Live updates: 2023 DI women's soccer championship
On to the second round! 💃💃
After a thrilling weekend of first-round action, here's a look ahead to the second-round matchups divided by sections of the bracket. Matches at BYU — BYU vs. Southern California and Michigan State vs. Harvard — will be played Thursday, Nov. 16. All other matches will take place Friday, Nov. 17 at the higher-seeded campus site.
Top Left
- No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 8 Texas A&M, 5:30 p.m. EST | ESPN+
- No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Texas 2 p.m. ET
- No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 Memphis, 4 p.m ET
- No. 2 Arkansas vs. No. 7 Pitt, 7:30 p.m. ET
Bottom Left
- No. 2 Penn State vs. No. 7 Santa Clara, 6 p.m. ET
- No. 3 Georgetown vs. No. 6 Saint Louis, 3 p.m. ET
- No. 4 Georgia vs. No. 5 Iowa, 2 p.m. ET
- No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 8 Columbia 5:30 p.m. ET
Top Right
- No. 1 BYU vs. No. 8 Southern California, 9 p.m. ET
- No. 4 Harvard vs. No. 5 Michigan State, 6 p.m. ET
- No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 6 Alabama, 3:30 p.m. ET
- No. 2 Texas Tech vs. No. 7 Princeton, 7 p.m. ET
Bottom Right
- No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 7 South Carolina, 9 p.m. ET
- No. 3 Brown vs. No. 6 Mississippi State, 6:30 p.m. ET
- No. 5 Nebraska vs. Tennessee, 8 p.m. ET
- No. 8 Gonzaga vs. UC Irvine, 4:30 p.m. ET
Columbia claims last-minute game-winner😮💨
No. 8 Columbia 2, Rutgers 1
Trailing 1-0 with 11 minutes left in regulation, Columbia scored two late goals to defeat Rutgers in the first round of the 2023 NCAA women's soccer tournament, securing the program's first-ever NCAA tournament win.
THE GAME WINNER 🤯#NCAASoccer x @CULionsWSOC pic.twitter.com/jv2NUYE5dt
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) November 12, 2023
The Lions advance to the second round where they will travel to play No. 1 seed Clemson.
First round schedule/times 🗓️
Sunday, Nov. 12
Saturday, Nov. 11
- No. 3 Georgetown 2, Old Dominion 1 (2OT)
- No. 6 Mississippi State 1, Providence (2OT)
- No. 3 Brown 3, Quinnipiac 0
- Tennessee 1, No. 4 Xavier 0 (2OT)
- No. 7 Santa Clara 3, Arizona State 0
- No. 4 Harvard 3, Maine 0
- No. 3 Notre Dame 2, Valparaiso 0
- No. 7 Pitt 6, Ohio State 0
- No. 8 Gonzaga 1, Idaho 0
- No. 6 Memphis 2, LSU 1
Friday, Nov. 10
- No. 4 Georgia 2, Liberty 1
- No. 8 USC 1, Grand Canyon 0
- No. 1 Florida State 5, Morehead State 0
- No. 5 Michigan State 3, Ohio 0
- No. 3 North Carolina 3, Towson 1
- No. 6 Alabama 2, Western Carolina 0
- No. 7 South Carolina 2, James Madison 0
- No. 2 Penn State 7, Central Conn. State 0
- No. 5 Texas 2, Lamar 0
- No. 5 Iowa 2, Bucknell 0
- No. 1 Clemson 2, Radford 0
- No. 7 Princeton 1, Michigan 0
- No. 2 Texas Tech 1, FGCU 0
- No. 2 Arkansas 5, Grambling 0
- No. 1 BYU 2, Utah State 0
- No. 6 Saint Louis 2, Indiana 0
- No. 4 Wisconsin 2, Milwaukee 0
- No. 8 Texas A&M 1, Colorado 0
- No. 5 Nebraska 5, South Dakota St. 2
- No. 2 Stanford 3, Pepperdine 0
- UC Irvine 1, No. 1 UCLA 0
Tennessee claims epic OT rematch 😈
Two words, Ally Zazzara. The Tennesee sophomore GK quite literally kept the game alive keeping the match scoreless at the end of the regular period against No. 4 seeded Xavier's 31 shots. Zazzara's relentless domination of the box led to a career-high 15 saves.
