Cascade Collegiate Conference champion Concordia, which is unbeaten (20-0-1) this season, heads to Daytona in search of a national title.
Concordia Heads East for NAIA Soccer Finals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The 25th Annual NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship begins Monday, Dec. 1 at the final site in Daytona Beach, Fla. The National Championships will feature 15 games from Dec. 1-6. There will be four games each on Dec. 1-3. After an off-day on Thursday, Dec. 4, the Semifinals will take place on Dec. 5. The national championship game will be played at 6:00 p.m. on Dec. 6.
The tournament got off to an exciting start on Saturday, Nov. 22, as 15 Opening Round games were played on campuses all across the country. Those games featured a little bit of everything, from big wins to overtime thrillers to penalty kick shootouts. In the end, all of the higher seeds prevailed and now join tournament host school Embry-Riddle (Fla.) in a 16-team playoff.
Top seed Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) was one of many high seeds to advance to the final site of the National Championships. The Blue Raiders survived an upset-minded Siena Heights (Mich.) team. Kimmia Parker scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory. The Blue Raiders are now 19-1 on the year. Lindsey is riding a 14-game winning streak and won the Mid-South Conference Regular Season Championship and Tournament Championship. The last No. 1 seed to win the title was Martin Methodist (Tenn.) back in 2005.
No. 12 Berry (Ga.) is making its 16th appearance, which is the most of any school in the field. The Vikings will be taking on undefeated Concordia (Ore.) at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Concordia isn’t the only undefeated team remaining. No. 8 seed Graceland (Iowa) also comes in without a loss. The Yellowjackets are 18-0-2 on the year after defeating Hastings (Neb.) 4-0 in the Opening Round.
No. 4 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) is making its 11th straight appearance, the most of any team in the field. The Cougars also have 21 tournament wins, also the most in the field. Azusa Pacific takes on in-state rival Cal State San Marcos at 4:30 on Monday, Dec. 1.
Defending national champion Martin Methodist (Tenn.) is the No. 6 seed. The RedHawks defeated Indiana Wesleyan 2-0 in the Opening Round and will face eleventh-seeded Simon Fraser (B.C.) at 1:30 on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Last year, the RedHawks won the 2007 National Championship by a score of 2-1 over Azusa Pacific (Calif.).
All video/audio streaming for the event is handled by the host school, Embry-Riddle and through their website.