NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship Info | National Tournament Bracket
SEWARD, Neb. – On the heels of a 9-1-1 conference record that pushed Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Soccer to tie as the 2026 GPAC regular season champion, the team learned of its national tournament draw on Friday (Nov. 13) night. The Bulldogs have been assigned to Indianapolis, Ind., to face Rio Grande University (Ohio) on Thursday, Nov. 19 as part of the NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship First Round. Game time is to be announced.
Head Coach Jason Weides hosted the team in the Walz Conference Room to watch the NAIA’s live selection show. The winner between the RedStorm (16-0-1) and Concordia will advance to play the site host, Marian University (13-3-3), on Saturday, Nov. 21 in the second round.
Weides will lead the Bulldogs into the national tournament in his first season at the helm of the program. Concordia made previous appearances at the national tournament opening round in 2014, 2016 and 2024. The Bulldogs traveled to Atchison, Kan., in 2014 (4-0 loss to Benedictine) and to West Palm Beach, Fla., in 2016 (2-0 loss to Keiser). The 2020 squad that won the GPAC tournament championship was unable to travel to nationals due to COVID-19.
The Bulldogs will take an overall record of 10-4-3 into the national tournament. Concordia earned the GPAC’s second automatic bid to nationals while placing as the runner up (after the three way championship tie) in the GPAC regular season.
Concordia has never played Rio Grande or Marian in the program’s history. The Bulldogs and Ravens met up earlier this fall in what amounted to a 2-0 win for the Ravens in Seward. In the most recent NAIA coaches’ poll, the Knights were ranked fifth.
The winners that emerge from the NAIA first/second round sites will advance to play at the final site of the national championship tournament, Decatur, Ala., Nov. 30-Dec. 7.
National Tournament Facts
· Concordia is 1-3 in its three previous trips to the NAIA national tournament. While making their first-ever appearance at nationals, the 2014 Bulldogs were defeated by ninth-ranked Benedictine College (Kan.), 4-0. Two years later, Concordia ventured to Keiser University (Fla.) and lost by a 2-0 score at the hands of the third-ranked Seahawks. The 2020 team qualified for nationals after winning the GPAC tournament title but was unable to make the trip in the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19. The program attained its first-ever national tournament win against the Ravens, 2-0, in 2024. Mirarosa Gyllenswan scored the program’s first goal in the nation’s postseason playoff. Kierstyn Garner followed with the second score.
· Jason Weides is the fourth coach in program history to lead the Bulldogs to a national tournament qualification. The others were Greg Henson (2014 and 2016), Thomas Goines (2020) and Nick Smith (2024). The first three national qualifiers were GPAC tournament champions. The 2024 team earned the GPAC’s second automatic bid to nationals after placing second in the conference for both the regular season. The current 2026 squad tied for first in the regular season and were the No. 2 seed in the tiebreaker that earned the bid to nationals. Below is a summary of Concordia’s national qualifying teams. Interestingly, the program’s one GPAC regular season champion (2017 squad) did not qualify for nationals. At that time, the GPAC was awarded only one automatic bid.
o 2026 – 10-4-3 overall (9-1-1 GPAC, T-1st); GPAC regular season champion
o 2024 – 13-6-1 overall (8-3 GPAC; 2nd); GPAC tournament runner up
o 2020 – 11-6-2 overall (9-2-1 GPAC; T-2nd); GPAC tournament champion
o 2016 – 15-6-1 overall (7-3 GPAC; 3rd); GPAC tournament champion
o 2014 – 16-3-3 overall (7-0-3 GPAC; 2nd); GPAC tournament champion
· There are six players in the program who were on the 2024 postseason roster when the Bulldogs most recently qualified for nationals: Kyana Rios, Sadie Mares, Sierra McElhannon, Avery Black, Aliya Vidro and Grady Smith. Based on those who earned First Team All-GPAC awards, the top Concordia players on past national qualifying teams were Rachel Mussell, Jessica Skerston and Melissa Stine in 2014, Sami Birmingham and Maria Detter in 2016, and Mekeila Martinez and Grace Soenksen in 2020 and Kiersty Garner, Niah Kirchner and Taylor Slaymaker in 2024.