REGIONAL PAGE

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein University women's soccer team will play host to a four-team regional in the NCAA Division III Championships, scheduled for this Friday and Saturday evening at Memorial Stadium.

The Cardinals will take on Dominican University (Ill.) in Friday's opening matchup at 5 p.m., followed by Hope College (Mich.) and Bridgewater College (Va.) at approximately 7:30 p.m.

The winners will then return and square off in the NCAA second round come Saturday evening, scheduled under the lights at 7 p.m. That winner will advance to the Sweet 16 at a location to be determined. View the full INTERACTIVE BRACKET featuring all 64 teams in the field.

Otterbein (16-2-1) recently swept through the Ohio Athletic Conference unbeaten, claiming the program's ninth regular-season title and then notching a sixth tournament crown with a thrilling 1-0 overtime win against Ohio Northern behind a goal from Priscilla Severance. The Cards are now ranked No. 24 nationally and led by accomplished 20th-year head coach Brandon Koons, who holds a 273-86-34 record at the helm.

The Cardinals, who have not lost since Sept. 8, have 11 shutouts this season and are led by a stout back line of defense. Sophomore Bella Shivley broke the program's single-season record for most goals and currently has 16 to her credit, while freshman Delaney Earl has tallied 11 in her inaugural campaign. Otterbein is making its first NCAA appearance since 2010, a season that ended at the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas.

Dominican (18-2) lost its first two matches before winning 18 in a row, capped with a 1-0 overtime win of its own against Illinois Tech in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference title game. The Stars will be making their second-straight trip to the NCAA's, having lost a 5-0 contest against Washington-St. Louis last November.

Dominican has kept 16 opponents scoreless from a defensive standpoint while junior Josseline Williams has netted a whopping 26 goals on the opposite end. Holli Cochran has another 16 for a duo that has recorded nearly 60 percent of the team's goals. Head Coach Carlos Carrillo, a Hall of Famer at Dominican, has averaged better than 13 wins per season in turning around the program.

Hope (14-2-2) is making its third-straight showing in the Big Dance despite dropping a 1-0 decision to Adrian in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference final. The Flying Dutch, ranked No. 18 in the latest national poll, advanced to the NCAA second round last year before a 4-0 loss to No. 3-ranked Chicago ended the run. They were an unbeaten 7-0-1 within the MIAA schedule this season for a third-consecutive regular-season crown.

Hope features a very balanced offensive attack led by the three-headed monster of Hilary Curry (7G, 4A), Rachael Braginton (6G, 4A) and Rylie Dalton (7G, 2A), who are responsible for 50 of the team's 107 total points. The Flying Dutch have 11 shutouts on the backend in front of sophomore goalie Jordan Ellingboe, who had a remarkable freshman campaign and is back between the posts. Head Coach Leigh Sears, a former three-sport standout at nearby Ohio Wesleyan, has a 224-110-26 record in 18 seasons guiding Hope.

Bridgewater (15-3-2) is one of three teams from the Old Dominion Athlete Conference to make the field, also garnering an at-large bid after falling 1-0 to Virginia Wesleyan in the ODAC semifinals. The Eagles had a 10-match winning streak at one point this year and have four different players with seven or more goals. They are making the program's first-ever NCAA appearance.

Mike Van Horn leads Bridgewater in his 11th season as head coach, holding a 133-71-12 mark during his time on the sidelines and winning ODAC Coach of the Year honors in 2017. Bridgewater also has 11 shutouts from a defensive standpoint as sophomore keeper Sydney Davis holds 58 saves.

Ticket prices for the event will be $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors, and $3 for children. Full information and details can be found at the REGIONAL PAGE.

Media requests for sideline/press box access should be made through the Otterbein Sports Information office by contacting Adam Prescott (APrescott@Otterbein.edu) and/or Ryan Tyransky (Tyransky1@Otterbein.edu).