The 12th-ranked Middlebury women's soccer team has earned the right to host an NCAA Tournament Sectional from November 22-23 at the Allan Dragone Track & Field Complex. The Panthers entertain #3 Tufts on Saturday at 11:00 a.m., while the University of Mary Washington and Penn State Harrisburg meet in the other matchup at 1:30 p.m. The winners of each contest battle in quarterfinal action at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday with a trip to the final four at stake. 

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The Panthers enter the sectional with a 13-3-3 mark. The squad advanced to the third round behind a 3-0 victory over Westfield State in the opening round and a 2-1 decision against #15 Rochester.
• Middlebury makes its 14th appearance on the national stage and its first since 2021.
• The Panthers are seeking their first NCAA Championship in women's soccer.   
• Middlebury has advanced to the quarterfinals four times, the semifinals twice (in 2013 and 2018) and the championship match in 2018.
• The Panthers clinched their 17th NESCAC Semifinals berth, marking the first time in four years that the squad made the final weekend.
• Middlebury has secured double-digit wins in seven of the last nine competitive seasons.
• The program has 14 different goal scorers and 19 players with at least one point heading into the sectional rounds.
• The NESCAC is well-represented in this season's tournament, placing six teams in the field and a pair of squads in the round of 16. The NESCAC officially began competing in the NCAA Tournament in the 1993-94 season.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Olivia Colby paces the team with 12 points and six assists, including a goal in the first-round triumph over Westfield State. Her six helpers are tied for fifth in the conference.
• Taya McClennen and Gigi Day have been standout performers in the midfield. McClennen owns a squad-best five goals, including the first tally in the win over Rochester. Day is right behind with three markers, highlighted by the game-winner in the league quarterfinals against Hamilton.
• Middlebury's defense sits atop the conference ranks for the fewest goals allowed (nine). Tessa Broderick has the most minutes of any field player (1,515). Captain Roshann Purcell is the only Panther to start all 19 contests and has logged 1,475 minutes.  
• The first-year duo of Wynne Braemer and Kacy Walker has impressed on the backline, combining for nearly 2,500 minutes of action. Walker shares fifth on the squad with six points on two goals and two assists.
• Livia Davidson continued her strong senior campaign in front of the net, making four saves across two NCAA Tournament wins. The goalie ranks fifth in Division III with a 0.904 save percentage and her 0.49 goals against average (GAA) is 24th.

ABOUT TUFTS

• The Jumbos enter the weekend with a 16-1-3 record. The team is unbeaten (6-0-2) since enduring its lone loss of the season against Amherst by a 2-1 tally on October 14. 
• Tufts posted a pair of shutouts in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament against Lesley (7-0) and Wesleyan (2-0) to punch its spot in the second weekend.
• The Jumbos secured an automatic bid by claiming the NESCAC Championship, outlasting Williams in penalty kicks 5-3.
• Tufts' league title was its second in program history and the first since 2002.
• This year marks the program's 12th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, earning spots in the semifinals in 2000, 2005 and 2023. 
• The Jumbos played in the NCAA Championship match in 2000, falling 2-1 to The College of New Jersey.
• Tufts ranks among the NCAA leaders in corner kicks per game (eighth - 8.45), win-loss percentage (ninth - 0.875), shots per game (11th - 22.65) and GAA (22nd - 0.495). 

JUMBOS TO WATCH

• Reese Birch and Elsi Aires pace the Jumbo offense. Birch has tallied a goal in the last four games, leading the squad with 29 points while tied for second with seven assists. Aires has found the back of the net 11 times and assisted on five others for 27 points.
• Midfielders Caroline Kelly (4G, 9A) and Claire Brady (4G, 4A), along with forward Waverly Sumner (2G, 7A), also aid the output. Kelly's assist total is tied for the conference lead, while Sumner's output sits in a fourth-place tie with Birch.
• Defensively, the trio of Maggie Rogers, Lena Sugrue and Anna Griffin lead the Jumbo backline with all playing north of 1,600 minutes. Rogers and Griffin have started every contest this fall, while Sugrue has appeared all 20 matches with 19 starts. Sugrue has stepped forward to record nine points (3G, 3A), while Griffin and Rogers each have a helper. 
• Tufts has gone with Gigi Edwards in front of the goal, who has started 17 contests with a 13-1-3 record. The goalie touts an .873 save percentage, nine shutouts and 55 saves in 1,522 minutes. Her 0.473 GAA is 20th among Division III peers, while her shutouts are tied for 24th.

