Aquinas, Siena Heights and UNOH Qualify for NAIA National Championship Opening Round
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - (NAIA Release) - Aquinas, Siena Heights and UNOH were announced as three of the 40 teams that qualified for the 2023 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship. Siena Heights and UNOH will be on the road to play in the first round on Thursday while Aquinas, the No. 9 overall seed in the tournament, will host its game on Saturday at noon. Winners of the second round will meet up at Foley, Ala., at the NAIA National Championship final site event. The final site takes place at the Foley Sports Tourism Championship Stadium from November 27 – December 4, 2023, hosted by Gulf Shores/Orange Beach Sports & Events.
This year's championship field includes 27 automatic qualifiers and 13 at-large selections. Automatic berths were given to teams that either won their respective conference tournament title, regular-season championship, or finished runner-up at the conference tournament or regular season as determined by each conference qualification plan. The at-large bids were determined by the NAIA Women's Soccer National Selection Committee. This committee consists of one representative from each geographical area, a representative from the National Administrative Council, the president of the NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches Association, and three at-large members. The committee evaluated teams throughout the year on various criteria.
All championship first and second round matches will be video streamed by the host.
The NAIA Network – the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast 14 matches live at the NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship final site in Foley, Ala., and the championship match will be on ESPN3. The NAIA Network, powered by PrestoSports, allows users access to live video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single-day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-championship tournament package is available at $34.95. For more information and to pre-register, click HERE.