(ST. LOUIS, Mo.) - After winning their first Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) title since 2003 on Sunday afternoon with a 3-2 win over the Ohio Northern University Polar Bears at Williams Stadium, Wilmington secured a bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Quakers were drawn into the St. Louis Regional hosted by Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) at Francis Olympic Field.

Wilmington will face off with the reigning national champions WashU at 12:00 P.M. (EST) on Saturday afternoon, before Loras College and North Central College match up at 2:30 P.M. (EST). The two winners will play in the second round on Sunday at 2:00 P.M. (EST) for a bid to the Sweet 16 on the weekend of November 21st and 22nd, or 22nd and 23rd.
 
Round 1 Preview

Wilmington College Preview
The Quakers enter the NCAA tournament with an overall record of 12-5-4, going 4-2-2 in the OAC and earning a share of the regular season championship. Wilmington defeated Ohio Northern at home 3-2 to claim their first OAC championship since 2003.

Wilmington is led by their dynamically diverse offense. Senior forward Alex Wilson earned First Team All-OAC honors for the second year in a row and has been All-OAC all four years, including First Team three times. She leads the Quakers with 12 goals, six game-winning goals, and 28 points. Wilson had a goal or assist in all three of Wilmington's OAC Tournament matches.

Midfielder Jordan Snyder is second on the team with 10 goals and 25 points, while her five assists leads the squad. Snyder, a Second Team All-OAC honoree for two years in a row, scored or collected assists in every OAC Tournament game. Forward MJ Little, who received All-OAC Tournament team recognition, has been clutch throughout the playoffs. Little sent the semifinals against Capital into overtime and scored the game winner against Ohio Northern. The junior has six goals and four assists.

The defense is led by junior captain Emma Storck in net. Storck has made 94 saves, started all 21 games, and has five total shutouts. Sophomore defender Lindsey Bauer received Second Team All-OAC honors and has played the most minutes out of any Quaker this season.

Scouting WashU
The Bears are the reigning NCAA Division III Women's Soccer champions. WashU ranked first in Region VIII with an overall record of 16-0-2 and ranked No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches (USC) latest Top-25 poll. The Bears won the University Athletic Association (UAA) conference regular season title, going 6-0-1 in conference play against several strong teams.

Seven players were named to the All-Association Team from the Bears. Sophomore forward Olivia Clemons earned UAA Offensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row while also being named to the First Team. Clemons has scored 15 goals and collected three assists in 18 games. Senior Gracie Ehlert and junior midfielder Sophie Viscovich each earned a spot on the First Team. Ehlert was named to the First Team for the second year in a row, as she has scored 12 goals and three game-winners. Viscovich controlled the midfield for the Bears, scoring four goals and totaling eight assists.

Senior forward Ella Koleno and sophomore midfielder Kate Martin were named to the Second Team. Koleno led the UAA with 10 assists during the year and has scored six goals, three of which were game-winners. Martin earned All-Conference for the first time in her career. She made an appearance in 17 games, scoring four goals while dishing out two assists.

Junior forward Madi Foley and sophomore goalkeeper Kassidy Lanthier received Honorable Mention recognition. Foley scored four goals, two game-winners, and recorded three assists. Lanthier, a transfer from the University of Iowa, made 12 starts in goal and allowed just five goals with a record of 10-0-2, which includes four shutouts and four combined shutouts.

The Bears have scored 67 goals this year while only allowing six. WashU averages 23.3 shots per game, while only allowing 4.7 shots per game to their opponents. The team sports an impressive 50% shots on goal percentage compared to their opponents 34%.

Scouting Loras College
Loras College earned their spot in the tournament after winning the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C), defeating the University of Dubuque 1-0, improving their record to 15-1-2 overall. The Duhawks have won the A-R-C for five years in a row. Nine players earned All-Conference honors. Senior Sierra Morgano was named the A-R-C Defensive MVP. Katie Callahan, Emerson Gasmann, Hannah Fedinec, Belle Johnson, Ivy Wessel, and Riley Anderson were named All-Conference. Mary Clare Bean, Mayte Navejas, and Bella Scesniak earned Honorable Mention.

Gasmann leads the team with eight assists and is tied for the lead in goals with eight, for a total of 24 points. Emily Bowe is tied with eight goals. Johnson has seven goals. In net, Fedinec has made 41 saves allowing only three goals in 18 games. She has 11 shutouts and five combined shutouts.

As a team, Loras has scored 49 goals while only allowing three. The Duhawks average 2.72 goals per game and have limited their opponents to just 0.17 goals per game.

Scouting North Central College
The Cardinals of North Central College won the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) over North Park 4-0 for the third straight year. North Central went undefeated in the conference and sport an overall record of 15-5. The Cardinals had seven All-Conference selections and three award winners.

Sophomore goalie Lily Mattison won the Goalkeeper of the Year Award and earned First Team All-CCIW honors. Mattison started all 20 games and has made 62 saves, allowing 16 goals. She has recorded 10 shutouts this year. Senior Kassandra Salviola earned the Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year Award and her third straight First Team All-CCIW honor. The Cardinals defense allowed only three goals in conference play. Junior Jordan Lange was named the Offensive-Student Athlete of the Year and to the All-CCIW First Team. Lange leads the team with 11 goals and is tied for the lead in assists with nine.

Kara Waishwell joins the First Team with four goals and four assists in conference play. Midfielder Madison DeVriendt also earned First Team All-CCIW recognition after ranking third in the league for assists.
Sophomore defender Mackenzie Loomis was named to the All-CCIW Second Team alongside junior Gabriella Mattio.

The Cardinals have scored 48 goals and allowed 16 this season. North Central averages 19.1 shots per game with 50% of their shots on goal. Opponents average 9.5 shots per game and 0.80 goals per game.

The 2025 NCAA Championship
64 teams will compete in the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship. Forty-three conferences received automatic qualification, while 21 other spots were reserved for at-large selections by the National Power Index (NPI).

The semifinals and finals will take place on December 4th and 6th, at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Virginia with the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) serving as hosts.