Women's Soccer

St. Catherine wins fourth straight MIAC Women’s Soccer Playoff title

ST. PAUL, Minn. – For the fourth year in a row, the St. Catherine Wildcats are women's soccer playoff champions of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).
 
St. Catherine defeated Saint Mary’s, 3-1, at the Wildcat Soccer Field in St. Paul on Saturday to claim the conference tournament title. St. Kate’s is now the first program in recorded MIAC women’s soccer history to win four consecutive playoff titles.
 
| Box Score |
 
The Wildcats will head into the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament as the MIAC's automatic qualifier for the fifth time in the last seven seasons.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Saint Mary’s forward Lauryn Skoruppa found the back of the net 31 minutes into the game.
-St. Catherine’s Natalie Pfleger evened the score with a goal almost immediately after the second half began.
-A minute later, Kallan Tuominen put the Wildcats on top before Lydia Benson tallied an insurance goal in the 68th minute.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
-With the victory, St. Catherine received the MIAC's automatic qualifier to the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament. It will be the Wildcats' fifth trip to the national tournament, having previously qualified in 2017, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
-The MIAC Playoff Championship is the fifth in program history for St. Kate's, having won the conference tournaments in 2017, 2021, 2022, and 2023 as well.
-Three MIAC teams were ranked in the top 50 of the most recent NCAA Power Index (NPI). Carleton was No. 31, St. Catherine was No. 38, and Saint Mary’s was No. 43. Depending on how the 43 automatic qualifiers shake out, the MIAC could see multiple teams receive NCAA Tournament bids on Monday.
UP NEXT
-St. Catherine received the MIAC Playoff championship plaque and the Conference's automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament. The rest of the MIAC squads will await Selection Monday to see if the league sends any additional teams to the NCAA Tournament via at-large bids. The NCAA will announce the national tournament field during its annual selection show on NCAA.com on Monday, November 11.
-The MIAC will announce its annual All-Conference, individual awards, and the All-Playoff Team honors on Tuesday, November 12.
2024 MIAC WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals | Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 | 
No. 4 St. Olaf 1, No. 5 Augsburg 0 | Box Score | 
No. 3 Saint Mary's 3, No. 6 Gustavus 0 | Box Score |
 
Semifinals | Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024 | 
No. 1 St. Catherine 3, No. 4 St. Olaf 1 | Box Score |
No. 3 Saint Mary's 1, No. 2 Carleton 0 | Box Score |

Championship | Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 |
No. 1 St. Catherine 3, No. 3 Saint Mary's 1 | Box Score |