Great Lakes Wire

The Wildcats women's soccer team is set to compete in the NCAA Tournament, traveling to Ashland, Ohio, for a match against the Drury Panthers. This event marks the fourth appearance in program history and the third consecutive under head coach Jon Sandoval.

On November 18, the NCAA revealed the full lineup of 56 teams for the national tournament. The Midwest Region includes four teams from the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), Northern Michigan and Grand Valley from the GLIAC, and one from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC).

The Wildcats hold a record of 14-3-4 and secured the #4 seed in their region after winning the GLIAC conference championship. They are embarking on their third consecutive NCAA tournament journey. Their opponents, Drury, with a record of 14-2-4, received an at-large bid as they were defeated by McKendree in the GLVC semifinals.

The victor between these two teams will advance to face the #1 seeded Ashland Eagles. The Eagles earned a first-round bye by winning the G-MAC conference title and securing top regional placement.

This upcoming match is notable as it is the first meeting between Northern Michigan University (NMU) Wildcats and Drury Panthers. However, NMU has previous experience playing in Ashland; they last faced off against Ashland Eagles there during a GLIAC semifinal match that ended with a 1-0 victory for NMU under coach Jon Sandoval's leadership.