Drovers Set to Host NAIA Women’s Soccer Opening Round as No. 9 Overall Seed

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Friday evening, the NAIA announced that the USAO women's soccer team will be a host site for the 2025 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship. The 40-team field will kick things off in the NAIA National Championship First & Second Rounds, at 16 campus locations on November 20-22.

At USAO's site, the Drovers will be the No. 9 overall seed, and they will host MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.). It is the first time that USAO has been selected as a host site for women's soccer since 2019, when the Drovers won the first two rounds and advanced to the final site. Furthermore, USAO and MNU have plenty of recent history. The Drovers are 2-3 against the Pioneers all-time, and when they met earlier this season in Olathe, Kan., the Pioneers claimed a 2-0 win. 

The 2025 NAIA National Championship Second Round winners will meet up in Pensacola, Fla., at the NAIA National Championship final site event. The final site will be held at the Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex from December 1-8, 2025.

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 Opening Round will take place on Saturday, Nov. 22, and the winner 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.

ABOUT THE DROVERS

The Drovers enter the national tournament for the ninth time in program history with an overall record of 13-3-5. Additionally, they went 6-0-3 against conference foes during the regular season. The last time USAO went undefeated in conference play was in 2022 when they went 9-0. Since the start of the 2021 season, the Drovers are 38-4-3 against conference foes.

USAO has outscored opponents 55-15 this season, including 12 shutout performances. 

USAO's strength of schedule has been very impressive this season, producing a 4-3-4 record against opponents that are ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll, including wins against No. 6 College of Idaho, RV Oklahoma City x2, and RV Columbia. Losses against No. 10 John Brown, No. 21 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) and RV Hastings (Neb.). The Drovers earned ties against No. 7 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), No. 10 John Brown (Ark.), RV Mid-America Christian, and RV Concordia (Neb.).

The Drovers' strength of schedule ranks 4th in the NAIA and they rank 10th in RPI.

Niall Crick – SAC Coach of the Year

Niall Crick earns his second consecutive SAC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Drovers to a 13-3-5 record so far this season. The Coach of the Year award is the seventh in program history, with legendary coach Jimmy Hampton having won five (2011, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2022). 

Crick in his third season as the program's head coach, after spending 11 years as an assistant coach at USAO. As the head coach, he has led the Drovers to an incredible 45-12-6 win-loss record, as well as the 2024 regular season SAC championship and a national tournament appearance.

He originally came to USAO in 2008 on a soccer scholarship and was a four-year soccer player for the Drover men. Additionally, he was a member of three teams that made the National Tournament. He was a two-time NAIA All-American and won numerous other awards as a player, prior to graduating in April 2012.

SAC Coach of the Year (7)

o               Niall Crick (2024, 2025)

o               Jimmy Hampton (2011, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2022)

Dagbjort Gudmundsdottir – SAC Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, 1st Team All-SAC

Dagbjort Gudmundsdottir becomes the sixth player in program history to be tabbed as the best player in the conference after a terrific 2025 season that featured 12 goals and an assist for a total of 25 points. 

SAC Player of the Year (6)

o               Jade Ovendale (2014)

o               Emma Rice (2019, 2021, 2022)

o               Ilse de Jong (2024)

o               Dagbjort Gudmundsdottir (2025)

Furthermore, it is the eighth season in a row (ninth total) that a Drover has claimed the award for the conference's top offensive player. 

SAC Offensive Player of the Year (9)

o               Jade Ovendale (2014)

o               Cristina Ramos (2018) 

o               Emma Rice (2019, 2020, 2021)

o               Alicia Rey (2022, 2023)  

o               Ilse de Jong (2024) 

o               Dagbjort Gudmundsdottir (2025)

Gudmundsdottir was also selected as the SAC Offensive Player of the Week earlier this season, and the all-conference selection was the third of her career.

In her career at USAO, she has appeared in 52 games and has tallied 21 goals, 9 assists, and 51 points. 

Agnes Aas – SAC Freshman of the Year, 2nd Team All-SAC

The freshman made a splash in her first season at USAO, anchoring a defense that surrendered only 15 goals and produced 12 shutouts. The Norwegian defender has started all 21 games for USAO so far this season and has also distributed three assists. In addition to the new hardware, Aas was selected as the SAC Defensive Player of the Week in late October. 

Aas is the fifth player in program history to be selected as the league's top Freshman.

SAC Freshman of the Year (5)

o               Emma Rice (2018) 

o               Sara Vijfhuizen (2019)

o               Luna Knoester (2022) 

o               Ashlee Davison (2024)

o               Agnes Aas (2025)

1ST TEAM ALL-SAC

Paula Casajus was tremendous for the Drovers this season, producing 12 goals and four assists for a total of 28 points. She recorded a pair of hat-tricks against Texas Wesleyan and Southwestern Christian. 

In her career at USAO, Casajus has appeared in 46 games and has tallied 22 goals, five assists, and 49 points.

Ilse de Jong earned her second consecutive first-team all-conference selection after producing 10 goals and three assists for 23 points. The 2024 SAC Player of the Year has appeared in 61 games as a Drover, recording 29 goals and 15 assists for 73 points. 

2nd TEAM ALL-SAC

Ashlee Davison earns her second consecutive All-SAC selection after contributing six goals, seven assists, and 19 points in 21 games played. In two years as a Drover, the sophomore has appeared in 43 games and has struck for 11 goals, 17 assists, and 39 points. 

Aleigha Donaldson claims her first all-conference selection as one of the top defenders in the conference. In addition to her stellar defense, she also contributed offensively, scoring a pair of goals.  Donaldson led the Drover defense that surrendered only 15 goals and produced 12 shutouts.

The senior has appeared in 74 games in her career as a Drover and has tallied nine goals and three assists for 21 points. 

Ashlyn Lonberg has been one of the best goalkeepers in the NAIA this season and earned her second consecutive All-SAC selection. In addition to her pair of all-conference awards, she has also claimed six SAC Defensive Player of the Week awards over the last two seasons. Lonberg has started 20 of USAO's 21 games so far, and has produced a 12-3-5 record with a program record of 11 shutouts. The senior from Edmond has made 67 saves, and amongst her SAC peers, she ranks third in save percentage (.817) and third in goals against average (0.76).

In her career at USAO, Lonberg has appeared in 60 games and has produced a sensational 38-6-6 record with 19 shutouts. In the program record book, she ranks first in goals against average (0.96), second in wins (38), and third in shutouts (19).

ABOUT THE PIONEERS

The Pioneers enter the tournament for the fifth time in program history, and currently possess a 13-3-2 overall record, including a 10-1-2 record in Heart of America Athletic Conference play. 

2025 HAAC All-Conference
Lilja Lidstrom (1st) - D
Fiona Popetschnig (1st) - G
Thayline Teixeira (1st) - M
Tindra Jarl (2nd) - F - Freshman of the Year
Bella Leon (2nd) - M
Luna Etienne (2nd) - M
Achaia Day (3rd) - D

2025 HAAC Player of the Week
Fiona Popetschnig (9/22)

GAMEDAY INFO:

The Drovers and Pioneers will face at 12:00 PM CT on Saturday, Nov. 22 at McLaughlin Field. The game will be streamed free of charge on the SAC Sports Network and Urban Edge Network. 

Tickets will be available at the field's entrance:

ADULTS: $10.00

17U: $7.00

SENIOR: $5:00 

12U: FREE

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