2025 CAC Women’s Soccer Championship Begins Friday
Six teams will begin their quest for a conference title when competing in the 2025 Continental Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Championship Tournament on Friday, November 7, at Georgia Gwinnett College's Grizzly Soccer Complex in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
First-round matches feature No. 4 seed Florida National University facing No. 5 seed Carolina University (North Carolina) at 11 a.m. Then, No. 3 seed Hesston College (Kansas) plays No. 6 seed Dakota State University (South Dakota) at 2 p.m.
Tournament host GGC is the top seed and joined No. 2 seed Bellevue University (Nebraska) in receiving first-round byes. They will begin the postseason with semifinal matches on Sunday, November 9. The championship match is set for Tuesday, November 11, at 4 p.m.
This year's CAC champion will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NAIA national tournament.
Georgia Gwinnett College (8-5-5), the defending tournament champions, is ranked No. 24 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll and is unbeaten across its final four regular season matches. Hannah Lorenz and Natalie Maguire have each scored five goals and provided five assists this fall. Alliyah Rosales and Gabriela Rosas have also found the back of the net five times. Goalkeeper Rirei Sasaki has started 14 matches and made 51 saves.
Bellevue (11-2-2) wrapped up its regular season with a 7-0 win against Midland University (Nebraska) on October 22. The Bruins lost to GGC in penalty kicks following a competitive 2024 championship match but captured the league title over the Grizzlies by penalty kicks in 2022. The team has scored 64 goals this season, led by Adi Kasel with 10 goals. Mia Hurt has contributed eight assists to go along with six goals. Baylee Tex has found the back of the net nine times this fall. Goalkeeper Abril Cura has started all 15 matches and made 29 saves.
Hesston (5-8-1) is making its NAIA postseason debut. The Larks are coming off a 5-2 win against Randall University (Oklahoma) on October 21. Rena Itgoa is the team's leading scorer with seven goals and 16 points. Brooklyn Paskett has provided a team-high five assists, while Trinity Garcia and Lissette Tovar have each scored four goals. Goalkeeper Ashleigh Williams has collected 63 saves across 12 matches this fall.
Florida National (2-7-1) enters postseason play after picking up a 1-0 triumph against the New College of Florida on October 27. The Conquistadors earned a 5-3 victory against their first-round opponent, Carolina, during the CAC Classic on October 16 in Lawrenceville. Delmis Reyes leads the team with four goals while Latyfath Ubeda has scored two goals and added two assists. Angelina Carreno has also contributed two goals in 2025. Goalkeeper Sarah Lugo has stopped 57 shots and started eight matches.
Carolina (4-10-3) is coming off a 3-0 loss against Emory & Henry University (Virginia) on October 29. The Bruins have scored 22 goals this fall. Alexa Anderson is tops on the squad with six goals and Natalie Puskar has tallied four goals. Peyton Battilla and McKenna VonCannon have each contributed three goals. Goalkeeper Waleska Gonzalez has made 39 saves across 15 matches, including 13 starts in 2025.
Dakota State (1-13-2) has qualified for postseason play in the program's inaugural season. The Trojans are 1-1-1 across their last their three matches, including a 4-1 win against Waldorf University (Iowa) on October 8 and a 1-1 draw against Buena Vista (Iowa) on October 14. Nichole Corona leads the team with five goals while Katie Brown, Clarissa Knoll and Madison Smalley have each contributed two goals. Goalkeepers Chloe Mart and Sierra Verplancke have each started eight matches this fall.