November 5, 2025
MADISON, S.D. – The Dakota State University Trojan women's soccer team (1-13-2 overall record) continue their inaugural season as they compete in their first-ever postseason conference tournament. The Trojans will compete in the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) Women's Soccer Championship, being held November 7 through November 11 at Georgia Gwinnett College's Grizzly Soccer Complex (1030 Collins Hill Road) in Lawrenceville, Ga.
There are six teams in the CAC Women's Soccer postseason tournament, with the champion representing the conference in the NAIA Women's Soccer National Tournament's opening round on Nov. 20-22 on campus sites.
DSU plays in the quarterfinals round as the No. 6 seed and takes on No. 3 seed Hesston (Kan.) (5-8-1 overall record) Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. (Eastern Time)/1 p.m. (Central Time). The winner moves on to the semifinals round on Sunday at 2 p.m. (ET)/1 p.m. (CT) versus No. 2 seed Bellevue (Neb.) (11-2-2 overall record).
The CAC Postseason Championship match is set for Tuesday at 4 p.m. (ET)/3 p.m. (CT).
Trojans close regular season with one tie
- Dakota State closed their regular season schedule with two matches on the road. The Trojans earned their second tie of the season on Oct. 14 at NCAA Division III Buena Vista (Iowa). DSU took the first lead of the game in the first half as Nichole Corona scored her fifth goal of the season for a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute. Her goal was assisted by Charli Zimmerman, where she made her third assist of the season.
- Buena Vista knotted the match at 1-1 in the 67th minute and finished with a tie.
- Dakota State fell to Dordt (Iowa) of the Great Plains Athletic Conference on Oct. 22 in Sioux Center, Iowa.
CAC Postseason Tournament Team Capsules and Tournament Bracket
No. 1 seed Georgia Gwinnett
- Opponent context: Georgia Gwinnett is the conference tournament's top seeded team with an overall record of 8-5-5. GG is also the tournament's host site and currently ranked No. 24 in the latest NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 national poll. The Grizzles registered two ties prior entering the conference tournament, with identical scores of 3-3 against No. 12 ranked Life (Ga.) and Milligan (Tenn.). Georgia Gwinnett was 2-0 record in CAC conference play, shutting down Carolina (N.C.) 7-0 and Florida National 12-0 in the CAC Classic on Oct. 17-18. The Grizzles won last year's conference tournament over Bellevue (Neb.) 1-1 on penalty kicks (5-4). Georgia Gwinnett had qualified for the NAIA National Tournament for eight consecutive years.
No. 2 seed Bellevue (Neb.)
- Opponent context: Bellevue (Neb.) holds an overall record of 11-2-2 and 2-0 record in the CAC Conference. The Bruins were awarded as the No. 2 seed in the conference postseason tournament. Despite their five-match winning streak snapped by (RV) Columbia (Mo.), BU closed their regular season with a 7-0 shutout victory over Midland (Neb.) on Oct. 22. Bellevue earned their conference wins over Florida National 7-1 on Sept. 27 and Dakota State (S.D.) on Oct. 4.
No. 3 seed Hesston (Kan.)
- Opponent context:Hesston (Kan.), based in Hesston, Kan., enters the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed with an overall record of 5-8-1. The Larks did not play a CAC conference contest this season, where their regular-season schedule against Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference teams. Hesston entered the tournament with a two-match winning streak, defeating Central Christian (Kan.) 2-0 and Randall (Okla.) 5-2. Hesston and Dakota State both had faced Buena Vista (Iowa) this season, with the Larks losing 2-1.
No. 4 seed Florida National
- Opponent context: Florida National, located in Hialeah, Fla., is the No. 4 seed for the CAC conference postseason tournament with an overall record of 2-7-1. FNU played in three CAC conference contests this season, falling to Bellevue (Neb.) 7-1 on Sept. 27, and split a pair of games in the CAC Classic. Florida National defeated Carolina (N.C.) 5-3 on Oct. 16 and fell to host-team Georgia Gwinnett 12-0 on Oct. 18.
No. 5 seed Carolina (N.C.)
- Opponent context: Carolina (N.C.) holds an overall record of 4-10-3 and 0-1 CAC conference record prior to the conference postseason tournament. The Bruins dropped three times in the previous four matches before the tournament, most recently falling to Emory & Henry on Oct. 29. Carolina dropped a pair of matches in the CAC Classic, falling to Florida National and Georgia Gwinnet on Oct. 16-17.
No. 6 seed Dakota State (S.D.)
- Dakota State continues their inaugural season by playing in their first ever postseason tournament in women's soccer program history.The Trojans earned their first victory of the season, rolling past Waldorf (Iowa) of the Great Plains Athletic Conference on Oct. 8.Dakota State is playing their first neutral site match of the season Friday.
Tournament Bracket
Top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett and No. 2 seed Bellevue (Neb.) earned the first-round byes and await the Friday's winners. The CAC postseason tournament opens on Friday with No. 4 seed Florida National taking on No. 5 seed Carolina (N.C.) at 11 a.m. (Eastern Time)/10 a.m. (Central Time), followed by No. 3 seed Hesston (Kan.).
The semifinals round is set for Sunday with Georgia Gwinnett taking on the winner of FNU-Carolina at 11 a.m. (ET)/10 a.m. (CT), followed by Bellevue facing the winner of Hesston-Dakota State at 2 p.m. (ET)/1 p.m. (CT).
The CAC Postseason Tournament's championship match is set for Tuesday at 4 p.m. (ET)/3 p.m. (CT), with the winner advancing to the NAIA National Tournament's Opening Round on Nov. 20-Nov. 22.
Team Leaders
Up Next
Stay tuned to the DSU Athletics website on dsuathletics.com for the upcoming women's soccer matches.