73' | ZAZZARA HOLDING A CLINIC OUT HERE!
— Tennessee Soccer (@Vol_Soccer) November 11, 2023
Lady Vols 0 - 0 Xavier pic.twitter.com/HYIFXUiyGy
Tied nil-a-piece at the end of the regular period, a familiar feeling of nervous anticipation rippled across the Xavier soccer complex as the Vols geared up to take on the Musketeers in overtime for a second year in a row. In the first round of the 2022 NCAA tournament, the two competitors went into overtime tied at 1-1. Xavier would go on to win 4-1, scoring two in the first OT and another in the second for good measure. History would not repeat itself.
And the Lady Vols are on top! https://t.co/DYluH7Igql pic.twitter.com/ljxwMpdaEl
— Tennessee Soccer (@Vol_Soccer) November 11, 2023
About a minute into 2OT, the Vols swarmed the Muskateer box creating chaos and sending a deflected shot into the net to claim the epic first-round rematch. Zazzara and the backline secured the clean sheet advancing to the second round.
Saturday's first two matches come down to OT 😰
Georgetown 2, Old Dominion 1
The Hoyas rallied from a goal down against Sun Belt conference champions Old Dominion to secure a win on a go-ahead goal with 40 seconds left in the first period of overtime. Despite having an edge in shots (21-12), Georgetown didn't equalize until the 70th minute of regular time and remained scoreless until sophomore Natalie Means connected this one-touch finish.
NATALIE MEANS with a ball from Lardner and the Hoyas take the lead!! 🤯
— Georgetown Women’s Soccer (@HoyasWSoc) November 11, 2023
Tune in to see the final 10 minutes on ESPN+#HoyaSaxa pic.twitter.com/e7Eix5KvgR
Mississippi State 1, Providence 0
Mississippi State forward Maggie Wadsworth persevered to get off the game-winning shot in the first half of overtime. The Bulldogs locked down the 2OT and survived three Providence shots to secure a victory.
DAWGS LEAD!!!!
— Mississippi State Soccer (@HailStateSOC) November 11, 2023
Maggie Wadsworth puts it in and we lead 1-0 in the first OT! #HailState🐶 || 📺 https://t.co/LSudjCfc8U pic.twitter.com/ATV4EEps5V
Defending champs knocked out 🥊
Despite only having two shots on goal and a man down in the final 15 minutes, the UC Irvine Anteaters mustered a goal in the 86th minute to send the UCLA Bruins packing after the first round of the tournament.
UC IRVINE DOWNS THE REIGNING CHAMPIONS 🤯#NCAASoccer x @UCIwsoc pic.twitter.com/dKoBvkLMzj
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) November 11, 2023
Highlights from a thrilling opening night 😅
Okay deep breathe. Whew! What an opening night for the 2023 NCAA championship — and to think it's just getting started. Here are a few of the night's most exciting highlights:
Penn State's Peyton Linnehan's hattrick in 25 minutes 🎩🎩🎩
Supersenior Peyton Linnehan buried three one-touch finishes in the first 25 minutes of the game to help the Nittany Lions demolish Central Connecticut 7-0. Here are those goals.
🎩 🎩🎩 Hats Off For Payton Linnehan!! 👀
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) November 11, 2023
💻 ESPN+#NCAASoccer x @PennStateWSOC pic.twitter.com/sQgbLeD1Q5
Georgia freshman Kiera Staude earns game-winning career first goal
Georgia was tied 1-1 with Liberty with 5 minutes left to go when freshman Kiera Staude stepped up to make the difference with a perfectly slotted ball into the side netting. The defender picked a perfect moment to score her career-first goal and help the Dawgs advance to the second round.
