MANCHESTER, N.H. - - The Wilmington University women's soccer team is competing in its second consecutive NCAA Division II East Region Tournament, earning the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference's automatic qualification into the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats received the No. 5 seed in the East Region Tournament and will take on a familiar foe in No. 4 seed Jefferson on Friday, November 21, in Manchester, New Hampshire. Saint Anselm College is hosting the First and Second Round on campus at Grappone Stadium.
This is the second straight NCAA Tournament the Wildcats will take part in and just the third overall. They won the 2012 CACC Tournament to earn the CACC's AQ, falling in the First Round to St. Rose. They then earned an at-large bid in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, falling to Franklin Pierce in the First Round. They are still looking for their first NCAA Tournament victory in program history.
Friday's contest will be the third time this year the Wildcats and Rams have faced off, tying in the regular season, 0-0, before the Wildcats defeated the Rams, 2-1, in overtime of the CACC Tournament Semifinal. Both games were played at Jefferson on Ravenhill Field, a grass surface. Friday will be played on a turf surface.
The winner advances to play host and No. 1 seed Saint Anselm on Sunday in the Second Round.
Tickets for NCAA Division II East Region Tournament at Saint Anselm:
Link to buy: https://tickets.saintanselmhawks.com/event/ncaa-division-ii-womens-soccer-first-round-at-sa-sx51zb
Adults - $15.00
Senior - $10.00
Student and Children - $5.00
GPS Address to Grappone Stadium:
100 St Anselm Dr.
Manchester, NH 03102
Links to Follow the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament:
Live Stats: https://saintanselmhawks.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
Live Video: https://www.ncaa.com/game/6530038
NCAA Division II National Tournament Links:
NCAA Division II National Tournament Bracket: https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/soccer-women/d2/2025
NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Home Page: https://www.ncaa.com/sports/soccer-women/d2
2025 NCAA DII Men's Soccer Championship Selection Show: https://www.ncaa.com/news/soccer-women/article/2025-11-13/2025-dii-womens-soccer-championship-bracket-schedule-scores
NCAA Division II Digital Program: https://www.ncaa.com/DIIWomensSoccer
Scouting the No. 5 Wilmington University Wildcats:
The Wildcats' 12 wins are tied for the most victories since the 2017 team won 14 games. The 2004 team won 16 games in their first year as an NCAA DII program, continueing to hold the team record.
The 2025 Wildcats have scored 10 more goals than last year's Wildcats, who also reached this point in the season as well. Their 43 goals are 28th in NCAA DII, as they are the 35th ranked scoring offense in the country, scoring 2.15 goals per game.
Defensively, the team is ranked second in the CACC and 77th in the country with a 0.898 goals against average, securing three shutouts and only five goals in their past eight games.
Individually, CACC Rookie of the Year Eboni Bradshaw leads the Wildcats and is 26th in the country with 12 goals. She is also 23rd in the country with eight assists, making her 17th in NCAA DII and tops in the CACC with 32 points. She had two goals and an assist in the three CACC Tournament contests, with both goals going as game-winners.
Sierra Bartley is second on the team with 19 points, going for seven goals and five assists. She scored a goal in the CACC Tournament Quarterfinal against Georgian Court and assisted on the game-winner in the CACC Championship. First Team All-CACC performer Evelyn Payne is third on the team with 15 points, scoring four goals and adding seven assists. Defender Indigo Kirk scored the game-winner in overtime in the Semifinal against Jefferson, and is the fourth Wildcats with double digit points, scoring four times while adding three assists for 11 points.
Arianna Myers anchors the defense, starting in 18 of the 20 games in goal for the Wildcats. She has six solo shutouts and seven total, only allowing 16 goals for a 0.97 GAA with an .802 save percentage. Centerbacks Maria Leguizamon and Mary Kahraman anchor the defense with Kirk and Sophia Filipowski on the outsides. The Wildcats have a 0.90 team GAA going into the NCAA Tournament.
Scouting the No. 4 Thomas Jefferson University Rams:
Jefferson is nationally ranked No. 11 in the latest United Soccer Coaches DII National Poll, earning an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 4 seed. They head into the NCAA Tournament with a 15-2-1 overall record on the year.
Jefferson will be in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight season. This is the third instance the Rams have earned an at-large bid. Last year, the Rams made it to the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament as the No. 4 seed. They defeated No. 5 Bentley, 2-1, in double overtime, and No. 1 Adelphi, 3-2, before tying No. 2 Franklin Pierce, 1-1, before falling in PK's, 3-1.
The Rams led the CACC with nine student-athletes being named All-CACC, including CACC Player of the Year Nikki Dedes and Carly Yeager earning her third straight CACC Defensive Player of the Year award. Dedes leads the team with 30 points, pacing the CACC with 10 assists, adding 10 goals as well. On top of Dedes and Yeager, Kyra Lesko, Evelin Ventura-Garcia, Alexa Callahan, and Mia Ferrara were all named First Team All-CACC while goalkeeper Carly Hayman, Gianna Garozzo, and Dillan Sorino were named Second Team All-CACC.
As a team, Jefferson is 16th in NCAA DII with a 0.499 goals against average, allowing only nine goals in 18 games. They have collected 14 shutouts so far this season. They are also the eighth ranked scoring offense in NCAA DII, scoring 2.94 goals per game on the year. Only West Chester, Southern New Hampshire, Caldwell, and Wilmington has scored multiple goals in a game against the Rams this year.
Wilmington in the NCAA Division East Region Tournament:
2012 (0-1): No. 3 Saint Rose def. No. 6 Wilmington, 3-0
2024 (0-1): No. 2 Franklin Pierce def. No. 7 Wilmington, 2-0
Overall: 0-2
Season and All-Time Records vs. NCAA Division East Region Opponents:
No. 1 Saint Anselm College Hawks: 2025 – vs. T 1-1; All-Time – 1-1-2
No. 2 Franklin Pierce University Ravens: 2025 – DNP; All-Time – 0-2 (last: 2024)
No. 3 Mercy University Mavericks: 2025 – at L 3-1; All-Time – 6-4
No. 4 Thomas Jefferson University Rams: 2025 – at T 0-0; at W 2-1 (OT) (CACC Tourn.); All-Time – 6-18-2
No. 5 Wilmington University Wildcats
No. 6 Roberts Wesleyan University Red Hawks: 2025 – DNP; All-Time – 2-0 (last: 2017)
2025 NCAA Division II East Region Tournament Game Schedule:
(at Saint Anselm College, Manchester, New Hampshire)
Friday, November 21
No. 4 Jefferson (15-2-1) vs. No. 5 Wilmington (12-2-6)
Sunday, November 23
No. 1 Saint Anselm (10-2-5) vs. Jefferson/Wilmington winner
(at Franklin Pierce University, Rindge, New Hampshire)
Friday, November 21
No. 3 Mercy (14-3-2) vs. No. 6 Roberts Wesleyan (11-3-4)
Sunday, November 23
No. 2 Franklin Pierce vs. Mercy/Roberts Wesleyan Winner