No. 17 Taylor Set to Host No. 11 Central Methodist in NAIA Second Round

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UPLAND, Ind. – The 16th-seeded Taylor University women's soccer team (13-2-3) prepares to host Central Methodist (16-2-2) this Saturday as part of the 2025 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship First & Second Rounds presented by Select Sport America. The second-round clash between the nationally ranked sides will kick off at 4 p.m. inside Turner Stadium, while marking the first-ever women's soccer national tournament match hosted on the Taylor University campus.

Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-18 (children under 5 - free admission). TU faculty, staff and students gain free admission with campus ID.

Taylor received one of 14 at-large bids to the national tournament and a top-16 seed with one of the finest seasons in program history. The Trojans will make their third national tournament appearance in seven years under head coach Scott Stan.

TU tied its best start after opening the season with nine straight wins and climbed to 16th in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll - matching the highest ranking in program history. The Trojans closed the regular season ranked 17th and appeared in five consecutive polls for the first time in eight years.

Entering Saturday's contest, TU is searching for its first win at the women's soccer national tournament after it fell to another Missouri team, Columbia College, in each of the previous two trips in 2022 and 2019. Seniors Brooke Cimini, Morgan Fletemeyer, Evie Kerr, Brianna Rawlings, Kiana Siefert and Libby Thomas were members of the last Trojan squad to qualify for the national tournament, with Siefert scoring TU's goal in a narrow 2-1 setback.

The Trojans have stacked up well against top competition this season with an overall record of 3-2-3 against eventual national tournament qualifiers, including a pair of top-25 road victories over Campbellsville and Aquinas. TU also recorded draws against ranked league opponents Marian, Grace and Spring Arbor.

TU had a program-record six individuals named all-conference performers this fall. First-team all-league selections include junior forward Eliza Luttrell, senior forward Kiana Siefert, junior defender Campbell Massey and senior goalkeeper Brianna Rawlings, alongside a pair of honorable-mention midfielders, senior Morgan Fletemeyer and freshman Lydia Johnson.

Luttrell and Siefert pace the Trojans offensively with 32 and 19 points, respectively. Luttrell, who was twice named Crossroads Player of the Week and picked up an NAIA Player of the Week recognition, leads TU in goals (12) and assists (8). Siefert came on strong to end the regular season with 10 points over the final four matches.

The Trojans rank second in the Crossroads League and 21st nationally in shots per game (20.3), while sitting third in the CL and 44th nationally in goals per game (2.83). The Trojans have outscored opponents by a combined margin of 51-7 this season.

Massey and Rawlings, who both earned CL Player of the Week this season, anchor one of the top defenses in the NAIA.

TU has furnished 11 shutouts in 18 matches – tying the team single-season record for most clean sheets after playing to a scoreless draw at No. 21 Spring Arbor in the Crossroads League Tournament. The 11 shutouts mark the 10th-highest total in the NAIA, while the Trojans have conceded the third-fewest goals (7) by any team this season.

Central Methodist, the regular season Heart of America Athletic Conference champion at 12-0-1, suffered just its second loss of the season in the conference tournament championship match after going unbeaten in 17 consecutive matches.

Under 17th-year head coach Dan Schmidlin, the Eagles are making their ninth consecutive appearance in the NAIA national tournament, reaching the final site in four of the previous six seasons including a national semifinal showing in 2021. The Eagles are 7-4 in NAIA Opening Round matches.

Currently ranked at its highest spot all season at No. 11 in the latest national coaches' poll, Central Methodist features seven all-conference honorees, including the conference Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Schmidlin was named the conference Coach of the Year.

Junior forward Mariana Barreto was named both the Heart Co-Player of the Year and Heart Offensive Player of the Year. She ranks seventh in the NAIA in goals scored (24) and fourth in shots on frame (62). Graduate transfer Rieke Protze was named first-team all-conference and the Heart Newcomer of the Year after helping lead the defensive backline, which has allowed just 13 goals and compiled 10 shutouts. Amber Bennett made the first team after appearing in and starting 16 of Central's matches as the primary goalkeeper.

CMU posted a combined record of 1-2-1 this season against eventual national tournament qualifiers. The Eagles defeated MidAmerica Nazarene and had an early-season setback to Oklahoma Wesleyan. CMU played to a draw with Missouri Valley during the regular season before falling to the Vikings most recently in the Heart championship match.

The first round of the NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship gets underway at 16 sites around the nation on Thursday, Nov. 20, with eight matches. The action will continue on Saturday, Nov. 22, with 16 second-round matches. Each second-round match winner will then head to the final site on December 1-8 at Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex in Pensacola, Florida.

The winner of Saturday's match between Taylor and Central Methodist will advance to play the winner of No. 1 overall seed Marian and either Aquinas or Saint Ambrose.