🙌 What a time for @kiera_staude's first career goal!
— Georgia Soccer (@UGASoccer) November 10, 2023
Watch live on ESPN+ | https://t.co/dG6dIvSOvb#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/OuM2z3TqNY
Michigan State freshman Bella Najera with the brace
Another freshman showing out in tonight's action, Bella Najera secured an early PK and a second-half header to help the Spartans take down Ohio 3-nil. No. 5 seed Michigan State tallied a whopping 25-4 edge in shots.
BAR DOWNSKI ☄️#NCAASoccer x @MSU_wsoccer pic.twitter.com/l91ysRU83v
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) November 10, 2023
Florida State flexed five different goal scorers
No surprise here, FSU asserts its dominance in epic proportions. The No. 1 seeded Noles showed off the depth of their roster with five different players earning a spot on the scorecard to take down Morehead State.
North Carolina's come-from-behind victory
Dorrance stadium was shocked to silence when the CAA conference champions Towson scored an early deflection goal. In proper Tar Heel fashion, the front line pushed high and earned an equalizer from outside the eighteen before the half. UNC came out of the locker room on fire with Ally Sentnor securing the go-ahead goal — her eighth of the season — before assisting in the third and final goal.
Bella Sember!!#NCAASoccer x @uncwomenssoccer pic.twitter.com/75W4KLslW1
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) November 10, 2023
First goal of the tourney 🤩
☝️ The first goal of the NCAA Tournament belongs to Hannah White!
— Georgia Soccer (@UGASoccer) November 10, 2023
Watch live on ESPN+ ($) | https://t.co/dG6dIvSOvb#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/mbP1XORes0
Key takeaways from bracket reveal 🤔
The 2023 DI women's soccer bracket has been announced and the anticipation for the first round of the tournament could not be higher. As teams take a brief breather between conference play and the tournament, here's a look at some of the key takeaways from today's bracket release.
👀 2022 tournament finalist UNC is not in the top seed
🎯 BYU and St. Louis: most dangerous front lines in the bracket
🧱 Memphis and Penn State: toughest defenses in the bracket
👋 Four first-time appearances, one rookie returner
😮💨 Big Ten claims most tournament selections, SEC second
📲 Click here for the full breakdown
Championship field revealed
The field of 64 teams, which will compete for the 42nd NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, was announced this afternoon by the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Committee.
Thirty-one conferences were granted automatic bids for the 2023 championship, while the remaining 33 teams were selected at-large. The top 32 teams are seeded, and conference teams cannot play each other in the first or second rounds. When pairing teams, the committee follows geographic proximity parameters.
BRACKET: Printable | Interactive
The four No. 1 seeds include two teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference, with Florida State, the league’s automatic qualifier, being joined by Clemson. UCLA and Brigham Young round out the top seeds.
Selection show: How to watch 🔜
The 2023 DI women's soccer selection show will air Monday, Nov. 6 at 4 p.m. ET here, live on NCAA.com. The complete tournament field will be posted here shortly after it is unveiled.
🗓️ When: Monday, Nov. 6 at 4 p.m. ET
📺 Where: show will be streamed here on NCAA.com and at the top of this page.
✅ Click for confirmed automatic qualifiers
The first round of the tournament is set to start on Friday, Nov. 10 across multiple locations, while the championship game will be Monday, Dec. 4 at 6 p.m. ET in Cary, NC.
