Indianapolis – For the third straight season, the East Coast Conference will have three women's soccer teams compete in the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championship. Bridgeport, Mercy, and Molloy have earned the right to compete for a National Championship. All three ECC schools were among the 56 teams in the tournament bracket unveiled on Monday evening.
Molloy (17-2) is the highest-seeded team among the three schools as the Lions earn the No. 2 seed after winning a second straight ECC Championship. As the No. 2 seed, Molloy will host First and Second Round contests at the RVC Sports Complex near their campus in Rockville Centre, N.Y.
Molloy’s only previous NCAA bid came after winning an ECC title in 2019. That Lions squad advanced all the way to the East Region final before falling to Saint Rose.
The Lions will start this year’s tournament off with a familiar foe in No. 7 seed, Bridgeport (11-6-1). The Purple Knights are back in the championship field for the 11th time in program history and for the first time since becoming the first ECC women’s soccer program to win a National Championship in 2018.
Bridgeport also makes the NCAA Championship despite missing the ECC Championship. This is the second straight season an ECC team pulled off the feat, after Daemen did so in 2019.
Both squads enter the tournament on hot streaks. Molloy has won 10 straight, while Bridgeport has won five in a row and is unbeaten over their past six matches. Molloy won the
Mercy (10-4-4) is making their fourth straight NCAA Championship appearance and sixth overall. The Mavericks earned an at-large berth and the No. 6 seed in the East Region after sharing the ECC Regular Season Championship and advancing to the final of the ECC Championship.
Mercy's first round opponent will be No. 3 Southern New Hampshire (13-3-1) of the NE10. The Penmen are also making their fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Championship. This marks the second straight season, and third time in the last four, that the two schools meet in the NCAA Championship. Mercy advanced on penalty kicks after a scoreless draw in the 2019 matchup to move to 1-0-1 in the previous two meetings.
The Mavericks and Penmen squared off earlier this season as well, with that October 5 matchup also finishing in a 1-1 tie.
The Mercy vs. Southern New Hampshire matchup will also take place at the RVC Sports Complex with the winner advancing to take on the winner of Molloy vs. Bridgeport.
The other half of the East Region bracket will be hosted by No. 1 Saint Rose (15-1-3). The Golden Knights get a bye before taking on the winner of No. 4 Saint Anslem (10-6-1) and No. 5 Jefferson (12-5-1).
First round action for the ECC schools starts on Thursday, November 18. Second round action follows on Saturday, November 20.
To view the full NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship bracket, click here.
