Texas Woman's University is hosting games in the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship for the first time, with the opening match set for 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at Pioneer Soccer Park on the Denton campus.
The NCAA released the South Central Regional bracket on Monday and placed the Pioneers second among the six seeds. That comes with a bye through the first round. Friday's match in Denton pairs third-seeded Midwestern State with sixth-seeded Colorado School of Mines, and the winner meets TWU in Sunday's second round, the university's athletics department said in its announcement.
The other half of the region plays in Dallas. Top-seeded Dallas Baptist hosts that pod, where fourth-seeded Regis faces fifth-seeded UCCS on Friday for the right to play DBU on Sunday. The announcement did not list a start time for Sunday's games.
A defense-first season
TWU goes into the tournament at 15-1-3. Its defense has posted 16 shutouts, a program record, and has given up three goals in 19 matches, according to the athletics department. The Pioneers held the No. 2 spot in the region's final poll before the field was announced.
This is the program's fourth trip to the national tournament and its second in a row under head coach Babak Abouzar. Its first came in 2019, when TWU went in as a No. 4 seed and played in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
