NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin will have two representatives in the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Tournament starting on Saturday as CCIW Tournament champion Elmhurst University and CCIW regular season champion North Central College were each selected for postseason play.
Following an exciting 1-1 draw in the CCIW Tournament championship match between the two sides in which Elmhurst was able to snatch the automatic bid with a 4-3 win in a penalty shootout, the Bluejays (14-4-2) were sent on the road where they will open with a neutral-site match in La Crosse, Wis. on Saturday against Carleton College (13-1-3). The hosts for the weekend, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, will match up with Lawrence University in the other first-round game.
For North Central, the draw in the CCIW championship match kept them unbeaten on the season at 15-0-2 overall and the Cardinals were selected to host the opening weekend of matchups at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. NCC will begin its postseason journey against Webster University (13-2-1), while also hosting a first-round match between Cal Lutheran University and Denison University.
Defense has been the calling card all season for Elmhurst. The Bluejays have notched 14 shutouts on the season and feature CCIW Defensive Player of the Year Nora Simon on the back line. Between the goalkeeping tandem of Erin Fitzharris and Sequoia Ross, EU has compiled a goals-against average of 0.54 for the year. Lauren Nevins leads the line up front with nine goals on the year, while Alaina Clark has added five goals and five assists.
Elmhurst will face off with Carleton. The Knights, based out of Northfield, Minn. and ranked No. 19 in the most recent United Soccer Coaches national poll, fell in a shootout in the championship match of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament. Carleton is paced up front by Hadley Twichell and Zoe Silver with seven goals apiece, while Avery Trapp has allowed only eight goals on the season for a GAA of 0.49.
North Central's unblemished record continued this past weekend, as the Cardinals still have not suffered a loss on the year. Led by First Team All-CCIW forward Reese Anderson with a team-high eight goals, CCIW First Year Student-Athlete of the Year Baylee Burbidge with another five goals, and welcoming the recent return of 2025 All-American Jordan Lange, the Cardinals have a potent offense that has produced 2.53 goals per game on the year.
Taking its chances against North Central this weekend will be Webster, regular season and tournament champions of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Gorloks boast three double-digit goal scorers, including Malaya Blakely with a 21-goal campaign. Mia Smith has added 12 goals and dished out 15 assists on the year.
The winning teams in each matchup on Saturday will then square off in a second-round contest on Sunday.
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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).