Women’s Soccer | 11/8/2022 9:56:00 AM
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. On Monday afternoon, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced the bracket for the 2022 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship. The Methodist women’s soccer team will travel to Virginia Beach, Virginia, to take on Rowan (N.J.) University in the First Round of the Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 12. Also, in the same pod is the University of Puget Sound (Wash.) and Virginia Wesleyan University.
The Monarchs and the Profs will play at 11 AM followed by the Loggers and the Marlins at 1:30 PM. The winners from Saturday will square off in the Second Round, on Nov. 13 at 1 PM, with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.
Methodist earned their spot in the National Tournament by way of a 3-1 victory over the Southern Virginia Knights in the USA South Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday. The Monarchs claimed their third Conference Tournament Championship with the victory and are heading back to the tourney for the first time since 2017. This will be the 12th time that Methodist has been a part of the big dance, with an overall record of 11-11.
This season, the Monarchs are 16-2-1 overall and are currently riding a 14-match winning streak. Methodist only two losses on the schedule were to Va. Wesleyan and, at the time, No. 1 ranked Christopher Newport University both of which are in this year’s national tournament as well. The Monarchs offense is led by a pair of upperclassmen in junior Corrine Shovlain, 2022 USA South Player of the Year, with 12 goals & four assists and senior Tatiana Lourenco-Shiber with 10 goals and eight assists. In net, senior Mary Newman leads the team with 12-1 goalie record and a .73 goal against average.
Rowan heads to Virginia Beach Va. after claiming the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship with a 2-1 victory over Montclair State University. The Profs will be making their 15th trip to the NCAA Tournament, with an overall record of 13-0-4. In the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, Rowan is nationally ranked No. 23. The offense for the Profs has two goal scorers with nine goals each, Olivia Giordano and Nina Carlson. Sophomore goalkeeper, Calista Burke, has played in all but 34:52 minutes of Rowan’s 2022 season. She has a .18 GAA while giving up just three goals all year.
This will be the first-ever meeting between these two institutions.
The Marlins will serve as the host for the weekend, taking on Puget Sound in the First Round. Va. Wesleyan earned an at-large berth into the Tournament after falling in the ODAC Final to Lynchburg University. The Loggers also earned an at-large bid after finishing 13-2-1 in the regular season.