MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- Illinois Institute of Technology put the finishing touches on a fourth consecutive Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) women's soccer title with a 5-0 victory over Rockford University Wednesday evening at Stuart Field.
With the victory, the Scarlet Hawks will be the top seed in the upcoming NACC Women's Soccer Tournament and will host No. 8-seed Concordia University Chicago at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. Three other quarterfinal matchups are slated for 1 p.m. Saturday as No. 2-seed Dominican University hosts No. 7-seed St. Norbert College, No. 3-seed Milwaukee School of Engineering will host No. 6-seed Concordia University Wisconsin, and No. 4-seed Edgewood University hosts No. 5-seed Wisconsin Lutheran College.
Saturday's winners will advance to semifinal play on Tuesday, Nov. 3, with the tournament final being held Saturday, Nov. 7. All games will be played on campus sites with the higher seed in each contest serving as host.
The tournament champion receives the NACC's automatic berth in the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship.
2026 NACC Women's Soccer Tournament
Each game hosted by higher seed
Quarterfinals - Saturday, Oct. 31
No. 8 Concordia Chicago at No. 1 Illinois Tech, 1 p.m.
No. 5 Wisconsin Lutheran at No. 4 Edgewood, 1 p.m.
No. 6 Concordia Wisconsin at No. 3 MSOE, 1 p.m.
No. 7 St. Norbert at No. 2 Dominican, 1 p.m.
Semifinals - Tuesday, Nov. 3
No. 1/8 winner vs. No. 4/5 winner
No. 3/6 winner vs. No. 2/7 winner
Championship - Saturday, Nov. 7
Semifinal winners
(8) Concordia University Chicago at (1) Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Tech: Coming off back to back conference tournament championships, Illinois Tech claimed its fourth straight regular-season conference championship, finishing with a conference record of 11-1, the Scarlet Hawks’ one blemish being a 1-0 loss at MSOE.
Illinois Tech outscored opponents 63-6 in conference play. Tvesa Vathulya and Kayla Thomas both led the Scarlet Hawks with 11 goals, and Vathulya also finished with 11 assists for a team-high 33 points. Vathulya led the NACC in goals, assists, and points in the regular season. Eva Navarte also finished the season with 11 assists in conference play, tying Vathulya.
Defensively, the Scarlet Hawks had Clara Estiandan and Kayla Hampton record more than 400 minutes in goal. In eight games, Estiandan allowed two goals, while making 17 saves, a save percentage of .895 and a 6-1 record. Hampton played in ten games, allowing three goals against 12 saves. She finished with a .800 save percentage and a 4-0 record.
In the preseason poll, Illinois Tech was predicted to finish first in the conference, and received 23 of 26 first place votes, receiving 335 points overall.
Concordia Chicago: In their first season under new head coach Patrick Elster, the Cougars were able to reach the tournament for the first time since 2024, defeating Marian 2-0 this past Sunday to clinch the final spot in the conference tournament. The Cougars finished the regular season with a 5-6-1 conference record, making them the only team to reach the tournament with a record under .500.
The Cougars were outscored 21-13 by opponents in NACC play. Concordia Chicago was led by Erika Flores offensively, who scored three goals and contributed an assist for a team-high seven points. Regan Espinoza Suarez led the Cougars in assists with three, and also scored a goal in the win over Marian.
Naomi Gonzales was the main goalie for CUC, allowing 12 goals while making 29 saves. She finished with a .707 save percentage and a 4-3-1 record. She finished top-five in goals against average, saves, shutouts per game, and saves per game.
In the preseason poll, Concordia Chicago was predicted to finish tenth in the conference, receiving a total of 104 points.
When the two teams faced off in the regular season on September 23, the Scarlet Hawks won 6-0. Leena Almeqbeli scored a goal within the first three minutes of the game, and at one point in the second half, Illinois Tech scored three goals in less than four minutes. Kayla Thomas had a hat trick, and Illinois Tech outshot Concordia Chicago 36-1.
(5) Wisconsin Lutheran College at (4) Edgewood University
Edgewood: The Eagles finished the regular season with an 8-3-1 record in NACC play, and reached the conference tournament for the second straight season, and the fifth time in six seasons.
Edgewood outscored opponents 22-19 in conference play, and were led offensively by Riley Haertle. Haertle finished conference play with seven goals, three assists, and a total of 17 points, leading the Eagles in all three categories. Sarah Bolchen and Megan Hines both finished behind her with four goals apiece.
Madeline Brown led the Eagles in the goal, making 54 saves while giving up 14 goals. She had a .794 save percentage and an 8-3-1 record, and finished top-five in the conference in goals against average, saves, shutouts per game, and saves per game.
In the preseason poll, Edgewood was predicted to finish fifth in the conference, receiving 246 votes.
Wisconsin Lutheran: The Warriors made the tournament for the third straight season, finishing fifth in the conference with an 8-4 record, their best in school history.