ABOUT MARY WASHINGTON

• Mary Washington enters the NCAA Tournament's second weekend with a 13-3-5 record.
• The Eagles earned an at-large selection after falling to UC Santa Cruz in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals 1-0.
• Mary Washington competes in the sectional round following decisions against a pair of nationally-ranked opponents. The program took down #20 Vassar 1-0 on Saturday and got by #10 Williams the next day in a 2-2 draw that saw the blue and white advance on penalty kicks, 4-2.
• The Eagles are playing in their 15th NCAA Tournament in program history and first since 2019, sporting a 13-14-4 record in the national event.
• Forward Macie Landel leads the Eagle attack with 29 points on nine goals and 11 assists alongside five game-winners. The 11 helpers slot her into a tie for 13th nationally, while she shares 23rd in game-winning tallies. Landel distributed helpers on both goals in the second-round matchup against the Ephs.
• The trio of Emily Box, Layla Royster and Ellen Shine have each found the back of the net five times, with Box (4A), Royster (3A) and Shine (2A) assisting on others. 
• Defenders Natalie Anderson, Amanda Dolan and Naomi Knight have each logged more than 1,400 minutes and helped the unit post 15 shutouts. Anderson aids the offense with a helper, while Knight has a pair of markers earlier this season.
• Emily Orn has logged 19 starts this fall in front of the Mary Washington goal, posting an 11-3-4 record with seven shutouts and a 0.57 GAA.   

ABOUT PENN STATE HARRISBURG

• Penn State Harrisburg has amassed a 16-5-4 record, setting a single-season mark for victories.
• The program won its second-straight United East Championship with a 2-2 tie and a 2-0 decision in penalty kicks against St. Mary's (Md.) in the title match. The conference championship was the fourth in program history, capturing titles in 2009, 2021, 2024 and 2025.
• This marks Penn State Harrisburg's third NCAA Tournament appearance, gaining spots in the event in 2021 and 2024. 
• The Lions earned their first triumph with a 2-1 upset win over #14 Christopher Newport in the first round, followed by a 1-0 victory against #11 Rowan.
• With Sunday's win, the squad advances to the round of 16 for the first time in program history and becomes the first Penn State Harrisburg program across all sports to achieve the feat.  
• Diana Pon propels the high-powered Lion offense. Pon is among the top-25 spots in Division III in total points (eighth - 48), total assists (ninth - 12), game-winning goals (11th - six) and total goals (13th - 18). 
• The duo of Katelyn Monette (8G, 6A) and Serenity Hill (8G, 4A) also resides north of the 20-point plateau.
• The Penn State Harrisburg defense features Katie Brown, Ciera Frick and Kara Slavin. Each player has seen north of 1,769 minutes and helped limit opponents to 19 goals in 25 contests.
• In front of the net, Alexis Valenta has tallied over 1,335 minutes in 15 starts with 35 saves, a 10-2-3 record and a 0.67 GAA with six clean sheets. Katherine Eimer has also seen significant time with seven starting nods and eight appearances, posting a 4-3-0 mark in 655 minutes with a pair of shutouts.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury squares off with Tufts for the second time this fall and the 36th time with the Panthers holding a 15-10-10 edge. The sides played to a scoreless draw on October 18 in Vermont. The contest marks the first meeting in the NCAA Tournament between the programs.
• The potential matchups with Mary Washington and Penn State Harrisburg would be the first respective meetings between the schools in women's soccer.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• NCAA Championship Interactive Bracket
• NCAA Championship Selection Show
• Tickets will go on sale at the Allan Dragone Track & Field Complex on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students and seniors and can only be purchased using cash. Credit and debit cards will not be accepted. Middlebury students can receive free admission with proof of college ID shown at the ticket office.