The defending DIII women's soccer national champions are dancing once again in 2024. After a 12-3-4 season that ended in the SCIAC Tournament Semifinals, the Regals' fate was in the hands of the NCAA's new NPI rankings, which sent them to the Tournament as the second-to-last team to receive an at-large bid. This will be the Regals' 17th appearance in the big dance.
In the first round, the Regals will face No. 22 Trinity (TX) Tigers on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1:30 p.m. PST. The advancing team will take on the winner of the first game on Saturday between No. 23 UC Santa Cruz and host school No. 7 Pomona-Pitzer.
REGIONAL BRACKET AND SCHEDULE:
Saturday, Nov. 16
Game 1, 11 a.m. PST: No. 7 Pomona-Pitzer vs. No. 23 UC Santa Cruz
Game 2, 1:30 p.m. PST: Cal Lutheran vs. No. 22 Trinity (TX)
Sunday, Nov. 17
1 p.m. PST: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
TALE OF THE TAPE:
Cal Lutheran
The Regals look to repeat in an eerily similar spot to one year ago, hearing their name called on the NCAA Selection Show to earn an at-large bid to the Tournament. After going unbeaten for the first 13 games of the season, the Regals came up short to tough conference foes in Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps during a 3-3-0 stretch to close out the regular season.
Senior and back-to-back SCIAC Defensive Athlete of the Year Avery West looks to lead her squad back to the promised land. West, Savana Durr, and Olivia Suarez were named to the All-SCIAC first team while Ashley Escamilla made the second team.
No. 22 Trinity (TX)
The Tigers (16-1-2) rolled their way through the regular season to become SCAC champs, earning an automatic bid to the Tournament. This is their 29th appearance in school history and 15th in a row. The Tigers are one of the country's premier defensive teams, as they've allowed just five goals on the season and 15 of their 16 wins have been shutouts.
The Regals and Tigers matched up last season on Sept. 8, with the Regals taking the victory 2-0. In all-time matchups, the two teams are 2-2 against one another.
No. 23 UC Santa Cruz
The Banana Slugs (10-2-5) punched their ticket to the dance after claiming its first Coast-to-Coast Women's Soccer Conference Championship with a 2-0 victory over No. 2 Christopher Newport. This is their first Tournament appearance since 2019 and 13th overall. UC Santa Cruz made itself undeniable with the win last Sunday, handing Christopher Newport its first full-time loss in 84 games dating back all the way back to 2019.
No. 7 Pomona-Pitzer
The Sagehens (15-2-2) will enjoy home-field advantage as the host school in their seventh Tournament appearance. Despite dropping the SCIAC Tournament Championship to the red-hot Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, the Sagehens enter the dance as one of the most formidable, all-around teams in the country. They have allowed just six goals this season and have the SCIAC's top goal scorer in Hannah Hong, who has found the back of the net 10 times. Sagehen goalkeeper Patricia DePalma led the conference in save percentage at .895 and shutouts with 11. DePalma and Hong were joined by teammates Spencer Deutz, Vivian Rojas Collins, and Ella Endo on the All-SCIAC first team while Ava Watanabe made the second team.
Every game from the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championships will be live-streamed on ncaa.com and be made available at the "NCAA Championships Pass" app for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Android TV devices. NCAA.com also provides an interactive bracket and live updating superpage.
Tickets will be sold at the gate. $6 for general admission, $3 for senior citizens, $3 for students with ID, $2 for children ages 3-12, and free for children under 3 years of age.
