15 Nov 2021 NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship Qualifiers Revealed
(admin) Published
Monday, November 15, 2021 – 09:14 AM
From naia.org
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [Opening Round Schedule] The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the teams and pairings for the 2021 NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round, presented by Select Sport America. The 40-team NAIA Opening Round event at 10 campus locations will occur from November 18-20.
The 2021 NAIA Opening Round winners will meet up in Orange Beach, Ala., at the NAIA National Championship final site event. The 38th annual championship takes place at the Orange Beach Sportsplex November 30 – December 6, 2021.
This year’s opening round field includes 28 automatic qualifiers and 12 at-large selections. Automatic berths were given to teams that either won their respective conference tournament title, regular-season championship, or finished runner-up at the conference tournament or regular season as determined by each conference qualification plan. The at-large bids were determined by the NAIA Women’s Soccer National Selection Committee. This committee consists of one representative from each geographical area, a representative from the National Administrative Council, the president of the NAIA-Women’s Soccer Coaches Association, and three at-large members. The committee evaluated teams throughout the year on various criteria.
The NAIA Network – the association’s official video streaming home – will broadcast all 10 matches live at the NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship final site in Orange Beach, Ala. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-championship tournament package is available at $34.95. For more information and to pre-register, click HERE.
Qualifier Highlights
• Louisiana Christian and Ohio Valley (W.Va.) are all getting their first taste of NAIA Women’s Soccer Championship play.
• The Mid-South leads all conferences with five teams in the field. The Crossroads League and The Sun Conference follow closely behind with four.
• Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) leads the field in number of appearances in the championship field with its 23rd this season. Westmont follows with its 22nd appearance.
• Westmont’s five national titles are the most among the opening round qualifiers.
• Keiser (Fla.) will attempt to become the first team since 2011 to win three national championships in a row. Former member institution Lee (Tenn.) won four-in-a-row from 2008 through 2011.
• 26 teams from the 2020 national championship field will return in 2021.
• Central Methodist (Mo.) and Aquinas (Mich.) lead all teams with 19 wins.
• Jamestown (N.D.) is snapping the longest absence from championship play with its last appearance coming in 2005.
• For a full look at all of the Opening Round tournaments and matchups, click HERE
2021 NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship Qualifiers
| Institution | Conference | Qualifying Method | 2021-22 Record | Appearances | Championship Record | Titles |
| Aquinas (Mich.) | Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference | WHAC Regular Season/Tournament Champion | 19-1-1 | 4 | 2-3-0 | 0 |
| Bellevue (Neb.) | Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) | Continental Tournament Runner-Up | 8-10-0 | 6 | 0-4-1 | 0 |
| Benedictine (Kan.) | Heart of America Athletic Conference | At-Large Berth | 14-5-0 | 10 | 12-8-2 | 0 |
| Briar Cliff (Iowa) | Great Plains Athletic Conference | GPAC Tournament Champion | 14-2-2 | 2 | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| Campbellsville (Ky.) | Mid-South Conference | At-Large Berth | 13-4-0 | 3 | 1-2-0 | 0 |
| Central Methodist (Mo.) | Heart of America Athletic Conference | Heart Regular Season/Tournament Champion | 19-1-0 | 5 | 3-3-2 | 0 |
