MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- Following the semifinals of the 2026 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Women’s Soccer Tournament, there are now just two teams left to fight for the conference tournament championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship.
Illinois Institute of Technology moved one step closer to a third straight conference tournament championship by taking down Edgewood University, 2-1, and Milwaukee School of Engineering defeated Dominican University, 2-1, on the road to set up the championship match. It will be the fourth straight year the two teams will meet in the conference championship. MSOE came out on top in 2023, while Illinois Tech won the past two seasons.
No 1. Illinois Tech 2, No. 4 Edgewood 1
After falling behind going into halftime, the Scarlet Hawks were able to score two goals in the second half to defeat Edgewood at Stuart Field in Chicago, Illinois.
Illinois Tech took the first shot of the game, as well as the first shot on goal of the game. Just under five minutes into the game, Grace Yager sent a shot at the bottom left of the goal, where it was saved by Eagles keeper Madeline Brown.
The Eagles kept taking shots throughout the first half, but it was the Eagles that would get on the board first following a foul inside the box by Leyna Yonehara. Riley Haertle buried the penalty kick, giving Edgewood a 1-0 lead on its first shot of the game.
Despite both teams trading shots back and forth in the rest of the half, neither team was able to score, and the Eagles took a 1-0 lead going into halftime.
Illinois Tech came out firing in the second half, but was unable to find the back of the net at first. The Scarlet Hawks were able to tie the game right around the 68-minute mark, when Olivia Roy snuck one past Brown to get the equalizer. Kayla Thomas had an assist on the goal.
The Scarlet Hawks kept applying pressure offensively, and with less than seven minutes left in the game, Roy scored her second goal of the game, giving the Scarlet Hawks their first lead of the game. Grace Yager was credited with an assist.
Illinois Tech’s defense didn’t allow a shot by Edgewood in the final minutes, and the Scarlet Hawks hung on to punch their ticket to the conference tournament championship.
Illinois Tech outshot Edgewood, 32-3, with nine shots on goal to Edgewood’s one. Roy led the Scarlet Hawks with eight shots, four of which were on goal. Kami Horn led the Eagles with two shots.
In the goal, Brown made seven saves for the Eagles, while Clara Estiandan made zero for Illinois Tech. The Scarlet Hawks had thirteen corner kicks to Edgewood’s two, and were called for offsides three times.
No. 3 MSOE 2, No. 2 Dominican 1
Despite Dominican scoring a goal just before halftime, the Raiders were able to score two second-half goals to overcome the deficit and take down the Stars at West Campus Field in River Forest, Illinois.
The first shot of the game was taken by Mackenzie Cuddihy of the Stars, whose shot was high and to the right of the goal. MSOE took its first shot ten minutes into the game, and Claire Bradford’s shot was off-target.
The first shot on goal of the game resulted in the first goal of the game, as with less than 3:30 left in the first half, Kylena Paredes sent one into the back of the net to give Dominican the lead. Rachelle Pinto recorded an assist on the goal.
MSOE had two on-target shots to end the first half, but Stars goalie Sarah Appleby saved both of them.
The Raiders wasted no time tying the game in the second half, with Hadleigh Ostrenga knotting the game at one apiece just 71 seconds into the second half off an assist from Faith Papazoglou.
A flurry of shots were sent by both sides over the next 18 minutes, and it was the Raiders that were able to get one past the keeper, when Bradford launched one past Appleby to give the lead to the Raiders. Shelan Biniam had an assist on the goal.
MSOE’s defense shut the Stars down the rest of the way, allowing just two shots in the final 20+ minutes of the game.
The Raiders outshot Dominican, 12-9, with seven of their shots being on goal compared to just one for Dominican. Bradford, Ostrenga, McKinley Collins, and Alexis Lugonzo all led the Raiders with two shots taken. Tia Garr led the Stars with three shots.
Defensively, Appleby made four saves for the Stars, while Teya Baxter didn’t face any shots on goal beyond the one goal against her. MSOE had one corner kick compared to Dominican’s seven, and the Stars were whistled for being offside once.