In NACC play, WLC outscored opponents 38-9, with all four of their losses coming against teams that made the tournament. They were led offensively by Ginny Shade, who finished with a team-high seven goals and 19 points. She tied for the team lead in assists, as both she and Ava Zarling had five.
They were led in the goal by Sam Schroeder, who allowed nine goals while making 38 saves. Her save percentage was .809, and she had a 7-4 record. Schroeder finished first in the conference in both goals against average and saves, and was third in shutouts per game.
In the preseason poll, the Warriors were predicted to finish eighth in the NACC, receiving 158 points.
The two teams concluded their regular seasons against each other, with WLC prevailing 3-0 at home. WLC outshot Edgewood, 10-5, and while the game was scoreless through the first 44 minutes, Morgan Bluhm scored to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead with 51 seconds left in the first half. Shade and Julia Ash both scored in the second half to add to Wisconsin Lutheran’s lead.
(6) Concordia University Wisconsin at (3) Milwaukee School of Engineering
MSOE: With a 9-1-2 regular season record, the Raiders made the conference season for a NACC-leading 20th consecutive straight year. MSOE has qualified for the NACC Women's Soccer Tournament each year since joining the league in 2007.
They outscored opponents 37-3 in conference play and enter the tournament on a four-game win streak. McKinley Collins led the Raiders in both goals scored and points, with six and 13, respectively. She also contributed an assist. Claire Bradford led the Raiders in assists, with six to go along with her two goals.
MSOE’s primary goalie this season has been Teya Baxter, who allowed just three goals while making 21 saves. She finished with an .875 save percentage, and a 9-1-2 record, and was second in the conference in goals against average and saves, while finishing first in shutouts, with seven.
In the preseason poll, MSOE was predicted to finish second in the NACC, receiving 308 points overall, and two first-place votes.
Concordia Wisconsin: The Falcons qualified for the conference tournament for the 10th straight year, finishing sixth in the conference with a 7-5 record.
In conference play, CUW outshot opponents 33-27. Jacey Read led the Falcons with 11 goals, six assists, and 28 points, all of which were team-highs. Koffy’e Chappel also finished with 10 goals for Concordia Wisconsin.
The Falcons had two goalies spend significant time in goal, with both Kara Claussner and Aubrey Johnson spending at least 495 minutes in goal. Claussner allowed 12 goals while making 25 saves, for a .676 save percentage and a 4-3 record. Johnson made 32 saves while allowing 15 goals, notching a .681 save percentage and a 3-2 record.
In the preseason poll, Concordia Wisconsin was predicted to finish fourth in the NACC, receiving 248 votes.
When these two teams faced off in the regular season, it was CUW that came out on top 3-1, handing the Raiders their only conference loss of the season. It was the only conference game in which a Raiders’ opponent scored a goal. The Falcons scored all three of their goals in the first half, with two coming from Lanie Czerkies, and one from Gabi Farraj. Alexis Lugonzo scored with less than five minutes left in the game to avoid the shutout for the Raiders.
(7) St. Norbert College at (2) Dominican University
Dominican: The Stars finished the regular season second in the conference with a 10-2 record, winning five straight to end the regular season and reach the conference tournament for a 13th straight season. Dominican’s two regular season losses were to Illinois Tech and MSOE.
Dominican outscored conference opponents, 41-10, and were led by Meghan Wilhite and Tia Garr, who both scored six goals apiece. Wilhite finished the season with five assists, leading the team, while Garr also had two.
Both Gianna Stanek and Sarah Appleby recorded at least 450 minutes in the goal for the Stars, with both keepers finishing with a 5-1 record. Stanek allowed seven goals while making 15 saves, and had a .682 save percentage. Appleby made 10 saves while allowing just one goal, good for a .909 save percentage.
In the preseason poll, the Stars predicted to finish third in the NACC, receiving 283 points, and one first-place vote.
St. Norbert: The Green Knights finished the season with a 7-5 record, finishing seventh in the conference. The Green Knights reached the conference tournament for the first time since the 2024 season, and the fifth time in six seasons in the NACC.
In conference play, St. Norbert outscored opponents 27-18. Aleah Reesman and Shelby Busch both had five goals and two assists, leading the Green Knights in goals and points, with 12. Addie Schneider and Colleen Callaghan both had a team-high three assists for St. Norbert.
Leah Hess was the primary goalie for the Green Knights, allowing 28 goals while making 73 saves. She finished with a .723 save percentage and a 7-9-1 record.
In the preseason poll, St. Norbert was predicted to finish ninth in the NACC, receiving 146 points.
In the regular season, the Stars defeated the Green Knights 4-0. The Stars took a 1-0 lead into halftime off a goal by Garr, and then Dominican scored three goals within six minutes in the second half to add to their lead. Wilhite, Riley Brooks, and Khloe Lopez all scored for the Stars.