crowned at the conclusion of Saturday's 7:30 p.m. match.
"The team is very excited and humbled to have been selected for the at-large bid, and we are very thankful to the committee for giving us this opportunity," said Head Coach Chris Carmichael. "We know it will be very challenging getting out of our pool as we have two very good teams. We will have to be at our very best to advance. We've had some really good training sessions leading up to our games this week and a lot of rest so we are ready to play."
The Bruins enter this week's tournament after falling to Warner University in the South Region Championship game. It was the best season in program history as the Bruins finished 18-2-1 overall and went undefeated in conference play posting a 4-0-1 record. The Bruins ended their regular-season campaign with a 17 game unbeaten streak.
The women's soccer team begin play Tuesday evening where they will face #7 Oakland City University at 6 p.m. The Indiana team comes into the tournament after falling to Asbury University in the Mideast Regional. The Mighty Oaks are 8-10-1 overall as they head into their first game of the tournament Monday night where they take on Ottawa University Arizona at 5 p.m. Tuesday's game will be the first time the Bruins have played the Mighty Oaks.
It'll be a quick turnaround as the Bruins will face off against another new opponent on Wednesday. The #4 Bruins will play #3 Ottawa University Arizona on Wednesday at 6 p.m. This match could pose a tough challenge for the women's team as the Spirit went 11-4-3 this season.
The Bruins lead the NCCAA in goals scored this season averaging 3.762 goals per game. They are second overall in total shots with 414 close behind Trinity Christian College who leads with 421.
"It's an honor to be here as the #4 seed and we will work hard to be successful," said Carmichael. "We have an amazing team and they will work tirelessly for each other. We look forward to some more competition."
At last year's National Tournament, the Bruins wrapped up their season with a win over Carolina University, but didn't advance past pool play. The Bruins have won 5 Division II National Championships (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019) and look to bring home their first Division I title this week.
Tournament info and link to live stats can be found
here, and all games will be streamed on
nccaanetwork.com.
