WHEATON, Ill. -- The University of Northwestern women's soccer team will hit the road for Wheaton College on Thursday morning as they prepare to take on regional host, Wheaton, in the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer first round. Northwestern's last NCAA tournament appearance came in 2010, and this year's postseason run marks the second in UNW's school history. The Eagles enter the tournament after earning an automatic bid as the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) tournament champion.
Northwestern (11-6-4) will take on Wheaton (16-3-1) at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9 at Joe Bean Stadium. Friday's next first round match will feature Loras College (16-3) facing Adrian College (14-5-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday's winners will play each other in the second round match scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday to determine who will advance to the NCAA Sectional the following weekend.
The Eagles have been led offensively by junior,
Linley Norman (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) and sophomore
Anna Welch (Lakeville, Minn./Homeschool) this season. Norman has scored a team-best 10 goals and added five assists on the year. Welch is just behind, scoring nine goals and dishing out seven assists. Senior keeper,
Samantha Colombo (Two Harbors, Minn./Two Harbors), has started all 21 games for the Eagles – totaling 92 saves and eight shutouts on the year.
Friday's 5 p.m. match-up against Wheaton will be Northwestern's first ever meeting with the Thunder in school history. Wheaton enters Friday night play ranked No. 15 in the latest United Soccer Coaches national poll and No. 2 in the Central Region rankings.
Admission for each day will be $6 for adults, $3 for students and senior citizens and $2 for children ages 3-12. Children under three will be admitted free. No season passes will be accepted.
Follow Friday's action at the live stats and video links below. Keep up with all things UNW women's soccer by visiting www.unweagles.com and following @unweagles and @unwwsoc on Twitter and Instagram.
Live Stats | Live Video | DIII Soccer Bracket | Tournament Page
*Please note: per NCAA rules, the video broadcast will only air live and will not be archived or available after the original airing.
