ST. PAUL, Minn. — The St. Catherine University soccer team is headed back to the national stage as the Wildcats travel to Dubuque, Iowa, to face Loras College in the opening round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament on Saturday, November 14. The matchup marks St. Catherine's sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and seventh in program history.
The Wildcats (15-3-2) secured their spot in the 64-team tournament after capturing their sixth Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoff Championship on Saturday, November 7, defeating top-seeded Carleton College in a dramatic penalty kick shootout. After battling to a 1-1 draw through 110 minutes, St. Catherine prevailed 6-5 in penalties to earn the conference's automatic bid.
Natalie Barnes provided the Wildcats' lone goal in regulation against Carleton, finding the back of the net in the 70th minute. Goalkeeper Brianna Valdez made five saves during regulation and overtime before stopping two penalty kick attempts to help secure the championship. The victory marked St. Catherine's fifth MIAC Playoff title in the last six conference tournaments and continued a historic stretch of postseason success for the program.
St. Catherine will face a strong Loras College squad (13-1-2) that captured the American Rivers Conference regular-season championship. The Duhawks will host the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, bringing together four teams competing for a spot in the sectional round.
Joining St. Catherine and Loras in the Dubuque regional are the University of Chicago (14-1-1) and the University of Wisconsin-Superior (12-5-4), who will meet in Saturday's other first-round contest. The two winners will advance to Sunday's second round, with a trip to the NCAA sectional round on the line.
For the Wildcats, the NCAA appearance continues one of the most successful periods in program history. Since winning their first MIAC Playoff Championship in 2017, St. Catherine has become a consistent postseason contender, claiming six conference tournament titles and reaching the NCAA Tournament in each of the last six seasons.
St. Catherine enters the national tournament looking to carry the momentum of its conference championship into another postseason run. The Wildcats will meet the Duhawks on Saturday, November 14, with the winner advancing to Sunday's second-round matchup.
The St. Catherine–Loras game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, November 14. This is a rematch of their 2024 NCAA first-round meeting at Loras.
