Women's Soccer Set to Hit the Road and Face No. 10 Seed Truett McConnell in NAIA National Championship

LEBANON, Tenn .- - Cumberland Women's Soccer earns an At-Large berth to the NAIA National Championship field and will travel to play Truett McConnell on Saturday, November 22.

The Bears earned the overall No. 10-seed and will host the Phoenix on Saturday in the Second Round of the NAIA National Tournament. The Cleveland, Georgia host site will be a two-team bracket giving both teams a bye past the first round.

The Phoenix finished the season ranked No. 16 in the final NAIA Top 25 rankings and won the Mid-South Conference regular season championship. Cumberland holds a 12-4-1 record with three wins over teams ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25.

Truett McConnell earned an at-large berth after finishing 18-1-1. The Bears lost in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Finals to Tennessee Wesleyan 4-2. Truett finished the season ranked at No. 12 in the final NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll.

The Phoenix received at-large bids to the Opening Round in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024, and now 2025. The Phoenix received an automatic berth into the national tournament field in 2012 and 2023 by virtue of winning the Mid-South Conference Championships. Cumberland has posted a 9-6 Opening Round record, advancing to the NAIA Championship final site in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2023. Cumberland had home victories in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2023 and a 1-0 road win at Martin Methodist in 2012.

The Road to Pensacola rolls on as 40 teams have earned a ticket to the 2025 NAIA Women's Soccer National Tournament, First and Second Rounds presented by Select Sport America. The first and second round will take place on Thursday, Nov. 20 and Saturday, Nov. 22 at campus sites around the nation, the winners from each site will then pack a bag and begin to converge on Pensacola, Fla., where the final site will be played starting on December 1 and go until only one team remains on December 8 and is crowned a champion.

Select first- and second-round games across the nation will be broadcast for free on the Urban Edge Network (UEN); others will be streamed on the host institutions' designated or traditional broadcast partner. All first and second-round streams are produced by the host institution.

This year's national tournament field featured two first-time qualifiers: Holy Cross (Ind.), after the Saints won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season. The second first-time qualifier is Talladega (Ala.), which punched its ticket by winning the HBCU Athletic Conference.

This year's field will also be the second time in the past 42 seasons that the defending national champion will not have the opportunity to defend its title. The last time that happened was in 2001, after Simon Fraser (B.C.) won the Red Banner the previous season.

Six teams in this year's field have won it all in the past: Cumberlands (Ky.), Keiser (Fla.), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), Northwestern Ohio, Spring Arbor (Mich.), and William Carey (Miss.). The Blue Raiders lead the field in both red banners raised and appearances, claiming four as they make their 25th appearance in the national tournament.

Two conferences lead the way, qualifying a total of five teams each in the Crossroads League and Heart of America, while the Mid-South Conference trails, qualifying four teams this year. The Cascade Collegiate Conference and the Sooner Athletic Conference both qualified three teams.

Cumberland History in NAIA Championship Opening Round
2012 - def. Martin Methodist, 1-0
2013 - def. Ottawa University, 1-0
2014 - def. University of Rio Grande, 5-0
2016 - def. John Brown, 2-1
2019 - def. Middle Georgia State, 1-0
2019 - lost Northwestern Ohio, 2-0
2020 - def. Truett-McConnell, 2-0
2020 - lost William Carey, 5-1
2021 - def. St. Thomas, 2-1
2021 - lost Keiser, 2-0
2022 - def. Briar Cliff, 3-1
2022 - lost Spring Arbor, 2-0
2023 - def. St. Thomas, 2-1
2024 - lost Indiana Wesleyan, 1-0

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