COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College women's soccer team will make its NCAA Tournament debut this weekend, as the Purple Knights were announced as the fourth seed in the six-team East Regional during tonight's NCAA Division II Selection Show, which unveiled the 56-team field. The Purple and Gold will oppose fifth-seeded University of Bridgeport on Friday at 1 p.m. in a contest played on top-seeded and 16th-ranked Bentley University's home field. The advancing team faces the host Falcons on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the second round.
 
On the other side of the East Regional bracket, No. 3 Franklin Pierce University and No. 6 Molloy University square off in the first round on Friday before the advancing team plays No. 2 Thomas Jefferson University on Sunday in the second round. Jefferson will host both contests. Franklin Pierce and Jefferson are ranked fifth and 25th, respectively, in the latest United Soccer Coaches national poll.
 
The two finalists in each region will advance to third-round and quarterfinal competitions on Nov. 20 and 22. The semifinal and championship games take place on Dec. 3 and 5 at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., as hosted by the Kansas City Sports Commission and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).
 
The Purple Knights, who received votes toward last week's United Soccer Coaches national poll, are guaranteed a third postseason game this fall after taking down American International College, 2-0, in the first round of the Northeast 10 Conference Championship on Nov. 1 before losing at No. 16 Bentley, 1-0, last Thursday in the semifinals. Saint Michael's qualified for its third straight postseason, a feat it last turned between 2000 and 2002.
 
The fourth-seeded Purple and Gold (9-3-5) takes on a fifth-seeded Bridgeport (11-2-6) team that was eliminated from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Tournament in the semifinals by Georgian Court University, falling in penalty kicks after a scoreless draw. Bridgeport is tied for seventh in the nation with an East Region-leading 14 shutouts. The Purple Knight squads met on Sept. 5 in Colchester, playing to a 0-0 tie after not meeting previously since 2009. Homestanding Saint Michael's held a 14-3 lead in shots and a 6-2 corner kick advantage. The teams meet in the postseason for the first time.
 
A meeting with the host Falcons in the second round would be the Purple Knights' fourth postseason contest in three years against Bentley, with each of the first three decided by 1-0 finals. Bentley was on the winning end in a NE10 Championship quarterfinal in 2024 and a semifinal last Thursday, while Saint Michael's won in the 2025 NE10 first round. The home team captured all three of the decisions.
 
Now in her 14th season at Saint Michael's, Wendy Elles is tied for the longest head coaching tenure in program history. She has turned the program into a contender while constructing a deep roster through geographically-diverse recruiting. After resetting the program during her first six years, when the Purple Knights won a total of 14 games, they are 52-35-20 since 2019, including 36-10-10 the last three years. Their .732 winning percentage in that time is second in the league only to perennial national power Franklin Pierce (.790).
 
Junior Scarlett Brookes (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Knolls) keys the offense, tying for third in the NE10 in goals (9) and taking fourth in points (22) one year after pacing the league in both and becoming the first All-America soccer player - men's or women's - in College history. Classmate Jules Peterson (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) is tied for eighth in the NE10 in goals (6) and 10th in points (15), while junior Sarah Gormley (East Moriches, N.Y./Westhampton Beach) owns five goals and four assists, with three tallies going as game-winners, tied for fourth in the league. Junior Lola Follansbee (Grafton, Mass./Grafton) contributes five goals and three helpers, while senior Bridget Hanley (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) is sixth in the NE10 with six assists from her spot in the central midfield. Junior Sam McDonough (Walkersville, Md./Walkersville), who added eight points, netted her second goal of the season in the NE10 first round against AIC, with the tally going as the winner.
 
Sophomore Chloe Laizer (West Springfield, Mass./West Springfield) has tied Trish Hannan's '90 school mark with 18 career shutouts, and she matched her own record with nine this season. Laizer leads the NE10 in goals-against average (0.67), is tied for first in clean sheets, and stands fourth in save percentage (.814). A strong defensive corps is anchored by senior captain Bridget McLoughlin (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) and juniors Delaney Kleinman (Center Moriches, N.Y./Center Moriches), Julia Palmese (Berlin, Conn./Berlin) and Josie Rayhill (Kirkland, Wash./Lake Washington). Senior Bia Maluf (Salvador, Bahia, Brazil/High Mowing School/Pace) and sophomore Sammy Hassan (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) both contributed during the NE10 semifinal.