Automatic Qualifiers ✅
These teams have earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after winning either their conference tournament or, in a few cases, topping the regular season conference standings:
| CONFERENCE | AUTOMATIC BID | SCHEDULE | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| American | Memphis | First round: Oct. 31 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
Lakewood Ranch, FL |
| America East | Maine | First round: Oct. 30 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
Campus sites |
| ACC | Florida State | First round: Oct. 29 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
First round: Campus sites |
| A-10 | St. Louis | First round: Oct. 27-28 Semis: Nov. 1 Final: Nov. 5 |
Campus sites |
| ASUN | FGCU | First round: Oct. 26 Quarters: Oct. 29 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
First round: Campus sites |
| Big East | Georgetown | First round: Oct. 29 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
First round: Campus sites |
| Big Sky | Idaho | First round: Nov. 1 Semis: Nov. 3 Final: Nov. 5 |
Flagstaff, Ariz. |
| Big South | Radford | Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
Matthews, NC |
| Big Ten | Iowa | First round: Oct. 29 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
First round: Campus sites |
| Big 12 | Texas | First round: Oct. 28 Quarters: Oct. 30 Semis: Nov. 1 Final: Nov. 4 |
Round Rock, TX |
| Big West | UC-Irvine | First round: Oct. 29 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
First round: Campus sites |
| Coastal | Towson | First round: Oct. 26 Semis: Oct. 29 Final: Nov. 4/5 |
Campus sites |
| C-USA | Liberty | First round: Nov. 1 Semis: Nov. 3 Final: Nov. 5 |
Ruston, LA |
| Horizon League | Milwaukee | First round: Oct. 29 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 4 |
First round: Campus sites |
| Ivy League | Harvard | Semis: Nov. 3 Final: Nov. 5 |
Providence, R. I. |
| Metro Atlantic | Quinnipiac | First round: Oct. 29 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
Campus sites (higher seed) |
| MAC | Ohio | First round: Oct. 29 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
Campus sites |
| Missouri Valley | Valparaiso | First round: Oct. 26 Quarters: Oct. 29 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
First round/quarters: Campus sites |
| Mountain West | Utah State | First round: Oct. 29 Semis: Nov. 1 Final: Nov. 4 |
Laramie, WY |
| Northeast | Central Connecticut State | First round: Oct. 29 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
Campus sites (higher seed) |
| Ohio Valley | Morehead State | First round: Oct. 27 Quarters: Oct. 29 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
First round/quarters: Campus sites |
| Pac-12 | UCLA | N/A | N/A |
| Patriot League | Bucknell | First round: Oct. 29 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
Campus sites (higher seed) |
| SEC | Georgia | First round: Oct. 29 Quarters: Oct. 31 Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
Pensacola, FL |
| SoCon | Western Carolina | First round: Oct. 24 Quarters: Oct. 27 Semis: Oct. 29 Final: Nov. 5 |
Campus Sites |
| Southland | Lamar | First round: Nov. 1 Semis: Nov. 3 Final: Nov. 5 |
Corpus Christi, TX |
| SWAC | Grambling State | Semis: Nov. 2 Final: Nov. 5 |
Prairie View, TX |
| Summit League | South Dakota State | First round: Oct. 27 Semis: Oct. 29 Final: Nov. 5 |
Campus Sites |
| Sun Belt | Old Dominion | First round: Oct. 30 Quarters: Nov. 1 Semis: Nov. 3 Final: Nov. 5 |
Foley, AL |
| WAC | Grand Canyon | First round: Oct. 29 Semis: Nov. 1 Final: Nov. 4 |
Riverside, CA |
| WCC | Gonzaga | N/A | N/A |
Road to the College Cup, explained 🛣️
There are 337 Division I women's soccer teams in the 2023 season and 64 of them will earn a spot in the single-elimination NCAA tournament. Thirty-one spots go to the teams who earn an automatic bid by winning their conference championship and the remaining 33 are selected at large by the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Committee. Those selections and the entire bracket will be released on Monday, Nov. 6 at 4 p.m. ET.
