Titans, Thunder Clash In Opening Round Of NCAA Regional
UW-Oshkosh returns to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Women's Soccer Championship for the first time since 2015 when it plays Wheaton College (Ill.) in the opening round of the 64-team tournament Friday (Nov. 12) in Chicago, Ill. The contest between the Titans and the three-time national champion Thunder kicks off at 1:30 p.m. from University of Chicago's Stagg Field.
UW-Oshkosh (16-2-1) earned an automatic bid to the 64-team Division III Championship following its 2-1 victory over visiting UW-La Crosse in the final of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament held last Saturday (Nov. 6) at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium. The WIAC Tournament championship was the third for UW-Oshkosh, which also went unbeaten in seven conference regular season matches earlier in the year to capture its second league title.
UW-Oshkosh previously appeared in the Division III Championship in 2006, 2011, 2014 and 2015. The Titans own a 0-3-2 tournament record, including a 1-0 loss to Augsburg University (Minn.) in the first round of the 2014 championship that was held at University of Chicago's Stagg Field. UW-Oshkosh has never played Wheaton College during the NCAA postseason.
UW-Oshkosh, which owns a program record 16 victories this season, has won nine straight matches since playing to a 1-1 tie with Lawrence University on Sept. 27. The Titans have nine shutouts to their credit while posting advantages this fall of 50-13 in goals, 337-172 in shots and 187-69 in shots on goal over their opponents.
Earlier this week, UW-Oshkosh had five players named to the All-WIAC First Team, including league Defensive Player of the Year Mackenzie Bennett and conference Newcomer of the Year Molly Jackson.
Bennett, a junior defender, has started all 19 matches for the Titans this fall and been an essential part in UW-Oshkosh outscoring its opponents by 37 goals. Bennett has scored six goals, including match winners during the Titans' last three contests (UW-River Falls on Oct. 30, UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 4, and UW-La Crosse on Nov. 6).
Jackson, a freshman midfielder, has also started all 19 matches for UW-Oshkosh this season. Jackson has compiled five goals, 4 assists and 14 points while spending much of her playing time in the center portion of the field. Jackson had match-winning goals for the Titans against University of Dubuque (Iowa) on Sept. 15 and UW-Stout on Oct. 9.
Other Titans receiving All-WIAC First Team honors were junior midfielder Maddie Hill, sophomore forward Rylie Kaufmann and senior goalkeeper Erin Toomey.
A starter in all 19 matches for the Titans this season as well, Hill has counted three goals, three assists and nine points. She recorded UW-Oshkosh's matching-winning score against Marian University on Sept. 4, Bethel University (Minn.) on Sept. 6 and UW-Whitewater on Oct. 20.
Kaufmann leads the Titans this season in three offensive categories – goals with seven, assists with seven and points with 21. Kaufmann converted all three of her penalty kicks while recording the match-winning goal in UW-Oshkosh victories over Grinnell College (Iowa) on Sept. 12, UW-Platteville on Oct. 16 and UW-La Crosse on Oct. 23. She has played in all 19 matches for the Titans this fall, including nine as a starter.
Toomey, who leads the WIAC with her seven shutouts and 0.73 goals against average this fall, has allowed just 12 goals during her 16 matches played, all as a starter. She has earned a 14-2 record while saving 51 shots in 1,473 minutes guarding the UW-Oshkosh goal.
UW-Oshkosh head coach Erin Coppernoll and her assistant coaches CJ Dwyer and Ashley Tracy were named the 2021 WIAC Coaching Staff of the Year. Coppernoll, who registered her 200th career coaching win on Oct. 6 against UW-Stevens Point, owns a 207-169-36 record in 21 seasons as a head collegiate soccer coach. Coppernoll has led UW-Oshkosh to a 17-year record of 183-124-33.
UW-Oshkosh is one of two WIAC teams appearing in this year's Division III Championship, with the other being UW-La Crosse which received an at-large invitation. The Eagles will perform this weekend at a regional hosted by St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn.
Wheaton College (11-7-2) obtained an automatic bid to the Division III Championship by defeating North Central College (Ill.), 2-0, last Saturday in the title match of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament in Wheaton. The two teams shared the CCIW regular season championship with 7-1 records.
This year's trip to the NCAA postseason is the 23rd for Wheaton College. The Thunder own a 56-15-6 record in the Division III Championship, with seven Final Four appearances and national titles in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Wheaton College was the national runner-up in 2008 and 2011.
The contest between the Titans and Thunder will be the 10th of the two programs. Wheaton College holds an 8-0-1 advantage in a series that began with UW-Oshkosh in 1994. The teams haven't played since 2016, a 2-1 Wheaton College victory in Wheaton.
Friday's other first-round match at the Chicago Regional features University of Chicago playing Rhodes College (Tenn.) at 11 a.m.
The University of Chicago (12-2-4), which earned one of 20 at-large bids to the Division III Championship, is ranked 16th nationally by the United Soccer Coaches. The Maroons, who enter their 20th NCAA postseason appearance, were the tournament's national runner-up in 2003 and 2017. The University of Chicago owns a 30-17-5 record in the Division III Championship.
The University of Chicago finished fifth in this year's highly competitive University Athletic Association standings with a 2-2-3 record. The UAA had six programs earn bids to the 2021 Division III Championship – regular season champion Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) along with Brandeis University (Mass.), Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.), Case Western Reserve University (Ohio), and Emory University (Ga.). Washington University in St. Louis ranks sixth nationally in the latest USC poll while Case Western Reserve lists 10th, Carnegie Mellon University 15th, Brandeis University 20th and Emory University 21st.
The University of Chicago has won all six of its meetings with UW-Oshkosh, including a 4-0 home win during the 2018 season. The first contest between the teams was in 2012.
Rhodes College claimed an automatic berth to the Division III Championship with its 2-1 victory over Sewanee (Tenn.) (The University of the South) in the final of the Southern Athletic Association Tournament held last Sunday (Nov. 7) in Danville, Ky. The Lynx will be making their second NCAA postseason appearance and their first since losing in the opening round of the 2008 tournament.
Rhodes College (12-2-2) placed second in the SAA regular season standings with a 5-1-1 record. Nationally ranked (No. 13) Centre College (Ky.) won the SAA regular season title and received an at-large berth to this year's NCAA tournament.
UW-Oshkosh and Rhodes College have never met on the soccer field.
The two first-round winners of the Chicago Regional will play 1 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 13) for the right to advance to one of four sectional sites on Nov. 19-21. Sectional sites will be determined after regional play has concluded.
Winners of the four sectionals will advance to the semifinals and final on Dec. 3-4 at the University of North Carolina Greensboro Soccer Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.
UW-Oshkosh NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Postseason History
2021 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship Bracket
Official Announcement Of 2021 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship Selections