NORTHFIELD, Minn. – For the fourth consecutive season, the Carleton College women's soccer team has earned a bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. The Knights earned one of 21 at-large bids to the tournament after a 13-1-3 season.
Carleton will travel to La Crosse, Wis. and take on CCIW tournament champions Elmhurst University in the opening round of the tournament on Saturday, Nov. 14. Kickoff time is TBA.
Carleton and Elmhurst are joined in the four-team pod by the hosts - the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse - and Lawrence University, who play for the right to advance to Sunday, Nov. 15's second-round game. The winner of that game will move on to the Sectional Semifinals – the round of 16 – at a site to be determined.
Schedule
First Round - Saturday, November 14
Game 1: UW-La Crosse vs. Lawrence | 4:00 p.m. |
Live Video |
Live Stats |
Game 2: Carleton College vs. Elmhurst | 6:30 p.m. |
Live Video |
Live Stats |
Second Round - Sunday, November 15
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 | 6:00 p.m. |
Live Video |
Live Stats |
Final NCAA Power Index Rankings
No. 15 – UW-La Crosse
No. 21 – Carleton
No. 65 – Elmhurst
No. 105 – Lawrence
How Carleton Got Here
The Knights were tabbed as one of 21 at-large selections to the 64-team tournament field. Carleton's 13-1-3 (.853) record to this point included a 10-0-1 mark in conference play, earning the Knights their fourth MIAC regular season title in five seasons. Carleton defeated Saint Benedict 2-1 in the semifinals of the 2026 MIAC Playoffs thanks to goals from
Isabelle Connolly and
Hadley Twichell, but fell in a shootout after a double-overtime 1-1 draw with St. Catherine University in the final.
Carleton dropped the first game of the season at the No. 5 team in the NCAA Power Index, North Central, and have not lost since, a streak of 16 matches. That run is tied for the longest unbeaten streak in program history (2010, 2023).
The Knights played four games against NCAA Tournament teams this season and went 2-1-1:
Sep. 5 at North Central College – L, 0-1
(NPI: 5)
Sep. 13 vs. Simpson College – W, 3-0
(NPI: 77)
Sep. 19 vs. St. Catherine University – W, 2-0
(NPI: 42)
Nov. 7 vs. St. Catherine University (MIAC Finals) – T, 1-1 (2OT), St. Catherine wins on penalties, 6-5
(NPI: 42)
Carleton has outscored opponents 44-8 this season. The maize and blue finished third in the MIAC in scoring offense with 2.59 goals per game (62
nd in D-III) but were carried by a conference-best defense that allowed just 0.465 goals per game (21
st in D-III) and posted shutouts in 11 of 17 games.
Hadley Twichell and
Zoe Silver scored 7 goals apiece to lead the Knights, with Twichell adding 4 assists and Silver contributing 2 helpers.
Lily Shure's 5 goals and 8 assists tied her for the team lead in points with 18.
Lola Feuerer notched 5 goals and 4 assists.
Isabelle Connolly (4g, 4a),
Kiana Feldis (4g, 2a), and
Katherine Mallon (4g) all made significant offensive contributions.
Behind a backline consisting of Twichell,
Maya Lacey, Zaraya Jordan, and
Eliza Barton for most of the season, goalkeeper
Avery Trapp registered eight solo shutouts, allowed a goals-against-average of just 0.49, and posted an .846 save percentage.
Carleton makes its seventh trip to the NCAA Championships in program history after berths in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2023, 2024, and 2025. In 2008, Carleton advanced to the Sectional Finals ("Elite Eight"), while the 2009 squad made it to the second round. In both 2010 and 2023, the Knights lost in the first round, however, the 2023 setback was by a 3-2 tally to eventual national champion California Lutheran University. In 2024, the Knights advanced to the second round before falling to No. 2 Loras in penalties. Last season, the Knights beat John Carroll 1-0, topped Lake Forest 2-0, and knocked off Swarthmore in penalties after a 1-1 draw to advance to the "Elite Eight" for the second time in program annals before losing 2-1 at the University of Chicago.