Championship history 🏆
Here's every DI women's soccer national champion since 1982:
| YEAR | TEAM (RECORD) | SCORE | RUNNER-UP | SITE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 👀 | TBD | TBD | Cary, N.C. |
| 2022 | UCLA (22-2-1) | 3-2 (2ot) | North Carolina | Cary, N.C. |
| 2021 | Florida State (22-1-2) | 0-0 (2ot, pk) | BYU | Santa Clara, Calif. |
| 2020 | Santa Clara (10-1-1) | 1-1 (2ot, pk) | Florida State | Cary, N.C. |
| 2019 | Stanford (24-1-0) | 0-0 (2ot, pk) | North Carolina | San Jose, Calif. |
| 2018 | Florida State (20-4-3) | 1-0 | North Carolina | Cary, N.C. |
| 2017 | Stanford (23-1-0) | 3-2 | UCLA | Orlando, Fla. |
| 2016 | Southern California (19-4-2) | 3-1 | West Virginia | San Jose, Calif. |
| 2015 | Penn State (22-3-2) | 1-0 | Duke | Cary, N.C. |
| 2014 | Florida State (23-1-1) | 1-0 | Virginia | Boca Raton, Fla. |
| 2013 | UCLA (22-1-3) | 1-0 (OT) | Florida State | Cary, N.C. |
| 2012 | North Carolina (15-5-3) | 4-1 | Penn State | San Diego, Calif. |
| 2011 | Stanford (25-0-1) | 1-0 | Duke | Kennesaw, Ga. |
| 2010 | Notre Dame (21-2-2) | 1-0 | Stanford | Cary, N.C. |
| 2009 | North Carolina (23-3-1) | 1-0 | Stanford | Texas A&M |
| 2008 | North Carolina (25-1-2) | 2-1 | Notre Dame | Cary, N.C. |
| 2007 | Southern California (20-3-2) | 2-0 | Florida State | Texas A&M |
| 2006 | North Carolina (27-1) | 2-1 | Notre Dame | Cary, N.C. |
| 2005 | Portland (23-0-2) | 4-0 | UCLA | Texas A&M |
| 2004 | *Notre Dame (25-1-1) | 1-1 (2 ot, pk) | UCLA | Cary, N.C. |
| 2003 | North Carolina (27-0) | 6-0 | Connecticut | Cary, N.C. |
| 2002 | Portland (20-4-2) | 2-1 (2 ot) | Santa Clara | Austin, Texas |
| 2001 | Santa Clara (23-2) | 1-0 | North Carolina | SMU |
| 2000 | North Carolina (21-3) | 2-1 | UCLA | San Jose State |
| 1999 | North Carolina (24-2) | 2-0 | Notre Dame | San Jose State |
| 1998 | Florida (26-1) | 1-0 | North Carolina | UNC Greensboro |
| 1997 | North Carolina (27-0-1) | 2-0 | Connecticut | UNC Greensboro |
| 1996 | North Carolina (25-1) | 1-0 (2 ot) | Notre Dame | Santa Clara |
| 1995 | Notre Dame (21-2-2) | 1-0 (3 ot) | Portland | North Carolina |
| 1994 | North Carolina (25-1-1) | 5-0 | Notre Dame | Portland |
| 1993 | North Carolina (23-0) | 6-0 | George Mason | North Carolina |
| 1992 | North Carolina (25-0) | 9-1 | Duke | North Carolina |
| 1991 | North Carolina (25-0) | 3-1 | Wisconsin | North Carolina |
| 1990 | North Carolina (24-0) | 6-0 | Connecticut | North Carolina |
| 1989 | North Carolina (24-0-1) | 2-0 | Colorado College | North Carolina State |
| 1988 | North Carolina (18-0-3) | 4-1 | North Carolina State | North Carolina |
| 1987 | North Carolina (23-0-1) | 1-0 | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| 1986 | North Carolina (24-0-1) | 2-0 | Colorado College | George Mason |
| 1985 | George Mason (18-2-1) | 2-0 | North Carolina | George Mason |
| 1984 | North Carolina (24-0-1) | 2-0 | Connecticut | North Carolina |
| 1983 | North Carolina (19-1) | 4-0 | George Mason | UCF |
| 1982 | North Carolina (19-2) | 2-0 | UCF | UCF |
*Declared champion on the basis of penalty kicks.