NORTHFIELD, Minn. – For the sixth time in program history and the first time since 2024, the St. Catherine Wildcats are Women's Soccer Playoff Champions of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).

The Wildcats defeated Carleton on penalty kicks, 6-5, on Saturday afternoon in Northfield after the teams played to a 1-1 draw through two overtimes.

St. Catherine now heads to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament as the automatic qualifier from the MIAC.

FINAL RESULT

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The teams were scoreless through the first half. St. Catherine took a 1-0 lead at 69:09 on an unassisted goal by Natalie Barnes, and Carleton tied it at 71:59 on a goal by Lauren Caldwell, assisted by Lola Feurer.
• Neither team scored in two overtime periods before the Wildcats won the penalty kick shootout, 6-5. Brianna Valdez stopped two Carleton attempts, and Avery Trapp made one save.
• Carleton led in shots (18-10), shots on goal (6-4), and corner kicks (9-4). Valdez made five saves in regulation and overtime for St. Catherine, and Trapp made two for Carleton.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• With the victory, St. Catherine earned the MIAC's automatic qualifier to the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament. This is the seventh time in program history that the Wildcats will head to the national tournament, and the program's sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.
• The Playoff title is the sixth for St. Catherine, which previously won the MIAC tournament in 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
• St. Catherine extends its lead for the most MIAC Women's Soccer Playoff titles, ahead of Concordia (4) and Carleton (3).
• The Wildcats won as the No. 2 seed, on the road at No. 1 Carleton, avenging last year's 1-0 home loss to the Knights in the playoff championship game.
• St. Catherine and Carleton have now met in four championship games in the last five seasons, with each team winning twice (St. Catherine in 2022, 2023, and 2026; Carleton in 2025).

PLAYOFF APPAREL

Official playoff apparel is available for online purchase via the MIAC Shop powered by UNRestricted MKTG. The online MIAC Shop features officially licensed short-sleeve t-shirts, long-sleeve t-shirts, and hooded sweatshirts to commemorate the 2026 conference tournament. The items available in this store are custom-decorated. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery. All apparel items are online-only, custom-made, and all sales are final.

NPI OUTLOOK

• The NCAA Power Index (NPI) is used to select the 21 at-large bids to the NCAA Division III Tournament after the 43 automatic qualifiers have been determined on November 8.
• The most recent NPI rankings on November 6 place Carleton at No. 19, St. Catherine at No. 44, and Saint Benedict at No. 50.
• The NPI cut line in 2025 was No. 37.
• The number of MIAC teams to receive an at-large invitation to the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship will depend on which teams claim the other 42 conference AQs across the rest of D-III.

UP NEXT

• The 64-team bracket for the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship tournament will be revealed during the NCAA.com annual selection show on Monday, November 9, at 10:30 a.m. Central time.
• The opening rounds of the national tournament are scheduled for Saturday, November 14, and Sunday, November 15. Sectionals will be played the following weekend, with the national semifinals on Friday, December 4, and the national championship on Sunday, December 6, at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
• The MIAC will announce its annual women's soccer awards, including All-Conference, All-Playoff, and individual honors on Tuesday, November 10.

2026 MIAC WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYOFF SCHEDULE