2025 NCAA Division II Tournament: First Round

[Team listed first is host]

Top-seeded Newberry (18–0) enters its first NCAA Tournament riding a historic undefeated season and fresh off its first South Atlantic Conference (SAC) championship. The Wolves, led by SAC Offensive Player of the Year Parker Keeler and tournament MVP Payton Keeler, boast 10 shutouts and one of Division II’s most balanced attacks. Head coach Hannah Dave earned her 100th win as Newberry completed its perfect run with a 3–0 title victory over No. 7 Lander.

Bentley (13–8), making its 15th NCAA appearance, arrives as the Northeast-10 (NE10) runner-up after back-to-back postseason wins over Southern New Hampshire and Assumption. The Falcons feature All-Championship honorees Grace Moore and Sheila Mullins and carry a national top-10 ranking into their first meeting with the Wolves.

Saturday’s winner advances to the national semifinals to face either No. 4 East Stroudsburg or No. 5 West Chester.

Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) rivals East Stroudsburg (16–3) and West Chester (13–6) meet for the second time this season with a national semifinal berth on the line. The Golden Rams took the first matchup 2–1 in overtime, but the Warriors enter their 10th straight NCAA Tournament after finishing second in the PSAC standings and closing the regular season on a 9–1 run.

West Chester, a three-time national champion, returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021 and holds a 12–6 all-time postseason record. ESU counters with a strong tournament history of its own, owning two national titles and an 11–7 edge in the series since 2015.

Saturday marks just the second NCAA Tournament meeting between the programs—the Warriors won the 2015 national semifinal 6–2. The winner advances to Bloomsburg for the Final Four.

Two conference champions collide as Shippensburg (17–3) hosts defending national champion Saint Anselm (16–5) at Robb Sports Complex. The Raiders enter with a 32-game home winning streak and fresh off a PSAC title run that included wins over three Top-6 opponents. Saint Anselm arrives as NE10 champions, surviving two double-overtime battles on its way to the league crown.

The teams met earlier this season, a 4–0 Shippensburg victory on neutral turf, but the Hawks bring significant postseason pedigree, eight NCAA appearances and last year’s national title. Shippensburg counters with five national championships of its own and an 18–13 all-time NCAA record. This is the first postseason meeting between the programs.

Assumption (13–6) heads to Andre Reed Stadium for its sixth straight NCAA appearance, meeting a powerhouse Kutztown team that spent most of the season ranked No. 1 nationally. The Greyhounds, led by NE10 Coach of the Year Annie Lahey, rebounded from a tough early schedule to post an 11–3 finish and reach the conference semifinals behind top scorers Elle Murray and Daisy Stone and elite goalkeeper Paige Gillette.

Kutztown (19–1) enters as one of Division II’s most dominant teams, riding a program-record 19–0 start before falling in the PSAC final. The Golden Bears lead the nation in goals (98), goals allowed (12), and penalty corners, with PSAC Athlete of the Year Erin Gonzalez and standout freshman goalkeeper Tess Adolf anchoring both ends. KU is 3–0 all-time in NCAA first-round games and seeks a third straight trip to the national championship.

Kutztown leads the series 7–1, though the teams haven’t met since 2016.