In the regional tournament, Minnesota State women’s soccer beat the #1 seed in their region. Then, in the national semifinals, they took down the #1-seed in the National Final Four to earn their first appearance in an NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championship.
The 4th-seeded Mavericks (18-1-7) play 2nd-seed Cal Poly Pomona Sunday afternoon in Matthews, N.C. for the NCAA Division II National Championship.
Click the video box on this page to watch KSTP Sports’ chat with Minnesota State women’s soccer head coach Brian Bahl on the eve of the Mavericks’ appearance in the NCAA D-II National Championship
Delano-native Marin Johnson scored the eventual game-winning goal in Minnesota State’s 2-1 win over Columbus State in Friday’s national semifinal.
Wow! @MinnStAthletics takes the lead back at 2-1 just minutes after Columbus State had evened things up in the match. #MakeItYours pic.twitter.com/ilysWgHecF
The one-goal win in the Final Four was just the latest in an incredible string of heart-stopping results that have delivered the Mavericks to within one win of an NCAA title.
As the top-seed in the NSIC Conference Tournament, Minnesota State survived a shootout in the semifinals against the University of Mary on their way to claiming the conference title.
The NCAA Tournament began with the Mavericks coming from behind with two second-half goals in a 2-1 win over St. Cloud State.
They followed that with another second half game-winner – a penalty kick by Maille Mathis – to win the second round game 1-0 over Missouri Western.
The Regional Championship required a double overtime winner by Avery Korsching to get by the region’s #1-seed Central Missouri.
The ongoing drama continued in an NCAA Quarterfinal as Ashlyn Watt scored with just over seven minutes to go against Grand Valley State that sent the game to overtime and a shootout which the Mavericks won 5-4.
As you’d expect by now, the National Semifinal against Columbus State – the #1-seed in the Final Four – also came down to a second half goal, as Johnson scored the eventual game-winner three minutes after Columbus State had tied the game at 1.
The semifinal loss was Columbus State’s first defeat this season.
The Mavericks first-ever National Championship appearance comes Sunday in suburban Charlotte, N.C.
The game kicks off at 2:00 p.m. Central Time and streams on NCAA.com
HISTORY!
For the first time in program history, @MinnStAthletics has advanced to play in the #D2WSOC national championship match!
🗞️ https://t.co/uSHERrYSuH#MakeItYours pic.twitter.com/onJ1NkB9Vi
Win or lose, the women’s soccer team is capping off a remarkable 2024 for Mavericks Athletics: Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams won National Championships at the end of last winter; women’s track and field took third in the indoor season and fifth in outdoor; the football team just made a run to the National D-II Semifinals; three Minnesota State athletes competed in the Summer Olympics; and track star Danisha Cartwight was named the Division II National Athlete of the Year.
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