INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament champion McMurry University (11-3-5) has earned its first-ever berth into the 64-team NCAA Div. III Women’s Soccer Tournament, as the league’s automatic qualifier. NCAA Release | Tournament Bracket
The War Hawks earned the SCAC automatic bid by virtue of their 1-0 win over Concordia Sunday afternoon. The SCAC championship marks the first for the War Hawks across any league and will be the first NCAA Tournament appearance for McMurry Women's Soccer.
McMurry will travel to San Antonio, Texas, for its NCAA opening round contest on Saturday against Cal-Lutheran (15-2-2) the automatic qualifier out of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). The first-round matchup will be the first meeting between McMurry and Cal Lutheran in the NCAA Tournament. Overall, the SCAC is 3-1-3 all-time against the SCIAC in the NCAA Tournament.
On the other side of the bracket, host Trinity (15-2-2) will take on Hardin-Simmons (11-3-2). The winners of Saturday’s matches play on Sunday with a trip to the sections on the line.
McMurry will be lead into the Tournament by interim head coach Madelyn Wilson. The War Hawks got strong performances this season from junior Madison Black and sophomore Laila Brown. The duo combined for 13 of the team’s 34 goals and dished out two assists for a total of 28 points. On the defensive side of the ball, McMurry is led by SCAC Tournament Defensive MVP Katie Wilson. Wilson and the War Hawks allowed just 12 goals this season and boast a 0.63 goals against average.
Forty-three conferences were awarded automatic qualification for the 2025 championship. The other 21 berths were reserved for at-large selections designated by the NPI.
Sixteen four-team sites will conduct first- and second-round play on the first weekend of the championship, November 14 and 15 or 15 and 16. Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites November 21 and 22 or 22 and 23. All games, except the semifinals and final, will be played on the campuses of competing institutions. Winners of the four sectionals will advance to the semifinals December 4 and 6, at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Virginia, with Old Dominion Athletic Conference and City of Salem serving as hosts.
In 2024, Washington University in St. Louis won its second national championship, having defeated William Smith in Las Vegas.