| College of Idaho | Cascade Collegiate Conference | Cascade Tournament Runner-Up | 14-6-0 | 2 | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| Columbia (Mo.) | American Midwest Conference | AMC Tournament Champion | 17-3-0 | 9 | 3-7-3 | 0 |
| Cumberland (Tenn.) | Mid-South Conference | At-Large Berth | 13-4-1 | 7 | 7-6-0 | 0 |
| Cumberlands (Ky.) | Mid-South Conference | Mid-South Tournament Runner-Up | 15-5-1 | 3 | 3-2-0 | 0 |
| Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | California Pacific Conference | Cal Pac Tournament Champion | 14-5-1 | 6 | 3-4-1 | 0 |
| Friends (Kan.) | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference | KCAC Tournament No. 2-Seed | 11-5-3 | 2 | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| Georgia Gwinnett | Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) | Continental Tournament Champion | 11-6-1 | 6 | 2-5-0 | 0 |
| Grace (Ind.) | Crossroads League | At-Large Berth | 11-6-1 | 5 | 4-4-0 | 0 |
| Hope International (Calif.) | Golden State Athletic Conference | At-Large Berth | 12-0-3 | 2 | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| Indiana Wesleyan | Crossroads League | Crossroads Tournament Champion | 16-3-0 | 9 | 5-8-0 | 0 |
| Jamestown (N.D.) | Great Plains Athletic Conference | GPAC Regular Season Champion | 18-1-1 | 2 | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| John Brown (Ark.) | Sooner Athletic Conference | Sooner Tournament Champion | 17-1-0 | 8 | 3-5-2 | 0 |
| Judson (Ill.) | Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference | Chicagoland Regular Season Champion | 12-4-2 | 2 | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| Keiser (Fla.) | The Sun Conference | At-Large Berth | 14-2-0 | 16 | 25-13-1 | 2 |
| Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | Mid-South Conference | At-Large Berth | 12-4-0 | 23 | 45-18-3 | 4 |
| Louisiana Christian | Red River Athletic Conference | Red River Tournament Champion | 8-10-2 | 1 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| Marian (Ind.) | Crossroads League | At-Large Berth | 15-4-1 | 4 | 6-2-2 | 0 |
| Marymount California | California Pacific Conference | Cal Pac Tournament Runner-Up | 16-1-1 | 3 | 1-2-0 | 0 |
| Missouri Valley | Heart of America Athletic Conference | Heart Tournament Runner-Up | 14-5-1 | 3 | 3-2-0 | 0 |
| Northwestern Ohio | Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference | WHAC Tournament Runner-Up | 12-6-3 | 8 | 17-6-0 | 1 |
| Ohio Valley (W.Va.) | River States Conference | River States Tournament Champion | 13-1-1 | 1 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| Oklahoma Wesleyan | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference | KCAC Regular Season/Tournament Champion | 19-2-0 | 4 | 3-3-0 | 0 |
| Oregon Tech | Cascade Collegiate Conference | Cascade Regular Season/Tournament Champion | 17-2-0 | 3 | 1-1-1 | 0 |
| Reinhardt (Ga.) | Appalachian Athletic Conference | AAC Regular Season/Tournament Champion | 17-2-0 | 6 | 3-6-0 | 0 |
| SCAD Savannah | The Sun Conference | At-Large Berth | 12-6-1 | 3 | 0-2-0 | 0 |
| Science & Arts (Okla.) | Sooner Athletic Conference | At-Large Berth | 16-5-0 | 6 | 1-5-0 | 0 |
| Southeastern (Fla.) | The Sun Conference | The Sun Tournament Champion | 15-3-0 | 5 | 10-4-0 | 0 |
| Spring Arbor (Mich.) | Crossroads League | At-Large Berth | 16-1-1 | 13 | 27-8-3 | 2 |
| St. Ambrose (Iowa) | Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference | Chicagoland Tournament Champion | 15-5-1 | 5 | 1-4-0 | 0 |
| St. Thomas (Fla.) | The Sun Conference | At-Large Berth | 12-5-2 | 6 | 2-7-0 | 0 |
| Tennessee Southern | Mid-South Conference | Mid-South Regular Season/Tournament Champion | 18-1-0 | 18 | 25-11-6 | 2 |
| Truett McConnell (Ga.) | Appalachian Athletic Conference | AAC Tournament Runner-Up | 18-3-0 | 4 | 0-3-0 | 0 |
| Westmont (Calif.) | Golden State Athletic Conference | GSAC Tournament Champion | 10-1-5 | 22 | 36-11-8 | 5 |
| William Carey (Miss.) | Southern States Athletic Conference | Southern States Tournament Champion | 18-0-0 | 13 | 23-10-2 | 1 |
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